"The Cotton Profiteer"
If Columbia Park is mentioned to residents today, you experience one of two responses: "The mall?" or "Do you mean Schuetzen Park?" The latter of these options is a place of fond memory and North Bergen lore. An amusement park in the center of North Bergen must have been an impressive site. The land was purchased in 1872 by the the Plattduetsche Volksfest Vereen (PVV) and from 1894 until the early 1940s served as the largest amusement park in New Jersey. The park itself is not the subject of this post, at least for now, but this post will discuss the original landowner of the property. One Mr. William P. Wright.
Schuetzen Park postcard circa 1900
Courtesy of Lenny DiBrango
The above image is much like most when Schuetzen Park is discussed. A grand, awe-inspiring park that we today only know through vibrant postcards and sepia toned photos. What we do not recognize is that the building in the center was originally the home of William P. Wright. Wright was born in England in 1814. He immigrated to the United States in 1831 and established himself in Hoboken as a cotton broker. It would be through his dealings in cotton that Wright would amass his fortune, and ultimately meet his demise. By the mid 1850s Wright had built a relationship with a network of southern cotton plantations and freely traded cotton with his English partners. From his profits Wright would build his "castle" right here in North Bergen.
"Then there is the magnificent old castle, which is now conducted as a place of refreshment. This is a famous show place, and has been for many years. The old castle hall is hung with coats of arms, battle aces, etc., and presents all the characteristics of a baronial castle in feudal times. Of course, it is fitted up with modern conveniences, but these have been so hidden that the character of the place still remains medieval. A visit to the castle is well worth while to the person who revels in feudal history, and cannot fail to be interesting to on who views it for the first time."
Excerpt from Hudson County To-Day (1915) by Robert R. Stinson & Robert Rieser
According to History of Hudson County: Genealogies of Prominent Families (1917), Schuetzen Park was purchased he property of:
"the son of an English lord, who built a stone castle there, surrounded by a deer park. Later it became the residence of a rich Southern cotton broker named Wright."
According to an 1841 map, the area in question was owned by a William P. Cantelo. One is lead to believe that Cantelo, a Brit, came to America and established the property. The castle was built in the English style. Legend has it Cantelo came to the United States because his family did not approve of the woman he loved. Cantelo would sell the property and fall into the cracks of history. Wright then purchased the property around the 1850. He lived in North Bergen with his wife Catherine and several servants. On a side note it seems the 19th century was the heyday for castle building in North Bergen, see Becker's Castle. As for his business, what is known is that Wright was a cotton magnate. As stated before he was one of the first in the industry to issue a cotton circular to his European clients. What we also know is Wright was an avid supporter of the arts. He funded the works of Daniel Huntington, a founding member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He also was notable for purchasing and displaying at his home Rosa Bonheur's Horse Fair (1855), which now resides in the Met.
Rosa Bonheur's Horse Fair
Courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art
Along with Bonheur's piece and several dozen other works of art, Wright also owned Eastman Johnson's infamous work, Negro Life at the South (1859). This should come as no surprise. Wright's connection to the cotton plantations was evident. Wright even tried to cover up the pro-slavery message of the painting by renaming it, Old Kentucky Home. It is key for us to remember when discussing Wright that without plantation based slave labor the cotton industry as it was known during the early 19th century would have collapse entirely. It was through revisionist movements and efforts like this that only enable the continued use of slave labor. Wright's actions, along with other like him, would create a nostalgia like aura for a time that never existed for enslaved African Americans. One Brooklyn reviewer said this: "this was no plantation in Kentuckey, but a purlieu of Washington DC."
Eastman Johnson's Negro Life at the South
Courtesy of The New York Historical Society
Wright amassed a small fortune before the Civil War. Prior to the war Wright and his estate were worth nearly $50,000 ($1.4 million USD 2017). By 1870 Wright was worth on $25,000 (roughly $450,000 in 2017). The ending of slavery crippled the cotton industrial at least economically speaking. Wright and other New York cotton traders attempted to revive the industry by creating the New York Cotton Exchange in 1870. The goal of the exchange was to improve "loose and informal association of persons active in the cotton trade," and would be governed under the idea of being "equally fair to all." Wright would ultimately take losses unknown to him before. He had lost his business network and would eventually be forced to sell his property in North Bergen. Luckily for him the property value in 1870 was the highest it had even been, valued at $150,000 ($2.7 million USD 2017).
1872 G.M. Hopkins & Co Map
Notice the marking of the Wright Castle in the center of the map
Courtesy of WardMaps
Wright officially sold his 33 acres in 1871 to the tune of $105,000. After the sale the PVV established Schuetzen Park and a hub for the German community that once called North Bergen and Northern Hudson County home. It is fascinating to look at North Bergen's history and discover a relationship to such a monumental and controversial era of American History. As discussed before in Jack, North Bergen had a connection with slavery. With Jack Johnson it was a slave himself, in the case of Wright it was a profiteer of slave labor. Not much is known about Wright after the sale of his "castle" and property. One source found assumed after the sale he returned to England to work at the London Cotton Exchange, but as of now there is no definitive history of what happened to him or his wife Catherine. What is known is that after the sale the legacy of Schuetzen Park would overshadow that of Wright not only on the town's history but in the memories of those that experienced the park itself or simply know of its once majestic existence.
Excerpt from Hudson County To-Day (1915) by Robert R. Stinson & Robert Rieser
According to History of Hudson County: Genealogies of Prominent Families (1917), Schuetzen Park was purchased he property of:
"the son of an English lord, who built a stone castle there, surrounded by a deer park. Later it became the residence of a rich Southern cotton broker named Wright."
According to an 1841 map, the area in question was owned by a William P. Cantelo. One is lead to believe that Cantelo, a Brit, came to America and established the property. The castle was built in the English style. Legend has it Cantelo came to the United States because his family did not approve of the woman he loved. Cantelo would sell the property and fall into the cracks of history. Wright then purchased the property around the 1850. He lived in North Bergen with his wife Catherine and several servants. On a side note it seems the 19th century was the heyday for castle building in North Bergen, see Becker's Castle. As for his business, what is known is that Wright was a cotton magnate. As stated before he was one of the first in the industry to issue a cotton circular to his European clients. What we also know is Wright was an avid supporter of the arts. He funded the works of Daniel Huntington, a founding member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He also was notable for purchasing and displaying at his home Rosa Bonheur's Horse Fair (1855), which now resides in the Met.
Courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art
Along with Bonheur's piece and several dozen other works of art, Wright also owned Eastman Johnson's infamous work, Negro Life at the South (1859). This should come as no surprise. Wright's connection to the cotton plantations was evident. Wright even tried to cover up the pro-slavery message of the painting by renaming it, Old Kentucky Home. It is key for us to remember when discussing Wright that without plantation based slave labor the cotton industry as it was known during the early 19th century would have collapse entirely. It was through revisionist movements and efforts like this that only enable the continued use of slave labor. Wright's actions, along with other like him, would create a nostalgia like aura for a time that never existed for enslaved African Americans. One Brooklyn reviewer said this: "this was no plantation in Kentuckey, but a purlieu of Washington DC."
Courtesy of The New York Historical Society
Wright amassed a small fortune before the Civil War. Prior to the war Wright and his estate were worth nearly $50,000 ($1.4 million USD 2017). By 1870 Wright was worth on $25,000 (roughly $450,000 in 2017). The ending of slavery crippled the cotton industrial at least economically speaking. Wright and other New York cotton traders attempted to revive the industry by creating the New York Cotton Exchange in 1870. The goal of the exchange was to improve "loose and informal association of persons active in the cotton trade," and would be governed under the idea of being "equally fair to all." Wright would ultimately take losses unknown to him before. He had lost his business network and would eventually be forced to sell his property in North Bergen. Luckily for him the property value in 1870 was the highest it had even been, valued at $150,000 ($2.7 million USD 2017).
Notice the marking of the Wright Castle in the center of the map
Courtesy of WardMaps
Wright officially sold his 33 acres in 1871 to the tune of $105,000. After the sale the PVV established Schuetzen Park and a hub for the German community that once called North Bergen and Northern Hudson County home. It is fascinating to look at North Bergen's history and discover a relationship to such a monumental and controversial era of American History. As discussed before in Jack, North Bergen had a connection with slavery. With Jack Johnson it was a slave himself, in the case of Wright it was a profiteer of slave labor. Not much is known about Wright after the sale of his "castle" and property. One source found assumed after the sale he returned to England to work at the London Cotton Exchange, but as of now there is no definitive history of what happened to him or his wife Catherine. What is known is that after the sale the legacy of Schuetzen Park would overshadow that of Wright not only on the town's history but in the memories of those that experienced the park itself or simply know of its once majestic existence.
Comments
Post a Comment