Force will celebrate centennial in 2017
The New York State Police will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2017 and Manlius Historical Society members recently got a chance to learn about the historical ties the Cavalry Club has to the formative years of the law enforcement organization.
New York State Trooper Brian Gergoire and retired trooper Ted Palmer of Manlius gave a presentation at the annual meeting of the historical society that outlined the early years of the New York State Police and its ties to using the land at the current Cavalry Club on Troop K Road in Manlius as training facilities in 1917.
“In 1917, the town of Manlius was just starting to pave roads and deputy sheriffs were political appointments,” said Barbara Rivette, Manlius town historian. “You can see it was a really different world Dr. [George Fletcher] Chandler and the state police took on back then.”
The event which sparked the interest in creating a state police force in New York was the murder of Sam Howell in Bedford, N.Y., said Gregiore. Howell was a construction foreman for the property of Moyca Newell and was delivering payroll when two former workers attempted to rob him. Howell was shot seven times and, although he was able to escape with the payroll and identify the robbers, later died of his wounds. His murderers were never found and brought to justice, which is what inspired Newell and her friend Katherine Mayo to initiate a movement to establish a state police force that can provide protection to rural areas.
The Wells-Mills Bill, which appropriated $500,000 to establish a state police force, was passed by one vote in the New York State Senate on March 20, 1917. Governor Charles Whitman signed the bill into law on April 11 and gave the task of creating and building the New York State Police force to George Fletcher Chandler, a surgeon and military officer.
For its part, the land that now holds the Cavalry Club was purchased in 1909 by a group of about 60 men from the National Guard Troop D, 1st New York Cavalry, to be used to house and train horses. The military ties of this location — originally the Devendorf Farm — and the emphasis on horse training were what led Chandler to establishing training facilities called Camp Newayo, a combination of Newell and Mayo’s last names.
From June to September 1917, 237 men were trained to become the first troopers of the New York State Police. The training was a combination of military drill, horsemanship and legal training provided by two judges and an assistant attorney general.
“The military ideas that Chandler used to form the state police are still seen in the attire and traditions that are around still today,” said Gregoire.
After training, troopers undertook their first assignment, policing the New York State Fair. From there, troopers spread across the state to police rural areas and have grown to a force of about 4,700 members and two divisions.
Palmer announced that the state police are planning to put a historical marker at the Cavalry Club to signify the area’s ties to the training facilities of the New York State Police. The force will celebrate its centennial year in 2017.
“This area was an important part in the history of the New York State Police and we want to acknowledge that,” said Palmer.
To learn more about the New York State Police’s centennial plans, go to centennial.troopers.ny.gov.
