Village scenes..and other area favorite places
Youtube events in Highland Falls are at the top..........scroll down for photos below
Click on anything for an expanded view
Frances Pell Marries Sir Martin Archer at "Pellwood"
with Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Sara Delano Roosevelt in the group shot
A thank you to Matt Gannon for the updated information and narrative
with Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Sara Delano Roosevelt in the group shot
A thank you to Matt Gannon for the updated information and narrative
"A photo from the 1905 wedding of Miss Frances Pell to Sir Martin Archer-Shee. The wedding took place at "Pellwood," the bride's country home, and was officiated by Monsignor O'Keefe of Sacred Heart Church. The Archer-Shees were Catholics, but their titles and fortune apparently made up for this slight social deficiency. The groom's mother was the former Elizabeth Edith Pell of New York, who had also been the bride's father's half sister. Since both the bride's mother and father had passed away, she was given away by her uncle, J. Pierpont Morgan. Morgan can be seen near the left side of the photo. To Morgan's left is the rotund Monsignor O'Keefe, a well known intellectual who had risen quickly through church hierarchy and was respected in the Vatican but had a habit of challenging authority and was eventually sent to Highland Falls as a sort of punishment. He made the best of the situation, establishing the parish at West Point and getting the Catholic Chapel built there, and he was welcomed into the homes of the local river society. . Near Mr. Morgan and Monsignor O'Keefe, Franklin Roosevelt and his mother Sara Delano Roosevelt (seemingly fascinated by the monsignor's girth) are visible. The head of Mrs. J.P. Morgan, whose late sister was the bride's mother, can be seen directly behind the left shoulder of the groom's father (look for her grey hair & white hat). Eleanor Roosevelt attended as well, and I believe her to be the tall woman (with veiled hat) pictured standing on the piazza directly above Mrs. Morgan, although I can't be sure about that. Just to the left of Monsignor O'Keefe is Herbert Livingston Satterlee (attorney and one time Assistant Secretary of the Navy), and between him and the monsignor is Mrs. Satterlee, the former Louisa Pierpont Morgan. Anne Tracy (with blonde hair) is a bridesmaid, and her mother, Jennie Bigelow Tracy, can be seen mugging for the camera nearby. To the right of center, John Bigelow is standing behind a bridesmaid's large, feathered hat. His face is mostly hidden, but look for a tall man with white hair and world-class muttonchops. General Charles F. Roe can be seen standing alone near the top of the porch steps at left. The officer pictured farthest to the right in this picture (with the bald head) is a dead ringer for West Point's 1906-1911 Superintendent, Colonel Hugh Lenox Scott. The other military guests at the right are likely some brass from West Point, although I personally don't recognize them at all. The clergyman toward the right side of the photo is a mystery to me as well. I thought he might have been either the rector of the Holy Innocents Church or of St. George's Church in Stuyvesant Square (which the Pells sometimes attended) but I can find no photo match anywhere. Frances Pell Archer-Shee moved to England with her husband, who was a member of Parliament, but returned to the U.S. and stayed at Pellwood during WW2, and one of the Archer-Shee's daughters, Lady Edith Archer-Shee lived at Pellwood by herself many years later. The old house, which was said to have been originally copied from a villa on Lake Como in Italy, is no longer standing, but the estate itself is more or less intact. The architect who designed the modern home which today graces the property was coincidentally a descendant of wedding guest J. P. Morgan. The estate is now named "Ananouri" in honor of the ancient home of the Sidamon-Eristavis, Dukes of Aragvi, which is still standing near Tiflis, Georgia."
Greystone Mansion Montage
This is an interesting montage of the historic Greystone mansion, which served as the location for memorable events in the Town of Highlands for many years. Click on the above player to travel to times past...that we have sadly lost. Additional photos of Greystone events from viewers will be welcomed.
Acknowledgement and a big thank you.....
Photo's have been forwarded to us by many of our "family" of families. A thank you also goes out to Ronnie Clark Coffey
for allowing us to reproduce selected pictures of our past from her wonderful book - 'Images of America - Highlands'.
Additional pictures have been provided by many others including the latest from Sue Colle Hennen. A big thank you to all!
for allowing us to reproduce selected pictures of our past from her wonderful book - 'Images of America - Highlands'.
Additional pictures have been provided by many others including the latest from Sue Colle Hennen. A big thank you to all!