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(Left) a can of powder used in the creation of bullets. (Right) A Dittmar truck transporting explosives in 1918. Dittmar was located on the corner of Palmer and Stillwell Avenues.<\/p>\n
Photos courtesy of Baychester.Weebly.com<\/p>\n
A Happy New Year to everyone as we welcome in 2026. This month\u2019s meeting will focus on the village of Baychester<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n The remains of Baychester can be found between both the Hutchinson River and Parkway, a segment of I-95 on its southern end and the eastern end abutted by the Hell Gate Line.\n<\/p>\n Join us as we take a journey through the surprising transformation of what began as an unremarkable stretch of salt marsh into a lively fishing village. Over time, it attracted a growing population with a wide range of occupations, all drawn by the appeal of \u201ccountry\u201d living close to the city.<\/p>\n Eventually, much of this small community was overtaken by the demands of the ever-expanding Bronx. Along the way, we\u2019ll explore how the area became increasingly isolated, how that isolation led to many neighbor-to-neighbor marriages, and how\u2014quite unexpectedly\u2014the neighborhood was captured in the film \u201cThe Seven-Ups,\u201d during its most environmentally challenged period.<\/p>\n Our presenter, Susan Vernon Kehr, is a genealogist with more than 15 years of experience researching her ancestors on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as along the eastern and southern coasts of the United States. Before focusing on genealogy, she built a long and successful career in the Information Technology field and also owned her own business.<\/p>\n Susan has served twice as President of the Morris Area Genealogy Society in Morris County, New Jersey. She develops and maintains several genealogy websites, both private and public<\/a>\u00a0and she also created and continues to manage a One-Name-Place website<\/a> dedicated to the isolated Baychester neighborhood of the Bronx, where she grew up.<\/p>\n The East Bronx History Forum will be holding its first meeting of the new year this Jan. 21 at 7:30 pm over Zoom.\n<\/p>\n