The Highbridge Area before American Independence

There is some evidence that the Bronx was used by hunters as early as 5,000 BC, but it is believed that the first European to see the Bronx was Henry Hudson when, in 1609, he pulled his vessel Halve Maen (Half Moon) into Spuyten Duyvil creek during a storm.

On August 3, 1639, the Dutch West India Company purchased from the Indians a tract of land called Keskeskeck that included what was to become Highbridge. [i] There were two principal Indian tribes in the area at the time, the Rechgawawank (or Manhattan) Indians and the Weckquasgeek Indians. The latter tribe was the more warlike and in fact, engaged in periodic raids on the European settlers. Ultimately, however, peace did prevail, but the Indians nonetheless began to move to less “crowded” areas so that by 1710, there was no significant Indian presence in the area. In the meantime, the British occupied New Amsterdam in 1664, changed its name to New York and Dutch influence began to wane.

One of the first settlers in Highbridge was a man named Daniel Turneur. In 1671, Turneur purchased an eighty-acre strip of Keskeskeck south of what is now 167 ^th Street [ii] between the Harlem River and a creek called variously Mentipathe, Maenippis Kill or later Cromwell’s Creek. The creek, which was filled-in in the early 1900s, became the route of Jerome Avenue from 178 ^th St. south to the Harlem River. One other landowner, named Bickley, owned the other piece of Highbridge south of 167 ^th St. However, a man named Devoe married Turneur’s daughter and also bought the Bickley land, so that the whole of what is now Highbridge south of West 167 ^th Street became known as Devoe’s Point or Devoe’s Neck. The portion of Highbridge north of 167 ^th Street belonged to a man named John Archer.

It was also believed by many that the infamous pirate, Captain Kidd, who was hanged in England in 1701, may have buried treasures on or near 167 ^th Street, close to the Harlem River. Over the years, many treasure seekers dug up the area in unsuccessful attempts to find some - at least, there is no record of any success in these treasure hunts.

Devoe’s Neck was officially part of Westchester County at least as early as 1788 (as part of the township of Morrisania.)

Although not known as a major battleground during the Revolutionary War, there is no doubt that Highbridge was the scene of numerous skirmishes. While excavating for Sedgwick Avenue, many skeletons of Indians and Hessians [iii] were found, as well as a nine-pound cannon ball. The only recorded skirmish occurred in January 1779, when a number of Connecticut volunteers, led by Captains named Keeler and Lockwood, overran a British outpost very near what is now the corner of Ogden Avenue and 170 ^th Street. Three British sentries were killed and when the rest of the British garrison sought shelter in a building at that location, the rebels set fire to the building, forcing the British to surrender. It is interesting to note that West 167 ^th Street was originally named Woolf Street after a Hessian soldier who stayed after the war and bought property in the vicinity. Similarly, Sedgwick Avenue was originally known as Emmerick Place after another Hessian soldier named Emmerich. (Who says Highbridge people hold grudges?)

The Highbridge Area after the Revolution

In 1794, James Anderson purchased 60 acres from an Englishman named Medcef Edin and later in 1820, he purchased an additional tract located at what is now 164 ^th Street and Anderson Avenue from one Aaron Burr [iv] and Rachel Edin. The property was called “Woody Crest” due to its high ground and thick woods.

There was little change in Devoe’s Point from the close of the Revolution until the middle of the nineteenth century. The area was primarily a farming area dotted with occasional estates built by wealthy New Yorkers seeking pure air and pleasant surroundings.

The only interesting incident recorded in this period was the raid on Macomb’s Dam. In 1813, the New York State legislature had granted Robert Macomb the right to build a dam across the Harlem River, (the site of the 155 ^th Street or Macomb’s Dam Bridge.) He promptly built such a dam, charging tolls to people who wanted to go between Manhattan and the Bronx along the top of the dam. Navigation was all but totally impeded. Small rowboats could get past it only at high tide. This was a source of great annoyance to those who thought that the river could serve as an avenue of commerce.

In a well-planned maneuver, these opponents led by Lewis G. Morris [v] brought a flat bottomed boat, named the “Nonpareil”, loaded with coal and demanded passage northward through the dam on the evening of September 14, 1838. This was, of course, impossible. When passage was naturally denied, Morris had the one hundred men who had accompanied him use pickaxes and crowbars to open a hole in the dam large enough to let the “Nonpareil”, through. The Renwicks, then owners of the Dam, unsuccessfully tried to have Lewis criminally prosecuted. Once Morris had established that the Harlem River was indeed navigable, the dam was history. Morris then had two ferries built which carried passengers from a dock about a mile north of the Highbridge to Third Avenue and the Harlem River for 10 cents.

Because of a the Great Fire of 1835, which destroyed 674 building on Wall, Broad and South Streets in Manhattan, the inadequacy of the water supply in Manhattan became very apparent. The Croton River was chosen as the water supply and in 1837, work began with the construction of a dam on the river to create a five-mile long lake. A pipe was constructed to carry the water 45 miles to New York. Initially, the Legislature had planned to carry the water across to Manhattan on a low bridge. However, because Morris’s caper had proven the Harlem River navigable, a low bridge became as impossible as the dam. Accordingly, the Legislature ruled that it would have to be at least 100 feet high with arches at least 80 feet apart. The aqueduct from Croton was completed sufficiently by 1842 to begin carrying water [vi], but construction continued on the bridge until 1848. When completed the granite structure was 1,450 feet long, twenty-five feet wide, with fifteen semicircular arches. Originally, it had two cast iron pipes, each, three feet in diameter, but between 1860 and 1864, another pipe seven feet six inches in diameter was added. The water was routed to a large reservoir in Central Park and then on to a 20,000,000-gallon distributing reservoir at 42 ^nd Street and Fifth Avenue, the current site of the main branch of the New York Public Library. The new source of 35 million gallons of water per day caused fire insurance rates in the city to drop forty cents on every hundred dollars of value. The entire project cost the City of New York $12,500,000. The stone arches in the middle of the river were removed in the mid–1920s to improve navigation and replaced with a single steel arch. Some of the stone from the arches that were removed was used to build a containing wall on the west side of Riverdale Avenue from 231 ^st Street to 236 ^th Street in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.

The Highbridge was considered to be an engineering marvel and became a landmark of renown. Lewis Morris’ steamboat “Trumpeter” carried the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Newcastle and their party to see it, with cheering crowds all along the river bank – more proof that the people of Highbridge do not bear grudges. Hotels sprang up and Highbridge became a major tourist attraction for wealthy New Yorkers and foreign visitors. Edgar Allen Poe enjoyed walking on the Highbridge when he lived in Fordham (1846-49.) Here is an excerpt from an article in Harper’s Weekly of 1880:

Nothing can be pleasanter, for those who have only a short time at their disposal, than an afternoon trip to Highbridge, where the scenery is delightful, and where one can enjoy the sight of the great structure over which rushes the supply of water for New York, take a walk over the high banks, or sit on shaded benches to watch the rowers on Harlem River. The end comes all too soon. The cry of “All aboard!” startles the most lazily inclined…. But the day has been pleasant, and the excursionists return to their city homes refreshed and invigorated by their healthful outing.

Highbridge was reached for such excursions primarily by boat. [vii] Boats named “Tiger Lily”, “Osceo”, “Trumpet”, Moses Taylor” and “Seabird” regularly made the run to Highbridge. There were numerous inns and roadhouses, such as Huber’s Hotel Café and Casino [viii], Judge Smith’s roadhouse [ix], the Woodbine Hotel [x] and Mike O’Brien’s Undercliff Hotel. [xi] In addition, there were picnic spots such as Kyle’s Park (just north of the Highbridge on the Bronx side.) One establishment, operated by a gentleman named John Karl boasted a glass-enclosed pavilion where up to 1,000 people might dine and enjoy the finest beer and wines. Even in winter, Highbridge was the scene of many sleighing parties. However, the population of the entire Bronx which was 1,761 in 1790 had risen to only 8,032 by 1850, so that it was still very rural.

In the early 1870’s a tightrope artist named Leslie was paid by one of these establishments to perform a feat walking the tightrope strung from Manhattan to the Bronx over Kyle Park, just north of the bridge. The event was well publicized and very well attended. But Leslie did not just walk across the river on the rope. He carried a small portable stove on his back. Halfway across, he put the stove down, lighted it, made batter and began to cook pancakes which he then dropped to the people in rowboats beneath him. He waited for the stove to cool down and then crossed the rest of the way to Highbridge. [xii]

All kinds of horse racing were popular in the second half of the nineteenth century. There was a trotter’s track across the river running from the Macomb's Dam Bridge up what is now the Harlem River Drive. In the North end of the Bronx, was a thoroughbred track, Jerome Park Raceway (currently the sight of Lehman College and the Jerome Park Reservoir.) The racetrack was opened in 1867 and owned by the Jerome family. [xiii] It was site of the Belmont Stakes until 1890 when the track closed. Although the Jerome family had their principal residence in Brooklyn, they also had a summer cottage in Highbridge (the exact location is not known, but it is believed to have been on Nelson Avenue between 164 ^th Street and 165 ^th Street.) One daughter named Jennie spent summers in Highbridge until she was sent off to study in Europe at the age of 13 in 1867. There, she met and married Lord Randolph Churchill at the age of 19 and gave birth to a son named Winston in 1874. Winston Churchill became the Prime Minister of England during World War II and one of the towering figures of the Twentieth Century.

The Other Side of Highbridge

From what has been written so far, one might imagine that Highbridge was exclusively a playground for the rich and famous, but one does have to pause and ask the question, “Who built that massive bridge and where did they live?”

The answer is that the workers who built the bridge and then, the nearby railroads were mostly Irish, and had settled in a little town that took its name from the bridge, Highbridgeville. [xiv] Highbridgeville was centered about Woolf Street (167 ^th St.) and Highbridge Avenue, later to be renamed Ogden Avenue. The number of Irish immigrants to the area increased dramatically after the Potato Famine in Ireland (1845-1849).

Most residents of Highbridgeville worked on the aqueduct or the railroads, while others were employed as gardeners, coachmen and servants on local estates [xv] and still others set up businesses of their own. Many bought property and built homes. But none of the Croton water came to the little hamlet, which had no gas, paved streets, sewers, post offices, churches, firehouse or police stations. They did have apple and cherry orchards, and goats, chickens and pigs roamed the area. At the commercial center (167 ^th Street and Ogden Avenue), there was a general store, Spellman’s Tavern, a dry goods store and other establishments to meet the needs of the residents.

There was a period of time when Highbridgeville acquired the curious nickname “Dangerville.” While many assumed that the nickname derived from the fact that street brawls were not at all infrequent there, there was another explanation. One wealthy resident who owned an estate and wanted to name it “Garden Villa” had ordered four foot high wrought iron letters which he intended to set up on his lawn. However, when the letters arrived, they spelled “Garden Ville”, so he refused to pay for them until the error was corrected. In the meantime, he left the letters uncrated on his lawn. One night, some practical jokers that had heard of the controversy, took the letters and rearranged them at a very visible location high above the river. The next morning travelers on both the riverboats and the railroad saw, to their amusement or puzzlement, the name “Dangerville” spelled out. The name stuck for a good period of time. [xvi]

In 1874, Highbridgeville became part of New York City along with Morrisania, West Farms and Kingsbridge

The Founding of Sacred Heart in 1875 under Father James Mullen

A young priest in a neighboring parish, Father James A. Mullen, often walked through Highbridge. From these walks, he became aware of the Catholics that lived there. Though then few in number, he was concerned at how remote they were from any Catholic Church. He recommended to Cardinal McCloskey that a parish be formed. Although the Cardinal doubted that the number of parishioners could support a pastor, much less build a church, he decided to take a chance, and on June 20, 1875, the first Mass of Sacred Heart parish was offered at Daly’s Hall at the corner of 165 ^th Street and Summit Avenue. They continued to have Mass there for more than a year. As it turned out, Cardinal McCloskey was right that the parishioners were too few to be able to build a new church, but the resourceful Father Mullen was able to get them a “used” church. He had learned that St. Rose of Lima parish on Cannon Street in lower Manhattan was building a new church, so he asked for, and was given the old one. It was cut into sections, transported to essentially the same location as the present church and was there reassembled. On May 28, 1876, Cardinal McCloskey was present for the laying of the cornerstone, accompanied by Rev. John Farley, later to become Cardinal Farley. On October 21, 1877, Cardinal McCloskey returned for the dedication. A rectory was constructed next to the church and the parishioners of Sacred Heart had their own church, albeit a “used” one.

The period also had some other notable events. In 1875, a young writer named Samuel Clemens published “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” under the pen name Mark Twain. It is interesting to consider that Twain’s descriptions of life along the Mississippi were probably pretty close to life along the Harlem River in Highbridge in 1875. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and in 1877, Edison invented the phonograph. In 1886, the Third Avenue El was extended to the Bronx and in the following year, electricity was introduced to the Bronx. In 1888, the Washington Bridge from the north end of Ogden Avenue to 181 ^st St. in Manhattan opened. (While the Highbridge is the oldest bridge in New York, the Washington Bridge is the 3 ^rd oldest, just younger than the Brooklyn Bridge) In 1898, New York City was created as a federation of five boroughs, within its current borders. However, none of these developments had much effect on Highbridge or Sacred Heart parish. It remained primarily a rural hamlet and Father Mullen remained pastor until his death on December 21, 1907.

Fr. Mullen was a Shakespearean scholar and had pressed to have the name of the avenue in front of the church changed from Marcher Avenue to Shakespeare Avenue, but that did not happen until 1912, some 5 years after his death. Ironically, the Marcher family after whom the street had been named had owned an estate called Rocky Cliff on which there was a large garden containing many statues of Shakespearean characters and indeed, one of the bard himself. Thus, the renaming was in no way disrespectful to Mrs. Marcher who was herself as devoted to Shakespeare as Fr. Mullen.

Father John Lennon succeeds Fr. Mullen

On January 11, 1908 Father John J. Lennon became pastor of Sacred Heart and immediately started a kindergarten. He also saw that the church was too small. He strongly disagreed with the Diocesan Building Council’s recommendation that the new church should be located on the northeast corner of 168 ^th Street & Nelson Avenue (the present site of St. Joseph’s Annex.) He also disagreed that it should have a basement. In a letter to Monsignor Farley, dated May 30, 1910, Father Lennon argued persuasively that the new church should be built where the old church stood. The triangular park in front of the church made it a more desirable location and he added that the library’s decision to locate on the south side of the triangle supported his position. However, in arguing against building a basement in the church, he wrote:

“As to the basement for the church, I most respectfully submit that there is no necessity and in my opinion there never will be a necessity for a lower church in this section. This section will never be so thickly populated as to require double services at the same hour.”

In fairness to Fr. Lennon, no one in 1910 could have anticipated the growth that would take place over the next few decades. In any event, the cornerstone was laid in 1910 and on April 14, 1912, Sacred Heart became the first church dedicated by Cardinal Farley, who had just been elevated to Cardinal. Interestingly, the Dedication Mass was offered by the then Chancellor of the Archdiocese, later to become Patrick Cardinal Hayes. Of course, the high school that bears his name was later constructed approximately 2 miles from Sacred Heart.

As the New York Times reported on the dedication in its April 15 edition, “the church, newly finished is a beautiful building of white marble, with elaborate interior decorations and furnishings. “ It was 75 feet at its greatest width and 83 feet at its maximum height. The nave window in the façade was one of the largest single windows of any church in the Archdiocese. A new rectory beside the church was built in the same year.

Only hours after the dedication, the SS. Titanic hit an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland with the loss of 1,513 lives.

The newly rebuilt Polo Grounds where both the New York Giants and New York Yankees played, opened in 1911, right across the river at 155 ^th Street. (The Yankees, however, would not win a World Series until they moved nearer to Sacred Heart at Yankee Stadium!!)

In 1917-1918, two transportation improvements occurred in the area that would eventually bring explosive growth [xvii] for Highbridge in their wake. The first was the opening of the Woodlawn-Jerome subway line (now known as the No. 4 train.) The second was the extension of the Ninth Avenue El [xviii] from 155 ^th Street and Eighth Avenue across a bridge over the Harlem River to meet the Woodlawn Jerome train at 167 ^th Street and River Avenue with two intermediate underground stops; the Anderson/Jerome station at 162 ^nd Street and the Sedgwick Avenue station. After the subways had made commuting to Manhattan cheap and convenient, enterprising builders such as Bernard J. Noonan, [xix] a native of County Longford in Ireland, began building large apartment buildings in the area. These apartments would provide more spacious, more modern and cheaper housing to many people in Manhattan, but it was not until the late 1920’s and the 30’s that the Great Apartment Rush would begin.

The playwright William Gibson, [xx] who was born in Highbridge in 1914 and grew up there in the late teens and 20s, described the Highbridge of his day in his autobiography, A Mass for the Dead, as anything but an urban community:

The neighborhood where I was born was part of the city not easily come to, moated by the Harlem River along the west and unentered by the el to the east; between them it rose like some backward green garden of hills, original rocks, grass, trees, small cornfields. It was known as Highbridge after a footbridge high over the sewery river. In its midst was a broad barren hill, which went rollicking down to a tar road under a rank of old trees, and in their shade stood a handful of narrow wooden houses yoked together, three families high, each house with its grace note of a picket fence.

Sacred Heart was not untouched by World War I and the parish created a unique memorial to those 7 parishioners who had given their lives in the service of their country. The parish installed panels in the enormous stained glass window in the nave or front of the church showing the images of the seven young men in their army and navy uniforms with the simple inscription, “In memory of our boys.” Their names appear under their images: John Horan, James Pendergast, Joseph Holahan, Philip Knopf, Jeremiah Hennessy, John J. Delaney and Daniel Chisholm [xxi].

In 1923, Yankee Stadium opened and the Yankees moved from the Polo Grounds across the river to its new home. Besides the many great sporting events that would be held there, it would also be visited by three popes, Paul VI in 1966; John Paul II in 1979 and Benedict XVI in 2008. [xxii] The Polo Grounds, on the other hand played host every October to a rally of the Holy Name Societies of the whole Archdiocese, in which Sacred Heart was always well represented.

In the fall of 1919, the Archbishops and bishops of the United States issued a pastoral letter that said, in part:

Moral and religious training is more efficacious when it is joined with instruction in other kinds of knowledge….An education which unites intellectual, moral and religious elements is the best training for citizenship.

Although at the time, the local public schools provided an excellent academic education, the parish followed the philosophy of the pastoral letter, and laid the corner stone for a new $300,000 school on the east side of Nelson Avenue north of 168 ^th Street in June 1925. The laying of the cornerstone coincided with the 50 ^th Anniversary of the parish. The school, which was of French Gothic design, opened in September of the following year, 1926. Sister Mary Rosaria of the Sisters of Mercy was the first principal of the girls’ school. Assisted by 7 other sisters, she was responsible for 300 girls and 100 younger boys. Brother Brendan of the De la Salle Christian brothers was the first principal of the boys’ school and together with three other Christian brothers, was responsible for 150 older boys. [xxiii] A new convent was built for the nuns on Nelson Avenue adjacent to and just north of the school. In addition, a house adjacent to the driveway leading up to the Gymnasium was renovated for the brothers. Less than 18 months later, on February 11, 1928, Fr. Lennon passed away.

Fr. Guinevan succeeds Fr. Lennon

Fr. Peter F. Guinevan was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Parish on June 11, 1928. Almost immediately, Fr. Guinevan realized that the church was two small and set about to enlarge it. He extended it to its present size, nearly doubling its capacity and adding a beautiful sacristy and picturesque cloister. On September 27, 1931, the newly enlarged church was rededicated at a Solemn High Mass with His Eminence Patrick Cardinal Hayes presiding. With great foresight, Fr. Guinevan also purchased all the property on the north side of 168 ^th Street from the rectory to Nelson Avenue. By this time, the parish was, like the rest of the country, suffering the effects of the Great Depression. In 1933, the IND subway’s Concourse line opened with a station at 161 ^st St. & River Ave. where one could transfer to the IRT for no additional fare. [xxiv] Fr. Guinevan’s health was poor for nearly the entire time he was pastor and he passed away on January 1, 1934.

Father Humphrey succeeds Fr. Guinevan

On June 11, 1934, Fr. William C. Humphrey was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart parish. By this time, the school had filled up and was indeed crowded, so Fr. Humphrey built another story on the school building in 1936.

The growth of the parish had continued unabated. Throughout the 30’s and 40’s, the many new apartment buildings had attracted and continued to attract thousands of new residents. The new residents were primarily Irish and Jewish, with significant numbers of Italians and Germans. As the specter of the Third Reich loomed in Europe, and Stalin’s anti-Semitic U.S.S.R. became less hospitable to them, Jews emigrated here from Germany, Russia and Poland in increasing numbers. Most of the new residents in Highbridge were, in fact, immigrants. “It seemed that everyone’s parents were from somewhere else,” remarked one who grew up there. He continued, “I thought anyone whose parents were born in America must be an Indian.” The Jewish residents had their synagogue and later their Community Center on Nelson Avenue at 167 ^th Street. As a example of how seriously the country’s motto “E pluribus unum” was taken even when it came to business establishments, there was Sam’s Delicatessen on 167 ^th Street and Woodycrest Avenue. It was, at one and the same time, a kosher deli and a bar – the perfect synthesis for the principally Irish and Jewish neighborhood!

Naturally, there were occasional frictions between Catholics and Jews at times, as you would expect when any two different groups are thrown together. However, both groups learned from each other, respected each other and many of the children who grew up in this part of the “Melting Pot” developed life-long friendships with children of the other religion.

However, as the growth continued and Father Humphrey sought options to service his growing parish, he looked at various properties [xxv] in the southern part of the parish where he could build a chapel and provide more classrooms. Various plans he submitted to the Diocesan Council were rejected as too expensive. Finally, however, he learned that the Episcopal Church of St. Albans located at on Summit Avenue between 162 ^nd and 164 ^th Streets was up for sale, and, with the blessings of the Diocese, he purchased it together with the property in June 1943. Once again, Sacred Heart gets a “used” church. The chapel was, however, in serious disrepair. The roof leaked, the outside walls needed repointing, the water pipes were all corroded, the electrical wiring and heating system needed to be replaced and the plaster walls had all crumbled. It was completely renovated to include classrooms and a chapel and the entrance was opened to Ogden Avenue. Fr. Humphrey published an extensive list of items that would be required and parishioners donated everything on the list including vestments, the altar, the tabernacle, the candlesticks, the Missal, the Stations of the Cross, etc.

By the fall of 1943, the renovations were complete and one daily and five Sunday Masses were being offered. The Chapel had a capacity of 300. The school opened with 215 students in 5 classrooms, with 4 nuns and one lay teacher [xxvi]. The nuns lived at St. Catherine’s convent on 152 ^nd St. in Manhattan and came over every morning by trolley. In October 1943, Fr. Humphrey wrote to Cardinal Spellman:

I thought there would be some resentment on the part of non-Catholics at our taking over a Protestant church, but just the opposite – they seemed rather pleased that it is ours and they have been very generous in their praise of the improvements we have made and some have sent me contributions.

The Chapel was named St. Eugene’s after the Patron Saint of Pope Pius XII, whose name before elevation to the Papacy was Eugenio Pacelli, and was formally dedicated on Mother’s Day, May 15, 1944 by Archbishop Francis Spellman. The outdoor shrine was dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes.

Starting in October 1943, the Military Committee of the parish’s Holy Name Society published a newsletter, the Sacred Heart News, which was devoted to news of the parish and news of servicemen on active duty. Copies of the newsletter were distributed in the parish and sent to servicemen wherever they were serving. It greatly helped keep up the morale of both the servicemen and the folks at home.

The edition of October 1944 carried the news of Father Humphrey’s elevation to monsignor. The investiture took place in Sacred Heart Church on Sunday evening, September 24, 1944. Bishop John H. O’Hara, bishop for the Army and Navy Ordinariate and a former president of Notre Dame University placed the purple robes on Monsignor Humphrey. It was considered a great honor for the parish.

The final edition of the Sacred Heart News was published in October 1945 and it reported that Monsignor Humphrey had dedicated the newly renovated gymnasium and that a dance and social had followed the dedication. The gymnasium continued to be the location of the annual Sports Night which had numerous athletic competitions for Sacred Heart students, such as basketball, high jump, three legged races, sack races, obstacle races, potato races, tug of war and boxing matches. Not long after the cessation of the publication of Sacred Heart News, a new monthly publication, the Parish Monthly began to appear. The Parish Monthly, supported by a substantial amount of advertising by local merchants, [xxvii] carried news of the parish and parish organizations, articles from various sources, the Honor Roll, [xxviii] mass schedules, The Legion of Decency rating for movies and occasionally, commentary by Monsignor Humphrey.

On Christmas Day, 1945, new chimes were dedicated in memory of the 58 members of the parish who had each made the Supreme Sacrifice for their country from among the 1,695 parishioners who had served in the nation’s armed forces during World War II. The names of those honored were:

Alfonso, Joseph R. Kirk, Thomas
Avallone, Vincent A. LaCavera, Edward
Biondi, Robert L. McDowell, William M.
Brent, Michael McTaggert, John
Briody, Christopher McSweeney, Daniel
Burke, Thomas J. Maher John
Campbell, William Mallon, John
Callagy, Ambrose Marsh, Joseph
Carney, William Maye, William T. Jr
Carroll, Gerard J. Mazzoranna, Raymond
Cashin, William K. Merritts, Charles
Chapman, James Michaels, Edward J
Clancy, Francis J Moran, George
Clark, William J. Morley, James
Cliggett, Thomas O’Connell, Matthew
Coleman, John O’Connell, William
Condon,, James V. O’Rourke, Patrick
Curran, Geoge V. Pignetti, Dominick
Daddario, Francis Porpora, Alfonso
Delaney, William H Qualter, Ambrose
Dillon, Thomas J Quinn, Jay B.
Gay, Robert Scanlon, Martin J.
Hayden, Howard E. Shea, John D.
Henry, Thomas P Schrade, John
Heslin, Terrence M. Soderling, Willam J.
Horan, Matthew Tomecho, Stephen
Hughes, Henry A. Villani, Ralph A.
Kelly, Howard J Villari, Andrew
Keyes, James Weiss, William F

With the war over and the servicemen home, the parish continued to grow. By 1948, the school was greatly overcrowded with 1966 children, half of whom were on split session, i.e. the classrooms were used for one group of students in the morning and another group in the afternoon.

After considering a number of different alternatives, Monsignor Humphrey was given permission to build a new 18-room school building on the northeast corner of 168 ^th St. and Nelson Avenue. It was expected that at fifty (50) students per classroom, split sessions could be eliminated. The diocese also authorized the construction of a new Convent on the north side of 168 ^th Street beside the new school. The old convent was at the same time to be renovated for the Christian brothers.

Construction began and the new boys’ school opened in November 1950 ending the spilt sessions to the relief of all (except perhaps the children for whom it meant more time in school.) The opening was announced in the first edition of “The Crusader”, a new newspaper of the boys’ school started by Brother Christian Jones.

Obviously, all this building cost a great deal of money and Monsignor Humphrey spent a great deal of time trying to raise the necessary funds. The rumor started that money had become so important to Monsignor Humphrey that he had placed a dollar sign in the wrought iron grillwork above the front door of the old rectory. Indeed, if one looked at that semicircular grillwork, one would see prominent in the middle of it what looked like a dollar sign. In truth, of course, it was an “S” with an “H” superimposed, or as a certain Yankee announcer might say, “an interlocking SH”, standing for “Sacred Heart.”

When the Korean War ended in 1953, a period of peace and relatively good economic times prevailed in Highbridge as it did in the rest of the nation.

It was a time when some of the boys in the neighborhood formed “gangs.” Although they certainly seem tame by today’s standards, Monsignor Humphrey would not tolerate them. About groups named the “Ikes” and the “Dukes”, Monsignor Humphrey wrote in the Parish Monthly:

Who are [they]? When did they come into existence? Who started them? Who are their members? Why are they in existence? What are they doing? We shall be very grateful for the answer to these questions and we would like to have the names of the members … in time for the next issue of the Parish Calendar.

In a later issue, he took on yet another “gang”:

Hoodlums - We have learned of a new group of hoodlums who call themselves- if we have spelled the name correctly- Bacugies. Highbridge is well fitted out now with gangs like the Dukes, the Ikes and this new group of morons. The sad part of these boys and girls is, that they were amongst the dullest in School; ninety-nine percent of them had a very low I.Q. Many of them were borderline cases-the type that seems gated for trouble…What these youngsters need more than anything else, is to be taken down to the basement by their fathers and whaled and paddled in a way they would never forget. Unfortunately some of their fathers do not give them a very good example. It is just possible the these youngsters are “chips off the old block.”

However, gangs and youth were not the only targets of his disapproval and he was not shy about expressing it. Here’s an example from the June 1962 issue of the Parish Monthly:

Sloppy House Keepers - We are still receiving many complaints about the sloppy housekeepers on Woodycrest and Shakespeare Avenues in the vicinity of 168^th Street. It jars the nerves of many people to see bedclothes being placed on the sills of windows and left there for the greater part of the day. Also it seems shocking to see people shaking rugs and table cloths out the window. While we notice these things and continue to hear complaints, we feel it should be brought to the attention of the owners of these houses.

Monsignor Humphrey also had his softer side for the smaller children. He called the boys, his little “Indians” and the girls, his little “Chatterboxes.” His dog “Rex”, a St. Bernard (without a barrel of brandy around his neck) patrolled the grounds next to the rectory and was known far and wide.
The Parish Monthly for June 1961 showed the schedule of Masses on Sunday as follows; in the Church: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 12:45; in the Auditorium: 8, 9 and 12:15 and in the Chapel (St. Eugene’s) 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 12:45 for a total of 18 masses.

Most often the celebrant of the Mass was not the homilist. As Bishop Head recalled:

We had a system [at Sacred Heart] whereby one of us would say the 6:00 and 7:00 in the main Church and then preach at all of the Masses in the main Church that Sunday morning. The next week, you would go down to the Chapel and preach at all those Masses, and the third week you would have the 9:00 and 12:45 in the school hall and preach at those. The fourth and fifth week, you would be excused from preaching since there were four associates and the pastor, giving us a five–man team.

Do you suppose that baseball got its five-man pitching rotation from watching the five man preaching rotation at the parish up the hill from both the Polo Grounds and the Stadium?

From the opening of the school, there had never been any tuition charged, nor was there any charge for books. However, the children of the school did help raise money by selling Christmas cards and they were encouraged to save money for the missions during Lent in “mite boxes.” [xxix] Of course, they sometimes did spend some of their money after school on 168 ^th St. at either Kanter’s Delicatessen (for their french fries) or Sol’s candy store. Of course, many had their own favorite candy store nearer to home. There seemed to be dozens of them in Highbridge.

Some memories of the boys’ school after the new boys’ school was built

In the 1950s, the boys helped to raise money for the Christian brothers by collecting for what was called “The Saint La Salle Auxiliary.” In those same years, the boys’ school fielded some outstanding track and basketball teams, expertly coached by the Christian brothers. There was intramural basketball and every year on “Health Day,” the whole boys’ school went down to Macomb’s Dam track [xxx] for races and other track and field events. There was also the Annual Sports Night in the Gym, mentioned above.

In addition to athletics, the boys’ school also performed well in all sorts of non-athletic competitions, including spelling bees, mental arithmetic contests, religion contests, essay contests, oratorical competitions, penmanship contests etc. The Crusader, the student run newspaper covered all these events, other items of interest as well as news from each class. Elections were held yearly for officers of the Archconfraternity of the Divine Child or ADC for short and some students were chosen to act as crossing guards and got to wear those spiffy white bandoleers. Every year in March, the boys’ school put on a St. Patrick’s Day entertainment in which every class performed songs and dance numbers.

Memories of the girls’ school

The girls’ school in the 50s had a basketball team (which played the half court variety) and cheerleaders. Many girls participated in Sacred Heart’s Girls Scout Troop. The girls also had quite a nice choir. Every May, the entire girls’ school processed to St. Eugene’s Chapel for the May Crowning at the Grotto there. Every year, the girls also put on entertainments in which every class participated. Mr. Rowan, the church organist and music teacher often played at the girls’ school entertainment.

The religious life of the parish

Besides the masses, there was the Miraculous Medal Novena every Monday at 3:15 and 8:00 PM and a Holy Hour every Thursday at 8:00 PM. The active societies included the Rosary Society, the Holy Name Society [xxxi], the Vincent de Paul Society and the Sodality.

Every Lent, a parish mission was held. It was given either by Franciscan, Passionist or Redemptorist priests and was in five parts: for married women; for married men; for single women; for single men; and for children. Each part lasted a week and was conducted in the evenings, except that for the children, which was given during school. Parishioners were reminded in the strongest terms that there was to be no compromise with sin. These priests were great and fiery preachers who often made a lasting impression. One parishioner, upon leaving the church after a particularly forceful sermon was heard to exclaim in a distinctly Irish brogue, “Boy, the devil took one good pasting in there tonight, didn’t he.” On a serious note, there was strong emphasis on the fact that it is important to one’s salvation to be “God-fearing.” [xxxii]

In 1958, the construction of a new rectory was completed. The old rectory had been crowded for many years. So stark a contrast was the new to the old in terms of space and amenities that it is said that priests in the Archdiocese referred to the new rectory as “Humphrey’s Hilton”.
On Sunday, November 7, 1965, Monsignor Humphrey died in St. Francis Hospital in the Bronx. He was 87 years old. He had been pastor for 31 years and had seen enormous growth in the parish. He had presided over the addition of a floor to the old school, the purchase and reconstruction of St. Eugene’s, the building of a new school, a new convent and a new rectory. During many of the later years, the school’s enrollment had between 2,200 and 2,300 students in grades 1 through 8. He was a strong, formidable figure and while his body lay in state at Sacred Heart, the great East Coast Blackout occurred on November 9, 1965. Some wondered.

Monsignor Lenahan replaces Monsignor Humphrey
in increasingly turbulent times

Monsignor Henry J. Lenahan was installed as pastor of Sacred Heart on January 30, 1966. Sacred Heart was not new to Monsignor Lenahan since he had served there as an assistant from 1936 to 1944, while at the same time teaching at Cathedral High School. In the interim, he had been principal of Cardinal Hayes, Rector of Cathedral College and pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Manhattan.

Almost coincident with his arrival, a growing wave of urban decay, drugs and disorder began to swamp the neighborhood, causing a massive flight of people and institutions. Chain stores such as Safeway, A&P and Grand Union abandoned the neighborhood as crime, drugs, and violence skyrocketed. In this period, many apartment buildings that were less than 40 years old began to be abandoned while others were simply burned down. In a single summer, 400 parish families moved out of the neighborhood. Hopelessness reigned, as many of the poor who had recently moved into the neighborhood [xxxiii] seeking a better life were cruelly disappointed.

In 1971, Sacred Heart School changed over to a coeducational system where the Boys’ school became the primary school and the girls’ school became middle school. The great loss in the number of parishioners, the loss of religious who had staffed the school (which required the hiring of more lay teachers) and general inflation combined to force the school to start charging tuition. Many non-Catholic residents who wanted a good education for their children in a safe environment petitioned for admission.

By the time of the Centennial of the parish in 1975, there were no De la Salle Christian Brothers left in the school, tuition was being charged and non-Catholics were being admitted to the school. Although Monsignor Lenahan stayed on as pastor, Father Peter C. O’Donnell became the Administrator of Sacred Heart. On October 5, 1975, His Eminence Terrence Cardinal Cooke offered the Centennial Mass at 5:00 P.M. In addition to Monsignor Lenahan and Fr. O’Donnell, the concelebrants included: Monsignor Joseph Devlin; Monsignor John J. O’Donohue; Rev. Patrick Carroll; Rev. William Reisig; and Rev. Thomas Murphy.

A huge anniversary celebration was held at Fordham University in the fall of 1975 that raised some $20,000 for the struggling parish, money it sorely needed. In the fall of 1976, another anniversary celebration, this time for the school, was held at Fordham.

In his own words, now Monsignor O’Donnell described what he found when he arrived:

“There were gutted buildings on every street and sheet metal boarding up the windows with painted flowerpots on them…The key for us, as a parish determined to survive, was to try to make sense of all this and find a way to continue….I was sent to do something, but no one seemed to know what. Those were the days when you would fix a window in the morning and it would be broken again by late afternoon. What could I do? Well, I started by replacing light bulbs-as an almost symbolic act. Next, I instituted an austerity plan. I dealt with the energy crisis, bringing the school’s energy bill down so much, Con-Ed wondered whether we were tampering with the meters. Parents had to promise to pay tuition. And we had to promise in return to supply the best buy in education-even by Catholic school standards.

And when Monsignor O’Donnell spoke about fixing windows, it was he that was doing the fixing. With no money for repairs, Fr. O’Donnell did many of the repairs himself. We understand that he became quite proficient at any number of building trades, including roofing, plumbing, glazing, wiring, etc. However, to reduce overhead and bring in some badly needed resources, he began leasing some of the parish’s buildings to community groups led by Cesar Chavez and Mother Theresa. In 1977, he also gave permission for two Blauvelt Dominican sisters to start the Highbridge Community Life Center at St. Eugene’s. Since then, Highbridge Community Life has provided counseling, job training and a variety of other services for the poor of the community.

Enrollment had been dropping when the Marist Brothers came in 1977. Joanne Walsh began teaching at Sacred Heart in 1978. (She would later become principal of the school.) As she remembers it, some of her students were getting their water in the morning from hydrants on the street. At the same time, classes were regularly be interrupted by sirens as fire trucks raced to another flaming apartment building. In the late 70s, the 44th Precinct had the distinction of having the highest crime rate in the city.

In 1981, Monsignor O’Donnell became the pastor when Monsignor Lenahan retired.
By the mid-1980’s, things seemed to have gotten better. The school was full, the fires had stopped and crime was down. New buildings were going up. As Monsignor O’Donnell put it, “It’s a place that should have died but didn’t. There’s no explanation for it except the immense love and creativity of so many people [xxxiv] and the grace of God.”

Virtually alone among neighborhood institutions, Sacred Heart Church and Sacred Heart School had remained during the turbulent times, serving as beacons of hope in a sea of chaos and despair. Amidst all the turbulence, the school was an island of tranquillity and calm where real learning continued to take place, although substantial tuition had to be charged.

Just as the soldiers immortalized in our national anthem took great solace when, after a night of horrendous bombardment, they saw that “our flag was still there,” the poor of the neighborhood, both Catholic and non-Catholic alike, took both comfort and courage from the fact that Sacred Heart was still there. Sacred Heart, built with the sacrifices of earlier waves of poor immigrants, continued to dispense God’s graces and educate poor children during a siege by forces of decay, disorder and despair that lasted nearly two decades. Ultimately, however, the gates of Hell did not prevail against Sacred Heart.

Monsignor O’Donnell said that the school was the key to the neighborhood’s revival. The arrival of the Marist brothers and the continued dedication of first rate teachers, such as Joanne Walsh, demonstrated to the community that someone thought the neighborhood was worth saving. The school showed renewed stability and continuity in the face of apparently overwhelming forces of destruction and decay. As Monsignor O’Donnell put it, “the sun eventually came out after the storm. And when it did, the neighborhood was still standing.” Indeed, with the spectacle of Fr. O’Donnell stubbornly replacing a window for the third time in a week, the Marist Brothers and teachers like Joanne Walsh, stubbornly ignoring the sirens to teach the children in the school, and Antonia Diaz and her group stubbornly fighting the slumlords and drug dealers, the Devil must have simply given up and moved on to more fertile grounds.

At his investiture as Archbishop of New York, on June 18, 2000, Edward Cardinal Egan devoted his homily to an event he had personally witnessed at Sacred Heart sometime in the period 1985-1987. The New York Times carried a front-page story the next day on the investiture and summarized the story as follows:

The archbishop devoted most of his homily, however, to the story of a young man he met one summer in New York -- a parable-like tale of blood, compassion, riches and, ultimately, humility. At an ordination ceremony [at Sacred Heart] with Mother Teresa in a poor area of Highbridge in the Bronx, he said, a man suddenly staggered into the church, bloody from a beating, shouting and sobbing for help. Mother Teresa and other sisters, he said, took the man into a room off the altar, calmed him, washed his wounds and found him a place to stay.

After the service, the archbishop said, a young man who had been in church approached him and asked to talk about what he had seen. The man, Jon Bokron, told him, "I'm making a pile of money in the market, but I need to be part of what I witnessed in that sacristy." The man eventually became a priest and was ordained by Bishop Egan.

"This is what I am coming to join," the archbishop said, "a community of faith whose compassion and sacrificial self-giving can melt the heart of a young man making a fortune on Wall Street."

Two years after becoming a priest, the man died of leukemia, and Archbishop Egan was at his bedside in his final days. "I felt his loss intensely," the archbishop said. He noted that the gold crucifix on his chest, worn only on the most important occasions, had belonged to Father Bokron, and was a reminder of him and of Christ. "It is my inspiration, it is my strength," he said.

Starting in 1988, the Archdiocese in partnership with the city began revitalizing housing and bringing social services to the people of the neighborhood. As reported in the New York Times on June 13, 1997, Cardinal O’Connor took a tour of Highbridge to see what had been accomplished in the nearly ten years that the Archdiocese had invested in Highbridge. He said a few words from the stairs of the church to an enthusiastic audience.

Among them were people who live in the 29 buildings, with 917 units, that have been rehabilitated there since 1988, in a partnership between the New York Archdiocese, the Highbridge Community Development Corporation and the Federal, state and city governments.

But it is not only housing that has been developed with the Archdiocese as the driving force. Along with local nonprofit organizations, the groups have worked together to retie the web of community that was destroyed in the fires of the 1970's that gutted so much of the South Bronx. Along the route of the mile-long procession was an Our Lady of Mercy health clinic, a credit union, a home for young single mothers and their children….

Monsignor O’Donnell served on the boards of a number of the non-profit entities that spearheaded the improvements.

In 1990, Cardinal O’Connor assigned the parish to the Holy Cross Fathers, with Fr. Joseph Callahan, C.S.C. as pastor. In the same year, Sister Mary Doris, O.P. founded Sienna House, as a transitional shelter for single mothers and their babies, referred there by the City. She continues to run it in the former convent on 168 ^th St.

In 1992, Fr. Callahan was succeeded by Fr. Mark Cregan, C.S.C., who continued the work started by Fr. O’Donnell on the boards of numerous community non-profit entities which improved housing and provided additional services such as a credit union. Fr. Cregan, who was a lawyer, also helped parishioners with numerous legal issues, including immigration and housing issues. In the late 1990s, Sacred Heart School was granted accreditation by the prestigious Middle States Association for its academic excellence. In the summer of 2000, Fr. Cregan learned that he had been elected President of Stonehill College in Massachusetts and he left Sacred Heart with mixed emotions.

Fr. Michael Sepp, a priest of the New York Archdiocese was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart starting September 1, 2000. He had been pastor of Resurrection Parish in Manhattan and therefore, has had some experience in poor inner-city parishes. No stranger to Highbridge, Fr. Sepp, while in high school, worked in the A&P store at 169 ^th Street and Ogden Avenue. Despite the changes for the better from the low point in the late 70s and early 80s, Fr. Sepp faced significant financial and pastoral challenges. Fr. Sepp, with the help of his family, completely restored the interior of the Church.

In May, 2001, to celebrate the 125 ^th Anniversary of the parish and the 75 ^th Anniversary of the school, a dinner dance was held at Manhattan College’s Draddy Gymnasium (whose use was donated by Manhattan’s then president, Brother Thomas Scanlan of the Class of 1958.) More than 1,000 people attended and more than $40,000 was raised for the parish.

Of course, on September 11 ^th of that year, the World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists. Everyone in the tri-state area knew one or more people who lost loved ones in that horrific event. On September 23, 2001, The New York Times carried an article entitled “Shadows Across the City; Nine Miles Away” by Erika Kinetz that chronicled 9/11 and days following as it affected Highbridge. Here is an excerpt:

“At 8, Abdoulaye Kone, a pastry chef at Windows on the World, called his wife, Celestine, from work. Mr. Kone, who is from the Ivory Coast, told her he loved her and asked her to call him later to let him know how the children were doing.…

After Mrs. Kone, the pastry chef's wife, took her son and daughter to school, she came home and turned on the television set. She saw an airplane crash into the building where her husband worked. ''I immediately got on the train and I walked from 14th Street there,'' she said. …Mr. Kone, the pastry chef, did not come home. … On Wednesday, Mrs. Kone …. followed what would become a well-worn path: St. Vincent's, Bellevue, N.Y.U. Beth Israel, the Armory. [She] found nothing. …Thursday night, Sacred Heart Church held a vigil for those who didn't get out. Mrs. Kone, who lives just down the street, happened to be walking by when she saw people gathering in the courtyard. Relieved to find she was not alone in her grief, she joined them for the Rosary. ''I thought I was the only one on the block,'' she said.

In 2008, Fr. Sepp learned that he had stage 4 cancer. He bravely carried on with faith and courage until his death on March 13, 2009. In May 2009, a prayer garden in his name adjoining the school yard was dedicated.

On September 1, 2010, Fr. Joseph Franco, a native of Queens and a 1997 graduate of Manhattan College became the 10 ^th pastor of Sacred Heart.

The new Yankee Stadium, which is now within the boundaries of the parish, opened in April, 2009 and appropriately, the Yankees won their 26 ^th World Series.

We now celebrate the 100 ^th Anniversary of the dedication of our lovely Sacred Heart Church. Well, there it is, a brief and necessarily sketchy summary of the first 137 years of Sacred Heart parish, including the last hundred when we had our own church. Obviously, the names of many, many people that have made important contributions to Sacred Heart, its organizations and its people have not been mentioned and for this we apologize. Of course, their contributions are not forgotten where they count most and are certainly in no way diminished by the inadequacy of this history. Indeed, the most significant events are usually not recorded in newspapers or parish bulletins where they could be collected for this journal. The most significant events were the countless times graces were bestowed on parishioners, friends or neighbors, both living and dead, all over the world, directly as a result of a prayer or a Mass offered at Sacred Heart, or indirectly, through a good word or deed by a parishioner moved by God’s grace. Sacred Heart is a part of everyone who has been touched by the graces that have flowed from the school or the church over the past 125 years. This valiant parish, which has cared for wave after wave of immigrants and has withstood the worst the Devil could throw at it, deserves the continued and loyal support of everyone who has been touched by it. It certainly seems that the Holy Spirit has made it clear that he wants Sacred Heart to survive and prosper.

Acknowledgments and Sources

Souvenir Book of Highbridge, New York, (Mothers' Association of P.S. 11), 1914;

Allyn, Donald W., A Short Historical Sketch of the High Bridge Neighborhood - monograph, 1958; Archives of the New York Public Library;

Highbridge Branch and especially the assistance offered by Ms. Fleesak;

The Archdiocesan Archives, kept at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, under the supervision of Sister Marguerita Smith;

The Archives of the Bronx Historical Society, under the supervision of the chief librarian, Ms. Tosi;

Various issue of parish or school publications such as The Sacred Heart News, The Parish Monthly and The Crusader;

Special Journals published on the 50th, the 75th and the 100th Anniversary of the Parish and the journal pub­lished in connection with the dedication of St. Eugene's Chapel;

The New York Times; Harper's Weekly, and various other publications;

McNamara, John, History in Asphalt; Bronx Historical Society, 1991 and various articles by the same author in a number of other publications;

Websites of the New York Public Library, the New York Yankees, and others;

Special Thanks to the former parishioners, friends and graduates of the school who sent in materials and reminiscences, including:

Joan Agnello, Susan (McGowan) Casey, Mr. Patrick Creaven, Mrs. Coniglia, Gloria Fahrbach, John Feighery, Kate Feighery, Ann T. Fitzgerald, Robert Gartelman, the brothers Kelly (John B, and James T.), John Lynch, Anne T. Moran, Ed Qualter, Margaret Rogan, William Tissier, Ed Wood and many others whose names, unfortu­nately, became separated from their contribution.

[i] Two years later in 1641, a Swedish sea captain from Holland named Jonas Bronck purchased and settled a 500 acre parcel of land south of what is now 150 ^th Street. He thus became the first European settler to settle land north of the Muscoota River (renamed the Harlem River by the Dutch after the Dutch city Haarlem). His estate became known as the Broncks’ Land and ultimately the name, The Bronx, was extended to the whole area that was to become the borough.