The Story of the Stone Lanterns - Notebook Vol. 2023-3
You've seen them here and there around the Village, but our original historical research (our Mission after all) has revealed where each was originally placed and where it is now. Only two are in their original locations.
It was long believed that W.W. Law imported them by 1902 from the Far East with the assistance of some Christian missionaries. The lanterns were the “finishing touch” on several of Law’s projects. It seems that the lanterns originated in Japan, but came to use via China. The prevailing opinion is that they were brought by missionaries. However, this may not be the case. Based on evidence that the BMSHS has discovered, we now believe that the lanterns were brought back by members of the Law family who were in China at that time.
A long time ago, about 1895, Walter Law retired from his spectacular career with W. & J. Sloan Fine Furnishings in Manhattan & the Alexander Carpet Company in Yonkers. Especially large, fine carpets were created at the Smith facility with Axminster looms. The carpets furnished palaces around the world, the White House and Gilded Age homes here.
Any other person would have needed to rest after all these accomplishments and success; but “retirement” meant something very different to Law. He initially purchased about 500 acres (part of the Towns of Ossining and Mount Pleasant) and set out, with the help of the Olmstead Brothers, to design a bucolic village with a majestic “destination” lodge; curving “roads” (no streets here!); the Briarcliff Congregational Church; a huge exemplary farm; a notable girls’ school, Mrs. Dow’s School; a School for Agriculture and Horticulture; a water, fire and electric company; a new, fine train station – all on land that for hundred of years had simply been farmland. He encouraged his wealthy friends to be part of this vison: “an all-year-home village, strictly residential with all the conveniences of a city with the freedom and natural beauty of the charming country.”
Law’s motto for all-things-Briarcliff was: “Where only the best is good enough”. It was on the top of his business letterhead, as you see to the right. Note all the businesses.
By 1902 Law was able to incorporate the village (by counting as many of his farm workers as “residents” as were needed to get to 300.) And now for the finishing touches! Walter Law had been a generous contributor to the Christian missionary effort in the Far East for years. We have no written account of how he came to request a shipment of imposing Japanese stone lanterns (presumably with his connections with the missionaries), how they were transported to New York; their age; their cost; and exactly when they arrived.
But I’ll go on with the story to tell you where the lanterns were originally placed and where they are today.
The Story of the Stone Lanterns
I’m going to tell you a story. I think it’s almost like a fairy tale – how six beautiful stone lanterns came to Briarcliff Manor.
Lantern #1
We have a 1900s postcard of “The Hotel Beautiful” – The Briarcliff Lodge. The original portion was finished in 1902. Placed in the most imposing place at the entrance to the Lodge was the “grand-daddy” of the lanterns. It was moved from the Lodge/King’s College campus to the grounds of the Briarcliff Congregational Church (BCC) Parish Hall in 1990 when King’s College was about to close, as per an agreement between King’s President Friedhelm Radandt and Rev. George Higgins of BCC. Not knowing the fate of the Lodge/King’s property, they agreed that the grounds of the BCC would be the best place for it. It is now on the lawn of the Parish House on South State Road. (Note the height of the man in the bowler v the height of the lantern!)
LANTERN #1
LANTERN #1 OUTSIDE BRIARCLIFF LODGE
Lantern #2
This lantern was on the grounds of the Briarcliff Lodge, but we don’t know just where. It was moved to stand between the BCC and the church’s manse on South State Road. Its style is unique, its size is somewhat small and the symbols are Japanese.
LANTERN #2
Lantern #3
The Briarcliff Lodge initially had a nine-hole golf course which extended from Central Drive West to the top of Central Drive to Dalmeny Road. (Later the course extended to 18 holes across 9A to the undeveloped land, subsequently named the Crossways.) This lantern had been on the first 9-hole portion since the early 1900s. In 2018 the Sears family who lived there gave our intern, Nathan Feist, an opportunity to photograph all aspects of the lantern and he did an in-depth study of its iconography.
In anticipation of the family’s move to Connecticut in 2020, they made a gift of the lantern jointly to BMSHS and the Village. In addition, they gave us a corroded 50 yard-marker they had found buried in an area they determined had previously been a sand trap. “I couldn’t get anything to grow there for the life of me!” Mayor Vescio and Village Manager Zegarelli supported us on every step of the way to the installation of this lantern in Law Park, as you see it today. On Tuesday 20 September 2022 the official ceremony to welcome this lantern to our town park, Law Park took place. See below for some pictures taken at the ceremony.
LANTERN #3
Lantern #4
This lantern, seen by all of us as we come and go, was placed at the corner of the Briarcliff Congregational Church property at South State & Elm Road. The photograph shows it at this location where it has been ever since.
LANTERN #4
LANTERN #5
Lantern #5
Walter Law had this lantern placed at his daughter Edith Law Brockelman’s property named “Little Mount Vernon,” across from the entrance to the Law Manor on Scarborough Road, where it remains. This is the other lantern that hasn’t moved from its original location. The “Little Mount Vernon” mansion was built by W. W. Law for his daughter, Edith who returned to Briarcliff Manor from China in 1902 as the widow of Fritz Brockelmann.
LANTERN #6
Lantern #6
One of Law’s former business partners and close friend was George McNeir who built Brae View at the top of Central Drive. Law offered one of the lanterns to be the feature in his garden. It is no longer there, but it remains in the garden of another private home in Briarcliff Manor.
Some More Lanterns
William Sloane, the owner of Merestead in Mount Kisco, NY was a good friend of Walter Law (the founder of our village and was for many years his boss at W. & J. Sloane, a luxury furniture and rug store in New York City that catered to the prominent and the wealthy. We had recently seen a photograph showing yet another lantern. This was not a surprise as we already knew that Law had given one of the lanterns to Sloane. What was a surprise was that in the same picture, in the distance we could just about make out another lantern, the existence of which was unknown to us. So we just had to go an take a look. Below left, the first lantern (with the second lantern just visible in the background); and below right the second lantern.
Until today we (The Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society) have been talking about there being six lanterns in the village and two more, which we knew were connected to Briarcliff Manor because of the relationship (they were partners in the W.J.Sloane furniture and rug story) between Walter Law, the founder of Briarcliff Manor and William Sloane, the owner of Merestead, the site of the two lanterns. That brought the total to eight in all.
Or so we thought...
A while ago we heard a rumor that there was another lantern if not precisely in Briarcliff (it's actually just across the border in Ossining) then close by. Today we went to look and lo and behold there it was (see picture above), standing in a the garden of a private home - clearly visible from the road. We don't know anything about its history yet. Nor do we know if it's in any way connected to the other lanterns. For all we know it could be a modern lantern. Nobody seemed to be at the house so we were unable to get any further information. We'll try to follow up.
