Post by Okwes on Apr 1, 2007 22:24:23 GMT -5
Trademarking Katonah. What would Chief Katonah have thought? It was his
name after all.
Pity Chief Katonah.
Once a leader of Ramapo Indians, an important man whose name appears on
deeds for Bedford, Stamford, Conn., and Ridgefield, Conn., he could soon
be a line in Martha Stewart's home furnishing empire. From chief or
"sachem" to a tailored English sofa.
It's hard to imagine he would have been pleased.
European settlers already took his name for the hamlet in the town of
Bedford. Now Stewart is proposing to trademark "Katonah Collection" for
a furniture line that she says was inspired by this community, where she
owns a 153-acre estate. The collection was introduced last fall and an
Asian-influenced chinoiserie secretary with a red finish and a gold
cherry-blossom pattern was described as its standout.
I've having trouble picturing Katonah at that secretary. Not really his
lifestyle in the late 17th century.
The homes of the American Indians who lived in Westchester County were
described this way: "as bowl-like, tepee-like, and as long narrow
houses," according to the book "Katonah: The History of a New York
Village and its People" written by Frances R. Duncombe and published in
1961.
They were farmers who used stone axes and hoes made from the shoulder
blades of deer, who grew corn and pumpkins and who hunted and fished.
They constructed stone weirs to trap the fish, weirs that were so strong
that children later used them as stepping stones across the streams when
the water was low.
Legend has Katonah buried beneath boulders in the woods southwest of
Cantitoe Corners, perhaps beside his wife, variously Cantitoe or
Mustato, or perhaps a child. Another story has him grief stricken at the
death of Cantitoe and a son when lightning split a tree and it fell on
them.
"It's a legend, it might be true, but we have no documentation to prove
it," said Deirdre Courtney-Batson, the vice president of the Katonah
Historical Museum.
Stewart says she wants to honor the hamlet, but people who live there
don't necessarily see it that way.
"I don't really want to be a partially or wholly owned subsidiary of
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia," said William O'Neill, an architect and
the co-president of the Katonah Village Improvement Society. "I don't
think there's any benefit to us in having her use this name. It's not in
our interest."
Katonah as a place name has been in use since 1852, O'Neill said. The
hamlet was moved a little more than 100 years ago, horses slowly drawing
the houses south, because the old site was being submerged with the
construction of ad dam for the New York City reservoirs. There are
photos showing the houses being transported along tracks made of timber
to their new sites.
Today the downtown is a collection of colorful Victorians and stone
houses and you could imagine Stewart coming in and redecorating. The
copper awning on Charles Department Store, established in 1924. Does it
a need a shine? Is that the right shade of gray on the Katonah General
Store? What about a new coat in "Bedford Grey" from "Martha Stewart
Signature Paint."
One of the owners of Charles, James Raneri, is worried about what it all
means.
Will new businesses still be able to use Katonah in their names? It's
popular enough. There's already the general store and Katonah Paint &
Hardware, Katonah Eye Care, the Katonah Restaurant.
"I think it should be left alone," Raneri said. "Katonah's done fine on
its own without its name being trademarked."
He foresees lawsuits and lawsuits are bad for business, he said.
Down at the family-owned Katonah Restaurant, in business for some 40
years, the manager, Sam Sfyris, is less concerned. Maybe some publicity
for the hamlet would bring more business, he said.
"It doesn't bother me unless they take the name away," he said. "Then
there would be a problem."
Stewart's estate, Cantitoe Farm on Cantitoe Road, is named after
Katonah's wife, so some think she should use that name instead.
As for Katonah, not much is known about him. His name appears on eight
deeds or confirmations of deeds for Bedford land obtained by British
colonists from Stamford between 1680 and 1704, on one confirmation for
Stamford in 1700 and on one Ridgefield deed in 1708.
"This is the last year we hear of him by documentary evidence," Duncombe
writes in "Katonah."
name after all.
Pity Chief Katonah.
Once a leader of Ramapo Indians, an important man whose name appears on
deeds for Bedford, Stamford, Conn., and Ridgefield, Conn., he could soon
be a line in Martha Stewart's home furnishing empire. From chief or
"sachem" to a tailored English sofa.
It's hard to imagine he would have been pleased.
European settlers already took his name for the hamlet in the town of
Bedford. Now Stewart is proposing to trademark "Katonah Collection" for
a furniture line that she says was inspired by this community, where she
owns a 153-acre estate. The collection was introduced last fall and an
Asian-influenced chinoiserie secretary with a red finish and a gold
cherry-blossom pattern was described as its standout.
I've having trouble picturing Katonah at that secretary. Not really his
lifestyle in the late 17th century.
The homes of the American Indians who lived in Westchester County were
described this way: "as bowl-like, tepee-like, and as long narrow
houses," according to the book "Katonah: The History of a New York
Village and its People" written by Frances R. Duncombe and published in
1961.
They were farmers who used stone axes and hoes made from the shoulder
blades of deer, who grew corn and pumpkins and who hunted and fished.
They constructed stone weirs to trap the fish, weirs that were so strong
that children later used them as stepping stones across the streams when
the water was low.
Legend has Katonah buried beneath boulders in the woods southwest of
Cantitoe Corners, perhaps beside his wife, variously Cantitoe or
Mustato, or perhaps a child. Another story has him grief stricken at the
death of Cantitoe and a son when lightning split a tree and it fell on
them.
"It's a legend, it might be true, but we have no documentation to prove
it," said Deirdre Courtney-Batson, the vice president of the Katonah
Historical Museum.
Stewart says she wants to honor the hamlet, but people who live there
don't necessarily see it that way.
"I don't really want to be a partially or wholly owned subsidiary of
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia," said William O'Neill, an architect and
the co-president of the Katonah Village Improvement Society. "I don't
think there's any benefit to us in having her use this name. It's not in
our interest."
Katonah as a place name has been in use since 1852, O'Neill said. The
hamlet was moved a little more than 100 years ago, horses slowly drawing
the houses south, because the old site was being submerged with the
construction of ad dam for the New York City reservoirs. There are
photos showing the houses being transported along tracks made of timber
to their new sites.
Today the downtown is a collection of colorful Victorians and stone
houses and you could imagine Stewart coming in and redecorating. The
copper awning on Charles Department Store, established in 1924. Does it
a need a shine? Is that the right shade of gray on the Katonah General
Store? What about a new coat in "Bedford Grey" from "Martha Stewart
Signature Paint."
One of the owners of Charles, James Raneri, is worried about what it all
means.
Will new businesses still be able to use Katonah in their names? It's
popular enough. There's already the general store and Katonah Paint &
Hardware, Katonah Eye Care, the Katonah Restaurant.
"I think it should be left alone," Raneri said. "Katonah's done fine on
its own without its name being trademarked."
He foresees lawsuits and lawsuits are bad for business, he said.
Down at the family-owned Katonah Restaurant, in business for some 40
years, the manager, Sam Sfyris, is less concerned. Maybe some publicity
for the hamlet would bring more business, he said.
"It doesn't bother me unless they take the name away," he said. "Then
there would be a problem."
Stewart's estate, Cantitoe Farm on Cantitoe Road, is named after
Katonah's wife, so some think she should use that name instead.
As for Katonah, not much is known about him. His name appears on eight
deeds or confirmations of deeds for Bedford land obtained by British
colonists from Stamford between 1680 and 1704, on one confirmation for
Stamford in 1700 and on one Ridgefield deed in 1708.
"This is the last year we hear of him by documentary evidence," Duncombe
writes in "Katonah."