NEW YORK—In a cozy, 250-year-old brick house with oatmeal-colored walls and paper printed photographs, the Museum of Bronx History struggles to continue educating Bronx residents of their history.
Earlier this month, a commemoration was held for Sol Elbaum Bronx County Historical Society’s (BCHS) major researcher and financial supporter. His passing leaves a vacuum not only in the community of Bronx historians, but also in the society’s funding.
In addition to serving on the BCHS board, Elbaum was also a supervising dispatcher for the Fire Department of New York, inventor, and a philanthropist—though not always the most willing.
“He always said no first,” a board member joked.
The BCHS does not attract as much funding as some other historical societies in the city.
“You never had a Mrs. Astor in the Bronx,” said Lloyd Ultan, the borough historian of the Bronx. Ultan refers to Brooke Astor, a philanthropist who donated generously to various city organizations such as the Metropolitan Art Museum and the New York City Public Library “The Bronx didn’t have the kind of funding like [the historical societies] do in Westchester County, or Manhattan.”
