Article December 21, 1899 Issue

Miscellany

with contributions from William Rittenhouse, Theodore C. Williams

Now that New York is paved from end to end with stone, it may be interesting to know that in the early part of the last century there was not a sidewalk in the whole thrifty town. The first attempt at one was the work of a woman—Mrs. Samuel Pro-voost, familiarly known to all New Yorkers by her maiden name of Polly Spratt. She was a celebrated belle in her youth, and an exceedingly wise business woman all her life long. Polly Spratt's husband died young. leaving behind him a fortune and a large importing business. His widow undertook the management of both. She built a row of offices in front of her handsome house, and a large store on one side. It was a little out of the line of traffic, and the shrewd owner determined to attract special attention to it. She therefore sent for a number of large, flat flagstones and laid a fine sidewalk, not only in front of her property, but up to the street on either side. As New Yorkers had then no other place to walk than on the round, slippery cobblestones of the street, which sloped to a gutter in the middle, so that it was exceedingly difficult, in winter, to keep dryshod, Polly Spratt's pavement was the talk of the town, and attracted so many visitors that her store was always thronged. Others followed her example, and soon the city authorities went to work to give sidewalks to all the principal avenues. It is said that ladies came from Philadelphia to shop at this wonderful New York store, and that Mrs. Provoost made such a fortune that she kept a two-horse coach, a thing which no one but the governor had ever been known to do. She afterwards married James Alexander, and is well known in all the chronicles of New York as one of the leaders and ornaments of colonial society: and her son, Major William Alexander, became an intimate friend of George Washington.

William Rittenhouse.

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