John Stephenson

John Stephenson. , John G. Stephenson was a coachbuilder and inventor who patented the first streetcar to run on rails in the United States. In May 1831, Stephenson started his own business, the John Stephenson Company on Broadway in Manhattan where he created a new kind of city transportation. Combining the fledgling concept of rail travel with the traditional stagecoach mode, Stephenson built the first horse-drawn carriages to run on tracks., This outstanding father of invention, who was born in County Armagh, Ireland, left indelible tracks in New York City and around the globe, as well as in his beloved, adopted, community of New Rochelle. Stephenson Boulevard that runs from Main Street to Palmer Avenue and the school that once stood on the hillside were named for him., Stephenson and his wife, Julia, began retreating to New Rochelle included in what had been the site of Crystal Lake, which encompassed what is now the Stephenson playground and play field. It was once the main source of ice for Manhattan and Brooklyn in the 1840s and 50s, but by the time Stephenson purchased the property, the lake, then stagnant, was a rich breeding ground for mosquitoes. Stephenson was declared a hero by the local press when he installed an expensive drainage system and "removed the malarial influences that formerly threatened that section of town.", An active crusader for the temperance movement and a trustee of the New Rochelle public schools, Stephenson was also a devout member of the (erstwhile) St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church. He died at the age of 84 and his funeral was held at Clifford mansion.