newsletter P.O. BOX 523, ARDSLEY, NY 10502 ARDSLEYHISTORICALSOCIETY.ORG VOL. 29, NO. 1 SPRING 2014 OFFICERS PRESIDENT Robert M. Pellegrino VICE PRESIDENTS Bea Caporale Theresa DiStefano TREASURER Richard Cuilty SECRETARY Rick Palladino DIRECTORS Henry Groth Frank Jazzo Dorothy Kaufman Mary Keehan Valerie S. Lalli Mary Anne Matelli Bernhard Preisser Walter Schwartz Steve Wittenberg EDITOR Theresa DiStefano DESIGN Valerie S. Lalli By ANDY DIJUSTO, ARDSLEY TRUSTEE That was the headline that ran on December 11, 1914 in the Irvington Gazette. A fire at the crossroads of Ash- ford Avenue and Saw Mill River Road destroyed almost all of the businesses in Ardsley and brought all of the neighboring villages together to fight the fire. It was about 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, December 6, 1914 when Mr. Owen F. Hanretty was awakened by his wife and found their apartment full of smoke. The Hanretty family lived in a three story building that oc- cupied almost all of the northern side of Ardsley Square (Addyman Square today). Mr. Hanretty ran to the fire company stable and rang the bell for help. Mr. Winston Freishmann ran to the stable with Mr. Hanretty and two other men, and pulled the hose cart to the nearest hydrant. Hanretty then ran back into the building where he lived and called out to all of the tenants to flee the building. Mr. Hanretty, driven out of the building by the flames without shoes or a coat, helped the Ardsley Hose Company volunteers fight the fire on the snow-covered street to prevent it from spreading to other buildings. Mr. Harold Matthus heard the alarm bell, dressed and ran to the scene. The Norris family ran to the street and Mr. Matthus ran back to the fire company and again started ringing the fire bell. While Mr. Matthus was ringing a second alarm, an explosion occurred in the barbershop of Michael Iurillia. The explosion blew out the windows of all the businesses and apartments in Ardsley Square. The shooting flames started fires in other buildings that had yet been un- touched by the fire. Other volunteers searched the build- ings of Ardsley Square. Soon it was thought that all of the residents were out, so that the Ardsley Hose Company could concentrate on putting out the fire. Many of the Ardsley volunteer firemen gave their coats to the families huddled around the Square. Par- ents and children had been forced out into the Decem- ber cold with nothing on but their bedclothes. The third line was fighting the fire on the south side of the Square. The heat and flames were so intense that the position had to be temporarily abandoned. Even the hose burned! By replacing the burned section of the hose, it was soon back in action and, with the heroic ef- forts of the volunteers, was largely responsible for saving the Brinckerhoff store. The fire seemed to choose it next victim, the Barnett building. The Barnett building housed the Ardsley Hose Company, the Ardsley Village offices, Police Chief McDowell’s office, Justice of the Peace Glover’s office, and the homes of Dr. Johnson and Henry Munck. The Ardsley volunteers ran into the Barnett building to save all the Village’s records and personal items of the families. FireDevastatesTheVillageofArdsley Although every attempt is made to maintain accuracy in the newsletter, the editor and the Society assume no responsibility for errors. The editor also reserves the right to edit where necessary. Most of the buildings in this photo were destroyed by the great fire of 1914. Courtesy of Pictures of the Past: Ardsley, NY, by Patricia B. Arone and Fred N. Arone At the time of the 1914 fire, Ardsley’s first line of fire defense was a hand-drawn hose cart, or Jumper, which was housed in a stable.When the fire alarm was sounded, Mr.Winston Freishmann and Mr. Hanretty with two other men pulled the hose cart to the nearest hydrant.The Jumper’s hose was then attached to hydrants that then released pressurized water needed to put out the fire. Courtesy of Pictures of the Past: Ardsley, NY, by Patricia B. Arone and Fred N. Arone , Date: , Description: , OCR Text: newsletter P.O. BOX 523, ARDSLEY, NY 10502 ARDSLEYHISTORICALSOCIETY.ORG VOL. 29, NO. 1 SPRING 2014 OFFICERS PRESIDENT Robert M. Pellegrino VICE PRESIDENTS Bea Caporale Theresa DiStefano TREASURER Richard Cuilty SECRETARY Rick Palladino DIRECTORS Henry Groth Frank Jazzo Dorothy Kaufman Mary Keehan Valerie S. Lalli Mary Anne Matelli Bernhard Preisser Walter Schwartz Steve Wittenberg EDITOR Theresa DiStefano DESIGN Valerie S. Lalli By ANDY DIJUSTO, ARDSLEY TRUSTEE That was the headline that ran on December 11, 1914 in the Irvington Gazette. A fire at the crossroads of Ash- ford Avenue and Saw Mill River Road destroyed almost all of the businesses in Ardsley and brought all of the neighboring villages together to fight the fire. It was about 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, December 6, 1914 when Mr. Owen F. Hanretty was awakened by his wife and found their apartment full of smoke. The Hanretty family lived in a three story building that oc- cupied almost all of the northern side of Ardsley Square (Addyman Square today). Mr. Hanretty ran to the fire company stable and rang the bell for help. Mr. Winston Freishmann ran to the stable with Mr. Hanretty and two other men, and pulled the hose cart to the nearest hydrant. Hanretty then ran back into the building where he lived and called out to all of the tenants to flee the building. Mr. Hanretty, driven out of the building by the flames without shoes or a coat, helped the Ardsley Hose Company volunteers fight the fire on the snow-covered street to prevent it from spreading to other buildings. Mr. Harold Matthus heard the alarm bell, dressed and ran to the scene. The Norris family ran to the street and Mr. Matthus ran back to the fire company and again started ringing the fire bell. While Mr. Matthus was ringing a second alarm, an explosion occurred in the barbershop of Michael Iurillia. The explosion blew out the windows of all the businesses and apartments in Ardsley Square. The shooting flames started fires in other buildings that had yet been un- touched by the fire. Other volunteers searched the build- ings of Ardsley Square. Soon it was thought that all of the residents were out, so that the Ardsley Hose Company could concentrate on putting out the fire. Many of the Ardsley volunteer firemen gave their coats to the families huddled around the Square. Par- ents and children had been forced out into the Decem- ber cold with nothing on but their bedclothes. The third line was fighting the fire on the south side of the Square. The heat and flames were so intense that the position had to be temporarily abandoned. Even the hose burned! By replacing the burned section of the hose, it was soon back in action and, with the heroic ef- forts of the volunteers, was largely responsible for saving the Brinckerhoff store. The fire seemed to choose it next victim, the Barnett building. The Barnett building housed the Ardsley Hose Company, the Ardsley Village offices, Police Chief McDowell’s office, Justice of the Peace Glover’s office, and the homes of Dr. Johnson and Henry Munck. The Ardsley volunteers ran into the Barnett building to save all the Village’s records and personal items of the families. FireDevastatesTheVillageofArdsley Although every attempt is made to maintain accuracy in the newsletter, the editor and the Society assume no responsibility for errors. The editor also reserves the right to edit where necessary. Most of the buildings in this photo were destroyed by the great fire of 1914. Courtesy of Pictures of the Past: Ardsley, NY, by Patricia B. Arone and Fred N. Arone At the time of the 1914 fire, Ardsley’s first line of fire defense was a hand-drawn hose cart, or Jumper, which was housed in a stable.When the fire alarm was sounded, Mr.Winston Freishmann and Mr. Hanretty with two other men pulled the hose cart to the nearest hydrant.The Jumper’s hose was then attached to hydrants that then released pressurized water needed to put out the fire. Courtesy of Pictures of the Past: Ardsley, NY, by Patricia B. Arone and Fred N. Arone , Z ArchiveInABox,Ardsley Historical Society,Archived Issues of The Beacon,Volume 22-33,ArdsleyHistoricalSocietyVol29No1.pdf,ArdsleyHistoricalSocietyVol29No1.pdf Page 1, ArdsleyHistoricalSocietyVol29No1.pdf Page 1