The Haunted Mansion of Hunts Point

1859 “Whitlock’s Folly”
near Southern
Boulevard  
“Cradle of Cuban
Liberty.”
Hommock Manor, the country seat of B. M.
Whitlock, Esq., is situated in West Farms
Township, on the East river, or Sound, about 3
miles from Harlem. The estate contains several
hundred acres; but that part on which the
dwelling is situated, is, as its name implies, a
complete Hommock of about 20 acres - which
at high tides is nearly surrounded by water -
and is approached from the main part of the
estate by a causeway.
--"The Horticulturist, And Journal Of Rural Art And Rural
Taste", by P. Barry, A. J. Downing, J. Jay Smith, Peter B. Mead,
F. W. Woodward, Henry T. Williams.
Local Kids Said the House Was Haunted
“Haunted” Mansion of Hunts

Artifacts from present day Soundview, Bronx
The land is purchased from Indians
This may certify whom it may
concerne that we Shonearoekite,
Wapomoe, Tuckorre,
Whawhapenucke, Capahase,
Quannaco, Shaquiski,
Passachahenne, Harrawooke, have
aleined and sold unto Edward
Jessup and John Richardson, both of
the place above said, a certain Tract
of land bounded on the east by the
River Aquehung or Bronxkx... -from
original deed with native signers 1664
Similar deed signed by native sachem’s for Rye 1661

Arent van Curler, later van Corlaer, (1619, Nijkerk, Gelderland - 1667) He
was born in Nijkerk, Netherlands. In 1643, Van Curler married the widow
of Jonas Bronck, Teuntie Joriaens, aka Antonia Slaaghboom
Joanas Broncx Signs Treaty with the Indians in 1642.
Joanas Broncx Established a Farm
along the Harlem RiverWilliam Kieft
governor of New
Amsterdam
1638-1647

Ferris
Grove Farm
Hunt
Leggett
Hunts
Point
The ﬁrst landholders on
Hunts Point were Edward
Jessup and John Richardson.
They bought the land from
Native Americans. The land
was inherited by both Gabriel
Leggett (1637-1700) who
married Elizabeth Richardson
daughter of John
Richardson, and Thomas
Hunt of Grove Farm, who
married Jessup’s daughter
also named Elizabeth.
1666 land grant for
Hunts Point from King
Charles II of England
John Throckmorton arrives from Rhode Island about 1642
1664
Morris 1671
Broncx 1644
Hutchinson Massacre 1643

Old Morrisania seat of the manor built on the site of
Jonas Bronck’s original settlement 1671 now rail yards
Lewis Morris 
First lord of the manor of Morrisania
(15 October 1671 – 21 May 1746)

“Debatable Lands.”
debatable land
Richardson & Jessup
Lewis Morris
by marriage land passed to
Hunt and Leggett

Historic Places and Features
Overlaid on a 1921 map
Leggett claim
Morris claim Hunt Cemetery
Debatable Land

First Lord of the Manor of Morrisania Lewis Morris gives “part
of the Manor of Morrissania,” land “by the sound that divides
Long Island and the Islands of Nassau from the Continent.” to
his father-in-law James Graham who is also an inﬂuential
politician.The deed claims the land known as the “debatable
land” for Morris who then transfers it to Graham.
“Wigwam Brook. But by some falsely called Sakrahunck...”
“by the House of Gabriel Legget...”
“Including the same Jeafards neck with the Hammock Meadows and Marshes thereunto...”
Deed circa 1738-1746
1671-1746

Westchester Road (Avenue) is cut through Morris land 1808-1814
Thomas Leggett
1755-1843
Gouverneur Morris
1752-1816
Bronx Accent: A Literary and Pictorial History of the Borough
edited by Lloyd Ultan, Barbara Unge
Gouverneur Morris Battles Thomas Leggett
The Leggett and Morris families battle over access to Morrissania for 150 years.
Map showing Leggett’s Creek as Wigwam Brook

Hunts Tavern
established 1730s
Dickey estate 
Last estate
in Hunts Point
Paul Spofford
estate
Dennison
mansion 1850
Faile mansion
Francis Barretto
Julia Coster
Bath House
1910
P.S. 48
Leggett estate
1890
Thomas Leggett Jr.
1755-1843 
Direct descendant of
Gabriel Leggett
Corpus Christy
Monastery
Rose Bank is seat of the
Leggett estate by the 19th
century
Waddington Mansion 1808-1828
sold to Francis Barretto
Fox Estate
Hoe Estate 1856
Whitlock/Casanova
mansion 1859
The land becomes the
site of country estates
for NYC’s rich

Thomas B. Leggett (son of WIlliam)
sold this land to
Benjamin M. Whitlock... 
Whitlock’s wife sold it to
Inocencio Casanova in 1867.
-Steven Jenkins
East River
East River
Thomas B. Leggett
1823-1895

view of the East River from Hunts Point on a 1864 real estate map
south views north views

Benjamin Morris Whitlock was born on January 31, 1815. On May 5, 1851 he married
Amelia Mott Wilson. Whitlock’s sister Josephine married William L. McDonald who would
figure in the 1864 Confederate plot to burn 13 hotels in NYC retaliating for Southern setbacks
during the Civil War.
1857 Whitlock built an ornate manor costing $350,000 or $10 million today

1857 Wealth of the World
net worth of $2,000,000 in 1857 = $60,000,000 today
Vesey and Dey St. in 1857
Ann St. Broadway 1857
Outspoken against succession and for slavery.The Civil War
would bankrupt Whitlock
Benjamin Morris Whitlock

Thaddeus Whitlock is Benjamin Whitlock’s fatherJosephine is Benjamin’s sister
Franklin Market, foot of William St., New York City, 1820.

WHITE, BENJAMIN (1755-1841), merchant.
Benjamin and Mary (Morris) White of Shrewsbury,
NJ are the maternal grandparents of Benjamin M.
Whitlock. Benjamin White, a Quaker served in the
American Revolution under General Daniel
Morgan. Benjamin White was postmaster of the
village of Shrewsbury, for ﬁfty-three
years, receiving his appointment from Washington.
His daughter Mary, 18 weds Thaddeus Whitlock, 22
June 3, 1803
Daniel Morgan
Shrewsbury Monmouth County

tea water pump in Chatham Square
Chatham Square near Bayard and Bowery
ThaddeusWhitlock was a school teacher.
“There is no good water to be met
with in the town itself; but at a little
distance there is a large spring of good
water, which the inhabitants take for
their tea and for the uses of the
kitchen.” Professor Kalm
1782
1812
1748
Thaddeus Whitlock is living in the
10th Ward in the 1820 census
1767
Bulls Head
Tavern

Thaddeus Whitlock was a Mason
Holy Royal Arch are a branch of Freemasons Royal Arch Masons meet as
a Chapter; in the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch. Early 19th
century masonic meeting places are shown at right. Including a connection
to Tammany Hall a powerful democratic club that ruled NYC for more than
a century
Tammany Hall, now the "Sun" Building, early meeting place of
Grand Lodge and of many subordinate Lodges. St. John', Hall, a
still earlier scene of the labors of the Fraternity, is the tall ﬂat-
roofed building on side street.
City Hall (after 1813)
Tammany Hall original
St. John’s Hall

St. John’s Hall
Frankfort St.
Thaddeus Whitlock was treasurer of the
Masonic Lodge at the time of this bitter rivalry
between the Albany and New York City
factions. He is credited with playing a
moderating role that helped the Lodge survive
a long and bitter struggle.
Scandalously bore them off to St. John’s Hall

A rare look into the personality and character of
Thaddeus Whitlock
History of the Jerusalem Chapter

1825
1827
1816
teaches at locations
surrounding Chatham Square
the central business district of
the fast growing outer wards
of the city
Thaddeus Teaches Near Home
16-18 Oliver are properties are owned by Thaddeus who is listed from
1825 as using them as a school. In this 1867 sanitary map, made
thirty years after the properties were sold upon Thaddeus’ death in
1831 the buildings are three stories tall. 16 Oliver has a store and a
liquor store is in 18 Oliver. This corner location would later become
site of one of the ﬁrst public schools in New York.
Thaddeus is listed in 1816 using this address on
long ago de-mapped Roosevelt St. as a school

Thaddeus Whitlock owned land used for the ﬁrst public school in New York City.
The current PS 1 was built in 1897. It’a also known as the Alfred E. Smith elementary
school after the 4 time governor of New York who was born at 25 Oliver St.
Alfred E. Smith residence
Thaddeus Whitlock
properties 1832
Alfred E. Smith school at
Oliver and Henry St.
1873-1944
Mariner’s
Temple
Baptist
Church
illustration
1808.
Public Schools were built on corner
lots in the early days of public
education. Considered optimal for
light and air circulation. But by the
20th century these locations were too
valuable for purchase by the city.

59-61 Bowery were eventually demolished for the Manhattan Bridge approach. Across the street
was the Bowery Theater and Bulls-Head Tavern used in 1783 by Geo.Washington as an HQ
1826-1929
1750-1858
Thaddeus Whitlock
lived here
He lived in the corner of Canal and Bowery

Thaddeus Whitlock, 51
dies Sunday evening December 18, 1831
He had the respect of his friends who mourned his death for three months

Mary Whitlock, mother of Benjamin, Edward and Josephine is listed in city
directories as living on Cherry Street after the death of her husband Thaddeus.
Their mother is living on Cherry Street
near the waterfront in 1834
She is living nearby two years later in 1836
The East Side of the early and mid-19th century was different than today. There were fine residential streets built up with homes of old and
well-to-do families. East Broadway was lined with old aristocratic residences, some can still be seen behind the signs and grime of everyday
activity on this now bustling Chinatown main drag. Henry Street was lined with trees and two and three story brick buildings. Most of the
surrounding streets were similar. The homes were occupied by these well-off people, prosperous merchants and professional men with a
shopping district for women at Grand and Canal Streets. But in time this section of the city deteriorated and the old families moved uptown.
In 1832 shortly after her husbands death
Taken from newspaper advertisement December 30, 1832 for neighboring house at 144 Cherry Street:
The house and lot No. 144 Cherry St. being 27 feet front and rear, 149 feet 4 inches deep on the westerly side, and 149
feet 11 inches deep on the easterly side. The house is of brick with slate roof, 3 stories high, covering the entire front of
the lot, and 54 feet deep with a two story back tea room in the rear; the whole interior is of modern finish, parlors very
spacious and elegant, with marble chimney pieces — the sleeping rooms numerous and unusually large and airy —
extensive vaults front and rear —capacious rain water cistern and a well of excellent water in the yard. The house is fitted
up with grates in all the principal stories, and gas fixtures introduced throughout with burners and chandeliers… noting
that test or convenience could suggest, has been omitted.

December 16, 1835 The Great Fire destroyed
more than 500 buildings along the East River
A witness during the investigation saw 20-year old Benjamin Whitlock near his store at 84 Front as buildings exploded
No. 86 and 88 Front St. are are said to be used to
store saltpeter, an explosive component of
gunpowder.

The fire broke out at 9 o'clock last evening. I was
writing in the library when the alarm was given, and
went immediately down. The night was intensely cold,
which was one cause of the unprecedented progress of
the flames, for the water froze in the hydrants and
the engines and their hose could not be worked
without great difficulty. The firemen, too, had been
on duty all last night, and were almost incapable of
performing their usual services. The fire originated in
the store of Comstock & Adams, in Merchant Street
— a narrow, crooked street, filled with high stores
lately erected and occupied by dry goods and
hardware merchants, which led from Hanover to Pearl
street. The buildings covered an area of a quarter of a
mile square closely built up with fine stores of four
and five stories in height, filled with merchandise,
all of which lie in a mass of burning, smoking ruins,
rendering the streets indistinguishable.
Philip Hone Mayor of NYC describes the fire in his diary

1837 Bread Riots and Panic
A depression sets in 1837 and lasts until 1844
Some merchants go under, but others thrive. Money is
available through banks that have access to markets in
Cuba where slave labor makes sugar king.

In 1841 Mary Whitlock is living in a boarding house at 42 Cliff Street
28 Cliff Street, the ﬁrst
house on the street
still stands. Its design
was typical.
Boarding houses were common for single NewYorkers. 42 Cliff was also home to the
extended Whitlock family. John W.Whitlock is listed as living here with Mary in 1841. In
1843 they are joined by 28-year old Benjamin. In 1846 Brother Edward is also living at the
42 Cliff boardinghouse. Benjamin’s runs his grocery business at 84 Front, John and Edward
are merchants and agents at 89 Wall St. and John later at 122 Front St.The Whitlock family
seems on the road to upward mobility.

In 1842 a decade after
his father’s death
Benjamin Whitlock
establishes a
partnership with
George M. Nichols
of Louisiana

George M. Nichols was a resident of Louisiana and did extensive business with
the independent Republic of Texas government before Texas became a state.
George M. Nichols represented the ﬁrm in Texas until 1856.
Records in the Texas archives show that agents of Benjamin M. Whitlock’s ﬁrm
travelled widely in the south. Apparently Whitlock’s business connections reached
down into Texas when the the Lone Star state was an independent country.
A letter written by George M. Nichols to the
Republic of Texas asking for funds to be sent to him
in care of Whitlock, Nichols & Co. 84 Front St.
Texas Library and Archives Commission

The Whitlock brothers and mother lived in a boardinghouse at
42 Cliff Street in 1845-46. Doggett's New-York City Directory
Benjamin M. Whitlock marries his ﬁrst wife Maria Louisa Hawley in
1846. They have one child, Sarah Louisa born in 1847 according to The
Hawley family ofﬁcial genealogy. The monument in Green-Wood
cemetery however says the child was buried in 1854 at age — 11 years
8 months 21 days — putting the birth October 13, 1842. The child’s
mother Maria Louisa Hawley Whitlock dies August 20, 1849
Joy and tragedy strike within a few years
Death Record for Maria Louisa with cause of death erased

Irad Hawley
1793-1865
Benjamin M. Whitlock marries his ﬁrst wife Maria Louisa Hawley Whitlock in 1846. They
have one child, Sarah Louisa born 1847. Maria Louisa dies during a cholera epidemic in NYC
in the summer of 1849 at the age of 25. Sarah Louisa dies in 1854.
Sarah Lavinia Hawley
Born June 15, 1845,
Died March 12, 1932.
Sarah Louisa
Hawley’s sister at the
family home
47 Fifth Ave.
Sarah Holmes
1801-1891
INSCRIPTION, Maria's stone:
Left side: To the memory of
Maria Louisa Hawley Whitlock
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God
Front: Died August 20, 1849
Right: Erected as a tribute of affection by her
husband.
INSCRIPTION, Sarah's
stone: Front: Sarah Louisa
Hawley Whitlock
Died July 2, 1854 Aged 11
years 8 months and 21 days
Right: Of such is the
Kingdom of Heaven—
Mathew XIX.14.
Mother of
Maria Louisa
and Sarah
Louisa 47
Fifth Ave.
Father of
Maria
Louisa and
Sarah
Louisa

NYC EPIDEMICS
Yellow Fever 1805, 1822, 1870
Small Pox 1804, 1824, 1834, 1851, 1855, 1872, 1875, 1892, 1901
Cholera 1832, 1837, 1849, 1854, 1866
Scarlet Fever 1836, 1837
Typhus Fever 1892
Diphtheria 1897
Meningitis 1904
Inﬂuenza 1918
Cholera epidemics in NYC
186618491832
Maria Louisa dies August 20 1849, 233 die
from cholera, 30% of all deaths that week.
1849 cholera
deaths = 5,070
In 1850, the average age of death in
New York was 20 years and 8 months.
Child mortality was about 40% by the
age of ﬁve so families tended to be
large, about 6 children per woman.

In 1849 Maria L., Benjamin & mother
Mary Whitlock is living at 9 Rutgers Place
Rutgers Presbyterian
Church built in 1841
at 16-18 Rutgers St at
Henry St. In 1863 it
became St. Teresa”s
Roman Catholic
Church. Rutgers
congregation moved
uptown
Home of Irad Hawley, father of Maria Louisa at 21 Rutgers
before he moved to 47 Fifth Ave. in 1855
1832 sale description of 21 Rutgers St.
notice cistern, to
collect rainwater

Edward A. Whitlock, Benjamin’s brother, is employed by James
Barr Wilson, prominent NYC merchant whose daughter Amelia
(age 20) marries Benjamin M. Whitlock (age 36) in May 1851.
Edward A. Whitlock was in
New York City to witness this
lease signing in March 1850
The store of Suydam & Wilson was the favorite meeting place of the merchants in the
vicinity, among whom were Samuel Gilford, Edward H. Nicoll, Peter Remsen, Henry J. Wyckoff, Gabriel
Wisner, James Bailey, Francis Saltus, Stephen Whitney, and others, all now deceased. Robert Lenox,
Samuel Craig, and John Laurie, among other prominent rich Scotch merchants, were frequent visitors.
THE OLD MERCHANTS OF NEW YORK CITY 1863

Moses Taylor
1806-1882
James Barr Wilson
Birthdate: 1801 (86)
Death: Died 1887
Catherine Ann Taylor (Wilson)
Birthdate: February 8, 1810 (82)
Death Died December 31, 1892
Siblings
Amelia Mott Whitlock (Wilson)
Birthdate:1831 (79)
Death: Died 1910
Immediate Family:
Daughter of James Barr Wilson and
Sarah Elizabeth Wilson
Wife of Benjamin Morris Whitlock
married
married May 1851
daughter
Benjamin Morris Whitlock
Birthdate:1815 (48)
Death: Died 1863
Immediate Family:
Husband of Amelia Mott
Whitlock
Moses Taylor, a little-known but
representative figure in the history of the
mercantile and industrial development of
the United States and Cuba in the
nineteenth century. Taylor was a New York
City merchant in the West Indies trade
(chiefly Cuba), a long-time president of
City Bank of New York (Citibank), an
entrepreneur and manager in the railroad
and mining industries, a life-long
Tammany supporter, an ambivalent War
Democrat with personal and business ties
to the South, and an important member of
August Belmont's clique of Democratic
businessmen.
He focused on the Cuban trade, which, in the first four decades of the 19th
century, was surpassed only by Great Britain and France in the volume and value
of exports to the United States. He began exploiting the connections in Cuba and
within four years had established a regular shipping run to the West Indies. The
powerful Drake family of Havana made him their New York agent. This was an
extraordinary indication of confidence which enhanced his position as a trader,
and led to similar arrangements with other Spanish and Anglo-Cuban planters.
NYPL Moses Taylor papers
WHITLOCK’S CUBAN CONNECTION
Moses Taylor was his new wife’s uncle
Domino Sugar on the East River with Williamsburg Bridge 1936.
Company was founded by sugar magnate H.O. Havermeyer a
business associate of banker merchant Moses Taylor with large land
holdings in Cuba where slavery existed until 1886
MARRIED 1855: On Thursday
15th inst., at St. George's Church
by the Rev. Dr. Tyng, Percy R.
Pyne, to Miss Albertna Shelton,
eldest daughter of Moses Taylor
Esq.
Percy R. Pyne, a founder of
City Bank (Citibank.) Joined
Moses Taylor & Co. in 1835,
becoming a partner in 1842.
Managed sugar business as
agent to Santiago Drake &
Co., Havana, Cuba,

In the nineteenth century City
Bank, a predecessor of today’s
Citibank, primarily issued short term
credits to locally based merchants to
facilitate the import-export trade.
Moses Taylor supervised the investment of profits by
the sugar planters in United States banks, gas
companies, railroads, and real estate, purchased and
shipped supplies and machinery to Cuba, operated
six of his own boats and numerous chartered vessels
in the Cuban trade, repaired and equipped other
boats with goods and provisions, provided sugar
planters with financing to arrange for land purchases
and the acquisition of a labor force
The labor force that Taylor and City Bank were
helping the Cuban planters acquire was slave labor,
often smuggled illegally from Africa on boats
outfitted in the port of New York, in violation of the
international ban on the Atlantic slave trade. Taylor
and City Bank’s financing of the Cuban sugar trade
between 1830 to 1860 aided and abetted illegal slave
trading
Percy R. Pyne, a
founder of City Bank
(Citibank.) Joined Moses
Taylor & Co. in 1835,
becoming a partner in
1842. Managed sugar
business as agent to
Santiago Drake & Co.,
Havana, Cuba,
Tomás Terry y Adán
Terry initially became
involved in the slave
trade in Cuba. He was
connected to the New
York City banking world
through Percy Pyne
National City Bank (Citibank)
38 Wall St. (renumbered 52)
Moses Taylor’s
personal resources
and role as business
agent for the
leading exporter of
Cuban sugar to the
United States
proved invaluable
to the bank, helping
it survive financial
panics in 1837 and
1857 that
bankrupted many
of its competitors.

real estate map of 84 Front St. in 1860s
81-83 Front
street 1927
MCNY
1848
Whitlock’s wholesale grocery is operating
from 84 Front Street near the waterfront
“Goods adapted to the Southern and Western Trade”

Fulton St.
Broadway
Whitlock builds an ofﬁce made of
brick in the back lot of this building
Fulton Street 164

Benjamin M Whitlock,
"United States Census, 1850"
He resides in the 18th Ward with a household of family members and servants
Name: Benjamin M Whitlock
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1850
Event Place: New York City,  
ward 18,  
New York,  
NY,  
United States
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Marital Status:
Race (Original):
Race:
Birthplace: New York
Birth Year (Estimated): 1821
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Benjamin M Whitlock M 29 New York
Sarah L Whitlock F 2 New York
Mary Whitlock F 64 New Jersey
Caroline Whitlock F 21 New York
Edward Whitlock M 28 New York
Josephine Whitlock F 19 New York
Susan Wright F 32 New Jersey
Bridget Heslen F 17 Ireland
Mary Ann Heslen F 18 Ireland
Mary Murray F 16 Ireland
Mary Mcguire F 19 Ireland
Margaret Mcgown F 13 New York
S Arthur Ferris M 28 Connecticut
26th
14th
Servants?

A $3,000 ($90,000*) investment on East 55th St. in 1851 worth
$12,000 ($400,000*) in 1860.
*current value
Investigation by the state superintendent
-Insurance Department, Albany,  
September 12, 1860
Whitlock Real Estate Speculation: Park Avenue
Jones Woods on
the upper east side
of Manhattan was a
forested area in
this 1851 image
These houses at 55th and Lexington became Babies’ Hospital where
the ﬁrst incubator for premature babies was demonstrated in 1891.

Whitlock’s ﬁne
wines and cigars

Whitlock’s move to upscale
East Sixteenth Street near
the recently opened upscale
Union Square Park
Approximate location of 9 E.16St
Last of the 1830s built mansions
at 16th St and 5th Ave. shortly
before demolition
Illustration of a 16th Street mansion
from the mid-19th century

Whitlock’s daughter Adeline was born January 22, 1854 and baptized
May 14 at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church at 19th Street
1852 map
Benjamin M., Amelia M. Whitlock “admitted on profession” to Fifth
Avenue Presbyterian Church on March 10, 1853
9 E16th Street approx. location
Pastor James Waddel Alexander
(March 13, 1804 – July 31, 1859)

“The neighborhood is one of the most desirable of
suburban residences in the divinity of the City of
New York.” -United States Insurance Gazette
On May 1, 1854 Benjamin M. Whitlock purchases 200 acres from
Thomas B. Leggett for $25,000 ($700,000 today) in Hunts Point.
Thomas B.
Leggett
1823-1895
Sold land to BM
Whitlock May 1, 1854
1849 Map of Hommock Park ﬁve
years before purchase by Whitlock.
The farm of Thomas B. Leggett was
called Rose Bank. Part of the
“Debatable Land” between the early
settlers it had been owned by Lewis
Morris in the 17th century and
passed to his son-in-law and ﬁrst
New York Attorney General James
Graham, passing back to the
Leggett family after the American
Revolution

36th St. & Park Avenue in 1944 with JP
Morgan Library in the background
MURRAY HILL LOTS FOR SALE BY WHITLOCK
To “GENTLEMEN OF TASTE”
219 Madison Ave. built
in 1853 by John Jay
Phelps and sold in 1882
to JP Morgan
The property at the corner of 37th St. and Park Ave.was purchased from
J.P. Morgan II to build the Union League Club of New York c. 1931
Showing the property from
Madison Ave. looking southeast
in c. 1855 much of the property
being sold by Whitlock is vacant
with a few small buildings. The three homes
are the heart of today’s Morgan Library
At Murray Hill, horses pulled street cars through an open cut in
Fourth Avenue. This was long before Grand Central went up at
42nd Street. In 1846 the Common Council decided that the cut,
running from 32nd to 40th, created too great a crosstown detour
and ordered the railroad to build cross-bridges at 34th and 38th
Streets. By that time the railroad was running steam engines. In
1850 the Council ordered that the tunnel be roofed over to cover
the “great chasm” of the open cut. Parklike malls were then
ordered for the area over the cut, and they in turn brought town
house and even mansion construction to what was renamed Park
Avenue no later than 1860.
A tunnel turns an unsightly RR cut into valuable park frontage

1859 “Whitlock’s Folly”
Hommock Manor, the country seat of B.
M. Whitlock, Esq., is situated in West
Farms Township, on the East river, or
Sound, about 3 miles from Harlem. The
estate contains several hundred acres; but
that part on which the dwelling is situated,
is, as its name implies, a complete
Hommock of about 20 acres - which at
high tides is nearly surrounded by water -
and is approached from the main part of
the estate by a causeway.
It is said that the house was almost rebuilt
of stone imported from Caen, France. In
the days before the Civil War, the mansion
was the scene of a lavish hospitality; and
the generation of bon vivants just passed
away were frequent guests at its generous
board. Stephen Jenkins

A major force in New York society and politics Whitlock cautioned his southern clients against secession,
but when the Civil War broke out he was soon bankrupted, dying before the end of the conﬂict. In the
years leading up to the war Whitlock participated in schemes to annex Cuba as a slave state, he supported
a pro-slavery constitution for Kansas and angrily opposed John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. Whitlock
was well connected by marriage and business to the most prominent merchant families in New York. He
was admired by many, apparently including his political enemies for his success and wealth.
B.M. & E.A.Whitlock & Co...
SOUTHERN HEADQUARTERS ON THE CUSP OF CIVIL WAR

MAJOR
B. F. JONES
representative of B.M. Whitlock is a
Confederate advisor and soldier
Major Jones was born in Gwinett county, Georgia, on
the 20th of June, 1831, and in the common schools
acquired his education, after which he entered upon
his business career as clerk in a country store near his
home.With a young man's desire to see something of
the world and seek a wider sphere of usefulness and
activity, he left home at the age of 20 years and went
to NewYork City.With most commendatory letters
he carried with him he found no difﬁculty in obtaining
employment, securing a situation in a dry-goods and
carpet house on Cortlandt street. A year later he
entered the service of Whitlock, Nichols & Company,
a noted grocery ﬁrm, which was afterward succeeded
by B. M. & E.A.Whitlock & Company. In the service of
this house he traveled all over the south and was its
representative at the time of the breaking out of the
civil war.

BF. Jones advises at a meeting of the Confederate
Congress
He utilized the information and experience that he
had acquired through travel and business knowledge
to the advantage of the newly organized
Confederate government... He was a southern man
by birth and training, and, true to the principles and
teaching in which he had always been trained, when
the war was inaugurated he hastened to Rome,
Georgia, and in April, 1862, joined the Cherokee
artillery... he was made quartermaster
Confederate States Capitol
Richmond,Va

In 1874 Jones became the superintendent of the
National Water-works Company. He was born in
the State of Georgia, his ancestors on his father's
side coming originally from Scotland. His mother
was a descendant of an old Dutch family, and
Scottish sagacity and thrift, together with Dutch
tenacity, thoroughness and equable disposition
combined, are leading characteristics of this gentle-
man. His first business experience was gained at his
birthplace, among his friends and neighbors ;
but, finding this field too small for his ambitious
efforts, he sought and found a wider one in New
York, where he remained until the commencement
of the "late unpleasantness," when he enlisted as a
private in the Cherokee Artillery, at Rome, Ga. He
remained in the army during the continuance of the
strife, and at the close of the war, by the sheer force
of inherent merit, he had risen from the ranks to the
important post of Inspector General of the War
Department, at Richmond, Va.
Cherokee Artillery

A FATEFUL PARTNERSHIP:
CHARLESV. MAPES AND B.M.WHITLOCK
The Union Sketch Book
Harvard Alumni 1913
“The war wiped out their Southern accounts and obliged
them to succumb.”

Whitlock’s Building, Beekman and Nassau
Maoes’ Factory in Newark where Benjamin M. Whitlock had a ﬁnancial interest

*The note was held by the Eastern Bank of Alabama in Eufaula.
*
Apalachicola steam boat ran cotton to the Gulf of Mexico
Whitlock’s southern business in the slaveholding south in
Barbour County, Alabama where cotton was king.

A Slave Cabin in Barbour
County, Near Eufaula, Alabama.
Eufaula, Alabama.

Lowry was United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee
between1853 and 1857. Greenville is located on the northeastern part
of the state where few people own slaves. Lincoln’s vice-president
Andrew Johnson is a close friend and political associate of William M.
Lowry who also she a close friendship with Benjamin M. Whitlock.
List of U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Tennessee

Andrew Johnson, Governor and Senator from
Tennessee, vice-president under Abraham Lincoln,
17th President of the United States
Valentine Sevier home in Greeneville, Tennessee built
by an early settler named Sevier, founder of the state
of Tennessee. The house was later owned by William
M. Lowry and Andrew Johnson.
William M. Lowry born inVirginia and moved to Tennessee.
Was a merchant and banker and close friend and political
associate of Andrew Johnson.Although actively opposing
secession from he Union when the war broke out he
became a Col. in the Confederate States of America Army.
After the war Lowry and his son moved to Atlanta and
started a savings bank.
Mr. Wm. M. Lowry Andrew Johnson

American Slavocracy
Targets Cuba

Cuba did not end its participation
in the slave trade until 1867
Slavery in Cuba was associated with the sugar
cane plantations and existed on the territory
of the island of Cuba from the 16th century
until it was abolished by royal decree on
October 7, 1886. More than a million African
slaves were brought to Cuba as part of the
Atlantic slave trade; Cuba did not end its
participation in the slave trade until 1867

Whitlock sat on many political committees
including this one to annex Cuba as a slave state
“The Truth” NYC based pro-independence newspaper with a map of Cuba
“The New-York Democracy” means the pro-
slavery Democratic party. “The Area of
Freedom” means areas where slave holding is
still allowed within the United States.
“Acquisition of Cuba” means adding Cuba to
the United States as a slave state.
These men are well known New York
City politicians and merchants with
business in southern states.

One of the
original
Cuban flags
waved in
Cardenas by
filibuster led
by Gen.
Narciso
Lopez in
1850, Later
became the
national flag.
Filibusters make war on countries at peace with
their home country. Newspaper editors saw
Cuba as ripe for annexation to the USA
Filibuster
NY Herald February 10, 1858

The Sun fanned the ﬂames of intervention

Cecilia Valdes is
arguably the most
important novel of 19th
century Cuba. Originally
published in New York
City in 1882, Cirilo
Villaverde's novel has
fascinated readers inside
and outside Cuba.
CiriloVillaverde secretary to
Lopez escaped to NYC
publishing a pro-independence
newspaper married Emilia
Casanova who founded Las Hijas
de Cuba (Daughters of Cuba)
living in the Whitlock Mansion
after 1868
CiriloVillaverde

1854: Emilia Casanova 22 years old
disembarks at Philadelphia, She will
marry CirilioVillaverde and
become a leader of the
“Daughters of Cuba” a
movement to free Cuba from
Spanish colonialism
Passenger manifest

Whitlock moves to Hunts Point in 1857 building an
estate he names Hummock Park

The Bronx River in History & Folklore By Stephen Paul DeVillo
Rockland
Foxhurst
Woodside
Sunnyslope
Mansions of Hunts Point
The Chateau — Whitlock’s mansion Estates of the Merchant Princes

BASE OF OPERATIONS
NY TIMES OCTOBER 5, 1905

“...[Whitlock] commenced operations by removing to his grounds, from a distance of two or three miles,
forest trees of large size... where they are now flourishing... for the most part Elms and Maples
A country-seat
“3 miles from Harlem on several hundred acres, the dwelling sits a complete Hommock of about 20 acres -
which at high tides is nearly surrounded by water - and is approached... by a causeway”
“...the Hommock is devoted to an ornamental pleasure ground.”
“... stables accommodate 40 horses, and the carriage house about half that number of carriages.”
“... rises a bell tower of three stories, the lower one is fitted as a lecture and a school room”
“... fitted up with numerous gas burners. The gas for lighting... is supplied from a highly architectural and
ornamental gas-house... filled from the retorts in a building adjoining.”
“A beautiful... curved drive skirts the base of the Hommock, on the north is... the bathing-rooms, boat-house...
while statuary, and seats of various kinds embellish the grounds.”
The Horticulturist of Rural Art and Rural Taste, Volume 13, Plan for a Rose-House, William Webster 1858

B.M. & E.A. Whitlock’s store at 13 Beekman St. near Nassau and
Broadway. Nearby the old Brick Church was used as a hospital
during the American revolution. In 1857 the Church was ripped down
and replaced by the ﬁrst New York Times building.*
*B.M. Whitlock was an early
investor in Murray Hill Real
Estate along Park Ave. where
the Brick Church relocated
Whitlock building
old Brick Church
City Hall Park
1870
1856
Astor House Hotel

1856
B. M. WHITLOCK's ROSE-HOUSE AND
CONSERVATORY.  
One great object in publishing this plan, is to
show how advantageously old materials may
be worked into a house of this kind; for all
the circular-headed windows, with a
corresponding number of square ones,
belonged to the old Brick Church in Beekman
Street, which was pulled down to make room
for stores; so that the plan had to be got up to
meet the material, and not, as is usually the
case, the materials to suit the plan. -
Horticulturist And Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste
The Brick Church, demolished in 1857, across from Whitlock’s business on
Beekman Street.The ruins are used by Whitlock to build a rose house.
Ny Times 1853
Demolition of Old
Brick Church 1857 Beekman St.

Built with Windows from the old Brick Church
“All the circular-headed windows, with a corresponding number of square ones, belonged to the old
Brick Church in Beekman Street, which was pulled down to make room for stores; so that the plan
had to be got up to meet the material, and not, as is usually the case, the materials to suit the plan. ”
-- NY Times

“Decorations were intended to depict Louis's grandeur and understandably omit any mention of
French losses and defeats.” Wikipedia entry on Louis XIV King of France "Louis XIV, by the Grace of
God, King of France and of Navarre" 1643-1715 (Wikipedia entry)
Bedroom of Louis XIV -Versailles 
Soyez le Bienvenue A room ﬁt for a New York merchant prince
Louis XIV roomVersailles
Louis XIV “Sun King”

P. 178 Waldo & Jewett
1845 Address: 1 Cortlandt Street
82. Portrait of a Gentleman B.M.WHITLOCK
l New York Historical Society - Vo I. 77
American Academy of Fine Arts and American Art Union ...Exhibition Record
National Academy home on Broadway
from 1859 to 1865
Records of the National Academy of Fine Arts show
Whitlock purchased this painting.
Purchaser

Whitlock spoke at this angry pro-slavery meeting
“[against]The treasonable raid of John Brown and
his followers...” December 19, 1859
John Brown raid on the Federal Arsenal at Harper’s FerryVa.
October 16, 1859 helped start the Civil WarHarper’s Ferry
I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land can never be purged
away but with blood. I had as I now think, vainly ﬂattered myself that without very much
bloodshed, it might be done. - November 12, 1859

Great Union Meeting
A reaction to John Brown’s raid
"...chieﬂy to promote southern trade,"
and to express "sympathy for the
slave owners of the south, for the
men who buy, or are to be coaxed to
buy A.T. Stewart's silks and Ben
Whitlock's brandy." -A sometime
friend and fellow-laborer in the old
Whig cause to James W. Beekman
in Tribune Dec. 9, 1859
Academy of Music corner of
Irving Place and 14th St.

Benjamin M.Whitlock 1860
His long interest in the abolition of slavery led Dr. Houghton to found the first
black Sunday school in New York City and to harbor runaway slaves as part of
the Underground Railway, one stop on which was the basement of the church's
rectory. During the Civil War Blacks were burned, hanged, and mutilated during
the Draft Riots of July 1863... Angry mobs trying to get at those who had found
sanctuary within the church twice thronged the gates of the churchyard... George
Houghton lifted the processional cross from its place in the church, walked out to
face the rioters, held it before them, and said, "Stand back, you white devils; in
the name of Christ, stand back!" With such courageous words, George Houghton
held off the unruly mob, and those in the church remained safe for several more
days, until the mob had been quelled and dispersed.
George Hendric Houghton
Henry Ward Beecher held mock
“auctions” at which the congregation
purchased the freedom of real slaves.
The most famous of these former
slaves was a young girl named Pinky,
auctioned during a regular Sunday
worship service at Plymouth on
February 5, 1860
William Lloyd Garrison
Lewis Tappan
Harriet Tubman

Simeon Draper Thurlow Weed
William Seward ran against
Lincoln as a moderate on slavery.
He later became Lincoln’s
Secretary of State
Whigs and Bankers: New York “moderates” on
slavery back a New Merchant Bank

About 4 o'clock the visitors again embarked, and proceeded up the River through Hurl (Hells) Gate, about
twelve miles, to the suburban villa of B.M. WHITLOCK, Esq., in Westchester County, on the banks of the
river... After being photographed in line on the lawn in front of Mr. WHITLOCK's fine new brown-stone
mansion, taking a look at his sixty blood horses, and extensive repository of carriages, imbibing a timely drink,
and viewing the grounds, the company was invited to a collation spread for three hundred in a shady grove
near one of the residences. -- NY Times July 23, 1860
“...the bronze doors, with
their elegant coat of arms
and the inviting inscription,
"Soyez le Bienvenue," were
never thrown open with
greater cordiality than
when an entire regiment
from Georgia was being
entertained, the ofﬁcers
lodged in the rooms and
the men encamped on the
lawns.”
-Valentine’s Manual of Old New York
Southern Militiamen known as Savannah Republican Blues
Visit Whitlock promoting reconciliation on the eve of Civil War

A Southern Woman's War Time
Reminiscences:
The Seventh Regiment
entertained the Savannah
Republican-Blues and the
brothers B. and B. M. Whitlock
gave a grand entertainment to
them up the Hudson, where my
"lovely Nell" and I were in
attendance. In a letter home I
used this language: "It seems to
me as if our people were
military-mad, and had rushed
together for a last fraternal
embrace, to separate and fight
like maddened devils; so violent
do altercations and argument
come when the questions of
slavery, free soil, etc., are
discussed." And when I went
South some of my friends
dubbed me the "bloody
prophet." -Mrs. Elizabeth Lyle Saxon
N.Y. 7th Regiment (scene in what is today
Washington Square Park) took on the
Savannah Republican Blues in a “friendly”
drill competition in 1860.
A Bloody prophecy
Mrs. Elizabeth Lyle Saxon Involved in
woman's suffrage and social reform
issues in Memphis and New Orleans.
1832-1915

Benjamin M. Whitlock’s“Hommock Park”
in West Farms is heavily mortgaged
$220,000
$550,000
$110,000
The Chateau
Leggetts Creek

In 1859 directors of the
Homestead Fire Insurance
Company include William L.
McDonald, who became a
known as a confederate spy.
Also Benj. M. Whitlock, his
father-in-law James B.
Wilson, and inﬂuential
banker-merchants Moses
Taylor, Edward Haight and
Paul Spofford.
Paul Spofford
Edward Haight
Moses Taylor
Whitlock Building corner Nassau
and Beekman St.

Whitlock’s Empire Crumbles
Homestead Fire Insurance Company.
Published: September 21, 1860
From the Journal of Commerce
The New-York Supreme Court has appointed PHILO HURD,
Esq., (late President of the Company,) the Receiver, , to close
up and settle the affairs of the Homestead Fire Insurance
Company, the Company's outstanding obligations having
been already provided for and assumed by other responsible
Companies…
The Company was doing a sound and prosperous business,
and was abundantly safe, notwithstanding the enmity of those
interested in the rejected securities and its previous control,
and the jealousy of other Associations, either from political
bias or envy at its success.
It certainly appears desirable that the prosperous and
increasing business of the Company, and its reliable
connections, should be preserved for the organization of a
new Company, and that the facilities for insurance in the South
and West, so long overlooked, should be continued.
Investigation by the state
superintendent -Insurance
Department, Albany,
September 12, 1860
Benjamin M. Whitlock invested his mortgaged estate into  
The Homestead Insurance Company — which never sold a policy — until
shuttered by state regulators in 1861. Operating from Whitlock’s ofﬁce building
Homestead was actually worth $50,000 ($1.3 million)
not the advertised $150,000. ($4.1 million)

A DAUGHTER’S DEATH
"WHITLOCK -- In Hommock Park, on Sunday, Oct. 21,
after a brief illness, ADELINE WILSON, daughter of
Benjamin M. and Amelia Whitlock, aged 6 years and 9
months.
The friends of the family are respectfully invited to attend
her funeral, from the residence of her parents, Hommock
Park, Westchester County, this (Tuesday) afternoon, at 3
1/2 o'clock, without further notice. Carriages will meet at
Mott-Haven, the Harlem train leaving 26th-st. at 2:30 P.M.
NYTimes October 1860
Whitlock Family Plot Green Wood Brooklyn

SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO MR. WHITLOCK — On Saturday evening
Mr. B. M. Whitlock, while standing in the depot corner of White and Centre streets, was accidentally jammed between
two cars, and badly crushed. Three of hie ribs were broken, and he sustained other Injuries; He was removed to the
New-York Hospital.
NEW YORK DAILY TRIBUNE, MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1860
1867 view of
Chatham (Park Row)
and Centre Street
looking north.

LINCOLN ELECTED
Lincoln speaks at Cooper Union before his election

Mayor Fernando Wood NYC’s Copperhead Mayor
“Then it may be said, why should not New York city,
instead of supporting by her contributions in revenue
two—thirds of the expenses of the United States,
become also equally independent? As a free city, with
but nominal duty on imports, her local Government
could be supported without taxation upon her people.
Thus we could live free from taxes, and have cheap
goods nearly duty free. In this she would have the
whole and united support of the Southern States, as
well as all the other States to whose interests and
rights under the Constitution she has always been
true.”
Time for compromise between
North & South was running out
Mayor Wood
January 06, 1861 Copperheads or “Peace Democrats” wanted to end the
war retain slavery and return to “constitutional” rule

A YEAR LATERTOTHE DAY AFTER HIS DAUGHTER’S
DEATH WHITLOCK’S MOTHER DIES -ON WHAT WOULD
HAVE BEEN HER HUSBANDS 81ST BIRTHDAY.
THE FUNERAL IS HELD ATTHE DUTCH
REFORMED CHURCH A STATION ONTHE
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
NYTimes October 1861

Mourners Arrive on the Harlem River Rail Road
Before the Civil War (1861–1864), Mott
Haven was the site of two stations on the
Underground Railroad — the villa of
Charles Van Doren, which stood at East
145th Street and Third Avenue, and the
Mott Haven Dutch Reformed Church,
which still stands on East 146th Street.
1861They cross the Harlem River Bridge

...A good many merchants, in order to avoid catastrophe were, the correspondents
added, already abandoning their Establishments in New York and were preparing to set
up business in "some city of the Confederate States" Charleston Mercury March
21,1861 ...the extensive grocery house of B.A. & E.A. WHITLOCK... had already
completed negotiations for “going to Savannah.” Philip Foner 1941
The Civil War brought profound changes to the New York region. At the beginning of
the war, the loss of trade with the South and disruptions caused by military activity and
Southern privateering forced a number of banks and mercantile houses into bankruptcy.
Most New York banks were forced to suspend payments and the building trades shut
down operations.
In 2004 Whitlock’s creditor bank merges into
JP Morgan Chase
B.M. & E.A. Whitlock goes out of business March 1862.

Bloody street ﬁghting in NewYork City
Draft Riots
July 1863 NewYork erupts into
rioting against military conscription.
Burning the Abolitionist homes
Lynchings

-- Benjamin M. Whitlock, Esq., formerly one of the prominent
wholesale grocers of this City, died on Wednesday last at his
residence in Westchester County, after a very brief illness. Mr.
Whitlock, in consequence of the present troubles, lost
overwhelmingly, because of the failure of his Southern customers
to meet their engagements, and was compelled to relinquish his
business, which had before been one of the most profitable in the
City. He was a man of finest business capacity, and of noble,
generous impulses. His hospitality was lavish, and he was noted
especially for keeping one of the finest studs in the country, his
stock and stables being the centre of admiration and interest.
These and the remainder of his property he sacrificed when
misfortune overtook him, in order honorably to meet his sudden
embarrassments.
Benjamin Whitlock’s Obituary
death on August 15, 1863 Descended of a horse owned by Whitlock

Benjamin M.Whitlock’s Grave
The Green-Wood Cemetery Brooklyn

“For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he
is agree to keep that which I have committed unto him
against that day.”
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death I will fear no evil for thou art with me, thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me.”
EPITAPH
Biblical lines on B.M. Whitlock’s tomb. 2nd Timothy a verse describing
the prophet as having suffered for a cause

A Bank with Benjamin M. Whitlock as a director, including James B.
Wilson, his father-in-law, his business associates and Hunts Point neighbors
Edward Haight and Paul Spofford.
A federal “Greenback” note
backed by loans from banks
supporting the Union
$50 million loan to the Union cause
two weeks after Whitlock’s death.

October 1864
Final Humiliation
Moses Taylor
1806-1882
Edward Haight
1817- 1885
Whitlock’s Hommock Auctioned
Whitlock’s uncle Moses Taylor handles the estate

Benjamin M.
Whitlock’s sister
Josephine is married
to a known
confederate spy
named William
Lawrence McDonald
The Fires Next Time

William L. McDonald living in Orange, New Jersey and
Benjamin M. Whitlock announce a limited
“copartnership” beginning on January 1, 1856
Morning Courier and New-York Enquirer February 7, 1856

Wm. L. McDonald and Benjamin M. Whitlock are partners in May 1860
renting a “handsome cottage overlooking the Sound” in Hunts Point then
the town of West Farms that is “adjoining the residence of the subscribers”
Previously Benj. M . Whitlock
sic: Dater
Long Island Sound

1860 United States census shows Wm. L. McDonald age 33, born in Canada, living in West
Farms. McDonald is a carriage manufacturer worth $25,000, about $750,000 in 2017.
Wm. L. McDonald lives with his wife Josephine,
sister of Benjamin Whitlock, an infant daughter
Mary, two servants born in Ireland and John Holt a
“mulatto” coachman born in Alabama.
From a biography of William McDonald’s son

Union Troops burn Atlanta and Charleston leaving
bitter rage behind among the defeated confederates
Atlanta is burned on November 16, 1864
Burning of Columbia, SC on February 17, 1865.
Refugees ﬂee Sherman’s Army

February 8, 1865
A NAWARK REBEL.
WILLIAM LAWRENCE MCDONALD, who figures in
the papers as the rebel agent in Canada, and the leading
spirit in the Chesapeake, St. Albans, and New-York hotel-
burning affairs... In 1860, he associated with Mr.
B.M. WHITLOCK, (his brother-in-law,) in the carriage
business... "GUS" MCDONALD, a brother of the above,
who also lived in Orange, but recently a resident of New-
York, is in custody on a charge of harboring the
incendiaries while they were in that city. -- Newark
Advertiser.
The man who tried
to burn New York
November 25, 1864
Southern Gentleman (about to
Fire the Hotel), Harper's Weekly.

“a vast and fiendish plot”
P.T. Barnum’s Museum
St. James Hotel
Metropolitan Hotel
United States Hotel
Lafarge Hotel
Astor Hotel
St. Nicholas Hotel
Tammany Hall
November 25, 1864 Conspirators set ﬁres in NewYork Hotels

COPPERHEADS &
CONSPIRATORS
Jacob Thompson
apparently leader of
Confederate Secret
Service operations
in Canada.
Robert Cobb Kennedy
Confederate Agent- Hanged March 25, 1865
For Setting New York Fires
(picture taken two days before execution)
Clement Vallandigham
The Northwestern
Confederacy
While in Canada, Vallandigham met
with Jacob Thompson, who was a
representative of the Confederate
government. He talked to Thompson
about plans for forming a
Northwestern Confederacy, consisting
of the states of Ohio, Kentucky,
Indiana, and Illinois, by overthrowing
their governments.
leader of the Copperhead
faction of anti-war Democrats
during the American Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln speaking
about Vallandigham

Married to Benjamin Whitlock’s
sister Josephine Whitlock,
McDonald does extensive
business with the south
15 Beekman is directly adjacent to B.M. &E.A.Whitlock
William “Larry” McDonald 1821-1895
Merchant, Sutler, Spy, Conspirator

WILLIAM LARRY MCDONALD
SUTLER: a person who followed an army and sold provisions to the soldiers.
Having become heavily indebted to Mr.
GREEN, carriage-maker in this city,
"Larry," as he is familiarly called,
tendered his services to him to pay his
obligations, and on the former gentleman
being appointed sutler to the Twenty-
sixth Regiment, he accompanied him to
Virginia. After the first stock of goods had
been sold, LARRY came North and
purchased $2,000 worth of goods for Mr.
GREEN, and, on his return to Virginia,
deliberately drove them into the rebel
lines, where they were, of course,
confiscated.
“A most bitter and consistent
partisan of the rebels.”
McDonald fakes his capture
by the rebels inVirginia

LARRY: FROM SUTLERTO SPY
While in Richmond, as is since
ascertained, he lived in luxury,
affiliating with all the rebel
leaders, giving them information
as to the number and position of
our forces, and other valuable
facts. He was then released on a
pretended parole, and came to
this city, and while visiting
his wife at Westchester,
New-York, learned that his
exploits had been divulged to the
War Department, and detectives
were after him. He immediately
shipped as a sailor on a schooner
for New-Brunswick, Nova Scotia,
and succeeded in eluding the
vigilance of the authorities.
-A Nawark Rebel, New York Times  
January 8, 1865
McDonald, now a POW is
“paroled” to New York and then
“released” in February 1863

McDonald, his brother “Gus” and
niece Katie named in an investigation
into the plot but never charged in the
crime despite Larry’s confession to an
undercover New York City police
detective..
WILLIAM L. MCDONALD, the rebel agent in
Canada, was in 1860 proprietor of the "Southern
Carriage Repository," in this city, at No. 514
Broadway. His trade, which had been almost
exclusively with the South, having been shut off by
the war, he became one of the most bitter and
consistent partisans of the South anywhere to be
found in the North. NYTimes Feb. 6, 1865

Queen’s Hotel in Toronto
where the conspirators hid
after the attempt to burn
New York
“Gus” McDonald (brother of “Larry”) is arrested when
detectives raid his piano store on Franklin St. The plotters
had been meeting there. Martin was a Confederate agent.

“Gus” McDonald is part of
the conspiracy with
daughter Katie McDonald
Katie’s uncle William L McDonald, brother to Gus
was Whitlock’s brother-in-law. He rented a hideout
Confederate Operations in Canada and New York -HeadleyNew York Times,
November 26, 1864

William L. McDonald: Confederate Conspiracies
Biological warfare plot by selling Yellow Fever exposed clothing to soldiers
The following is the evidence of Edwin J. Hall
I had not the slightest idea of what his mission was, or what enterprise he was engaged in, until I heard it mentioned by
Wm.L. McDonald, a few weeks since; when I got the telegram from the Clifton House, I knew that Hyams had been away
from the city for some time previous, and had but recently returned; McDonald, in speaking of Hyams' enterprise, said it was
taking clothing infected with yellow fever into the United States, to be introduced among the soldiers; McDonald told
me this in reply to my having asked him if he know anything about it.
New York Times, May 26, 1865
Luke Pryor Blackburn (June 16,
1816 – September 14, 1887)
was an American physician,
philanthropist, and politician
from Kentucky. He was the
alleged ringleader of the plot.
He was never charged.
“too preposterous for intelligent
gentlemen to believe.”
Yellow Fever decimated troops during the Civil War
Unknown during the civil
war is that yellow fever is
spread by mosquitos and
not through physical
contact with the victims or
their clothing.

Did Larry McDonald meet with John Wilkes Booth, assassin
of Abraham Lincoln?
St. Lawrence
Hall, Toronto,
1860, where
the meeting
occurred.
John Wilkes Booth

Eatontown, New Jersey. Originally part of
Shrewsbury which was founded in 1693.
1880 Census of Eatontown, New Jersey shows confederate
spyWilliam L. McDonald is a “Carriage Manufacturer,” his
wife Josephine, sister of Benjamin M.Whitlock, occupation
“Keeping house,” his son EdwardW. identiﬁes a “Farmer.”
They live with Josephine’s unmarried sister CarolineWhitlock.
McDonald claims he was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Eatontown Village in 1878 showing property of Miss C. Whitlock which is now
the site of the village police and ire department.
Wm. L. McDonald lives out a quiet life as a Carriage Manufacturer in Eatontown, NJ which is formerly
part of Shrewsbury and the home of Benjamin White postmaster of the village of Shrewsbury, for ﬁfty-
three years. White family has a long standing marriage alliance with the Whitlock family
AFTERTHE CIVIL WAR

William L. McDonald Biography of a son and father.
The son changed family name from Mc to Mac…
The son
Pre-prohibition beer bottle
by MacDonald bottling
company in Eatontown, NJ.
Following in the footsteps
of BM Whitlock, albeit
déclassé version.
Former Wm. L McDonald
carriage factory

BURIAL PLACE OF WILLIAM L.
& JOSEPHINE MCDONALD
A peaceful end in the burial ground
Christ Church - built 1769 Shrewsbury,
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Josephine Whitlock McDonald
Birth: unknown
Death: Nov. 20, 1892 
 
Inscription:
wife of William L.
McDonald - dau of
Thaddeus and Mary
Whitlock
 
Note: died in
Eatontown, sister of
Benjamin M. Whitlock
William L McDonald
Birth: Jan. 12, 1821
Death: Apr. 5, 1895
Inscription:
born in Quebec,
Canada
Note: implicated in
the 1864 plot to burn
New York City

Edward A.Whitlock Son of Thaddeus and Mary
Whitlock was born Jan. 7th 1819 in the City of
NewYork died May 27th 1865 aged 46 years
Abraham Lincoln assassinated
April 14, 1865
The Green-Wood cemetery
Brooklyn, NY

NY Times
After the death of Mr (Benjamin M.) Whitlock it was
transferred by deed from his widow to Innocencio
Casanova a Cuban patriot under date of November 1, 1867
for a consideration of $150,000 The first struggle for
Cuban independence was then in progress and the house
became a rendezvous for the supporters of Cuba Libre It
is stated that its great cellars became storehouses for
powder rifles and other munitions of war which were
smuggled aboard the vessels which stole in and out of the
creeks contiguous to the house and which sailed away on
secret filibustering expeditions to the Ever Faithful Isle. It
is also said that the ill fated Virginius took on board her
unfortunate crew here With the downfall of the rebellion
the visits of the dark skinned mysterious looking men
ceased and the house was deserted while whispers of
murdered Spanish spies and of ghosts and strange and
unaccountable noises in the vacant house filled the
neighborhood. Stephen Jenkins

Cuba’s Ten Years’War, 1868-78
On the grounds of his own small estate Carlos Manuel Cespedes
sounded the work-bell of his sugar mill to assemble his slaves and
their gave them their freedom. On the following day he read a
declaration, known as the Manifiesto de la Junta Revolucionaria de
Cuba setting forth the right to self-government of the protesters.
Carlos Manuel de
Céspedes del Castillo a
Cuban planter who freed
his slaves, and made the
declaration of Cuban
independence in 1868
which started the Ten
Years' War.
General Manuel de
Quesada elected as of
the Cuban rebels’ Chief
of the Armed Forces
April 12, 1869.
On October 10, 1868, the beginning of the
Ten Years' War in Cuba occurred and is
known as El Grito de Yara (The Cry of Yara)
and was the beginning of the First Cuban
War of Independence.

1871
The Casanova family was
deeply involved in the struggle
for Cuba’s independence
On a trip to Cuba Casanova learns about a threat to his
life from the Spanish government
“I am under my ﬂag!Viva
Washington!” - Inocencio
Casanova to Spanish ofﬁcials
from the deck of the American
steamer “Columbia.” February 25, 1871

Casanova’s Plantation “La Armonia” was located outside city of
Cardenas. Despite uprisings slavery was legal in Cuba until
October 7, 1886 Casanova’s home
Slave life on Armonia
sugar plantation

Inocencio Casanova’s sons run
the families sugar plantation from
Cardenas.They fear for their lives
from the Cuban government.
JOSE N. CASANOVA.
Mr. Casanova was appointed and confirmed
as American Consul, March 1, 1859, as
from New York. He was born in France,
and established a prominent family in
Guayaquil; apparently he continued in
the position of American Consul until
1861.
Brief History Of The American Consulate
General At Guayaquil, Ecuador
By FREDERIC WEBSTER J. CODING
GUAYAQUIL
1920
His son Jose was imprisoned in
Cuba. Jose had been American
Consul in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Casanova’s daughter Emilia organizes the Daughters
of Cuba to support independence ﬁghters.
One hotbed of militant activity
was an old mansion in what is
now the Hunts Point area of the
Bronx. There, the activist Emilia
Casanova (daughter of
Inocencio) and her husband,
exiled author Cirilo Villaverde,
worked in support of the
Cuban rebels, and are said to
have collected arms and
ammunition for smuggling out
to Long Island Sound and
shipment south to Cuba. -
Museo del Barrio
Emilia Casanova deVillaverde CiriloVillaverde

Emilia Casanova
deVillaverde
Cardenas, Cuba
Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia
edited by Vicki Lynn Ruiz
Rafﬂes to raise funds for weapons

Letters of Emilia Casanova excerpts
To beneﬁt the next game of illustrious general Quesada
I write you these lines.The disasters and reverses that
have undergone expeditions of men and the ammunition
of war , because of the ineptitude and stupidity of the
ones in charge of their organization and handling, have
produced deep misfortune, causing desperation to
those Cubans who see clearly the origin of the evil...
At this time I don't want to speak on misfortunes
and discords between you, but you must count on
the devotion of all Cubans and to distinguish
between the sincere patriot and the weak
speculator in patriotism.
Carlos Manuel de
Céspedes del Castillo a
Cuban planter who freed
his slaves, and made the
declaration of Cuban
independence in 1868
which started the Ten
Years' War.
General Manuel de
Quesada elected as of
the Cuban rebels’ Chief
of the Armed Forces
April 12, 1869.
--Emilia Casanova de Villaverde
...the purpose I write is to inform you that the
next shipment of arms and ammunition has been
sent by the “League of Daughters of Cuba”

Underground Passages
A tunnel under the mansion.
The secret tunnel came out in the river at Duck Island
Bronx Historical Society
Historians entered the abandoned mansion in the early 20th century shortly before
it was razed and photographed tunnels that apparently led to the inlet of Leggetts
Creek at a small rock called Duck Island. Both are now below Tiffany street.

Virginius leaves NYC
bound for Cuba
TheeVirginius was a Confederate blockade runner
outﬁtted to smuggle arms to Cuba’s revolutionaries
during the 10 years war between 1868 and 1878.
“...the purpose I write is to
inform you that the next
shipment of arms and
ammunition has been sent
by the League of Daughters
of Cuba”
-Emilia Casanova de Villaverde
October 4, 1870

NYC waterfront 1877
potential target of a
Spanish ironclad
John Roach, Maritime Entrepreneur
By Leonard Alexander Swann

Execution of the Virginius
crew who apparently sailed
from the Mansion on
October 4, 1870 to supply
arms to Cuban rebels.

In this letter Miguel de Aldama, from New York,
writes to José González Curbelo. He explains
that there is not much he can do about the
abuses committed by Emilia Casanova de
Villaverde,among others, that have a detriment
effect to Cuba's independence efforts. He goes
on to say that this behavior will continue so
long as they keep receiving support from
people with candid intentions.
Miguel de Aldama letter to José González Curbelo
complaining about Emilia Casanova de Villaverde,
June 19, 1874
CurbeloAldama
Cuban newspapers attack
Casanova as a “witch” using
her wealth to back the
insurgents.Who she rivaled in
commitment and militancy.
Here she’s portrayed as the selling
insurgent flags “wholesale or retail.”
Emilia’s home town of Cardenas was
where Narciso Lopez first flew the
Cuban flag.

“I wouldn’t change my casita del
oeste not even for Mrs. Grant’s
Blue Room in the White House.
No, not even my dining room,
which is more dear [to me] than
all the dining rooms in the
palaces of Washington.”
“I want nothing more than this. (for the
U.S. to express support for abolition of
slavery, encourage commerce, oppose
oppression of Cubans, property,
freedom) and basta! (enough), it’s late
and my eyes and arms hurt me. Adios!
loving son of my soul.” Washington, February 2, 1872
http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/latinashistory
Mi Querido Hijo:
There are ladies here who beg to be with
me with the idea of going to places where
entry is forbidden to the common public.
And I don’t doubt that being Americans they
are surprised like that lady in Montreal
when we went to see Victoria Bridge, of the
easy way doors are opened for me. People
offer me their respect. They are smothering
me so much it bothers me instead of giving
me pride. I don’t need formal entry to the
wives of senators, ministers and other
persons in Washington. In this, Enrique
played a big role especially in the hotel,
well he is so adorable and lively he attracts
attention and people come to me to
acariciarlo (hug, pet, or express
endearments) and hear him speak in
English and Spanish so well. People are
anxious to serve me, bring me the paper,
especially where there is news of Cuba.
This is all great praise, but for someone
else: not me. I wouldn’t change my casita
del oeste not even for Mrs. Grant’s Blue
Room in the White House. No, not even my
dining room, which is more dear [to me]
than all the dining rooms in the palaces of
Washington. One cup of coffee there tastes
better than [the] dozens of exquisite and
costly plates that I’m served in Arlington.
I have to edit the talk I’m giving Congress in
the name of Las Hijas. (goes on to ask
Congress to support rights of belligerence. )
Assure your father I want nothing more
than this. (for the U.S. to express support
for abolition of slavery, encourage
commerce, oppose oppression of Cubans,
property, freedom) and basta! (enough), it’s
late and my eyes and arms hurt me. Adios!
loving son of my soul. Don’t forget my
advice to be loved and respected by all.
Recibe el cariño y bendición de tu madre,
Emilia
Washington, February 2, 1872

Massive wrought-iron chandeliers
adorned halls and chambers. On my
visit I found bell-pulls in the immense
apartments, which I vigorously rang,
causing mysterious ringings in distant
rooms below with true ghostlike effect
—but never a servant appeared.
Chance led us into the strangest place
of all, the secret chamber containing
the great safe, itself as big as a room. 
The entrance was by a hidden door.
The place was lighted by opaque oval
panels that exactly resembled the
surrounding woodwork. High up
beneath the lofty roof was a
mysterious place, but whether it was
an elaborate chapel or an immense
ballroom we never learned.
-Valentine’s Manual of Old New York
A MYSTERIOUS
MANSION’S LAST DAYS

The Oak Point Bathing beach and Pavilion in 1887
Hunts Point public bath 1910
Casanova’s waterfront becomes an entertainment area
William M.Allen
1814-1878
landowner
Allen’s wife
Catherine Leggett
1817-1890

Casanova estate is sold to the East Bay Land Improvement Company and
English investors looking to host the 1893 Colombian Exposition
NewYork loses the Fair to Chicago
NYTimes 1890

Gen. Egbert
Viele founder
of the East
Bay Land
Improvement
Company

NY & Harlem RRYards
The railroad yards of the NY &
Harlem are established to the
south west of William Leggett’s
land. Bungay Creek on this map
is now the course of 149th
Street. Eventually named the
Oak Point yards the railroad
would expand to encompass
the lands to the east of the
former “debatable lands” that
ﬁgured in the legal battles
between Leggett and Morris
holdings that began in the 17th
century.1888

Just prior to the
demolition of the
building, the author
had occasion to visit it.
The once magnificent
old structure appeared
in a pitifully dilapidated
state. The grounds
surrounding it were
overrun with rank weeds
and other unsightly
growth. The massive
bronze doors, with their
Spanish coat-of-arms,
turned heavily upon
their squeaky hinges, as
if reluctant to admit the
feet of common mortals.
As one entered the
dimly lighted hall, he
seemed to be stepping
into the shadows of
former ages, for
everything looked so
sombre and sepulchral.
An unnatural hollow
sound echoed and
reverberated thru the
spacious hall as one's
footsteps fell upon the
marble floor.
There were numerous stairways leading to the cellar, some of
which were rather risky to descend, as they were narrow and
dark. The cellar was strewn with old rubbish, and on the south
side of the building there was a large kitchen. A rusty iron oven
a three-legged stool and an old wooden table upon which stood
several broken dishes, were the only furnishings of the room. The
place was musty and malodorous and shrouded in darkness. With
the aid of a lantern the old tunnel was located. It was choked up
with dirt and rubbish, but there was enough of it exposed to give
a fair conception of what it had once been. On either side of the
tunnel were half a dozen cells built of solid rock with heavy iron
hinges riveted to both the floors and walls. To what use they
could have been put can only be surmised. Could they speak what
tales thej might have unfolded! — HARRY T. COOK

Demolition of the Casanova Mansion
1905

Evening Telegram 1906
Church E. Gates lumber yard, NYPL
National Gypsum Co. 1952
C.E. Gates lumber yard and National Gypsum
previously known as Rock Plaster Co.

Graft and Pollution in 1909
Louis M.
Haffen ﬁrst
Bronx
Borough
President

“MAN OF MYSTERY”
NYTimes January 2, 1922

NY Times 1922
Casanova site 2012

The Haunted Mansion of Hunts Point

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