View Now: Scarsdale Suffragists Documentary Film and Library Exhibit

Women Rising: The Scarsdale Suffragists tells the little-known story of the courageous women behind the suffrage movement in Scarsdale and how their work shaped the community. The film is narrated by trustee and Associate Scarsdale Village Historian Historian Leslie Chang and includes interviews with Barbara Davis, Director of the Westchester County Historical Society, Linda Leavitt, former Editor-in-Chief of the Scarsdale Inquirer, Scarsdale Public Library Local History Librarian, Daniel Glauber, and Nancy Horrigan, Archivist for the Scarsdale Woman’s Club. The film is written and directed by Lesley Topping and produced by the Scarsdale Historical Society.

From the Film Premiere on December 16, 2024 at Scarsdale Public Library, left to right: Jordan Copeland (VP and Village Historian), Dan Glauber (Local History Librarian, Scarsdale Library), the Filmmaker Lesley Topping, Leslie Chang (Trustee and Associate Village Historian) and Randy Guggenheimer (President).

Women Rising features trailblazers like Florence Bethell who lectured, wrote, marched and lobbied for womens’ right to vote - at a village, state and national level. In the face of apathetic and sometimes hostile attitudes toward women’s suffrage, the women used creative approaches to educate Scarsdale women on suffrage - from porch parties to suffrage dances. 

Their cause was closely tied to service projects that left a lasting legacy on this village. Not only did they publish the Scarsdale Inquirer newspaper, but the women initiated many of Scarsdale’s most important civic and arts programs. Among the organizations the suffragists and committees of the Woman's Club sparked or expanded are the Scarsdale League of Women Voters, the Scarsdale Foundation, the Scarsdale Ambulance Corp, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Services, and many more. 

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Q&A Session with Film Participants

On the night of the film premiere screenings, both Q&A sessions were recorded and are available here. A suffrage exhibit is also on display at the Scarsdale Public Library through January, 2025.

Extended Interview on Westchester’s Suffrage Movement

To find out more about Suffrage in Westchester see our extensive interview with Barbara Davis, Executive Director of the Westchester County Historical Society, see our interview here. 

scarsdale suffrage exhibit at scarsdale public library

On display in the local history center of the library, the exhibit presents new artifacts, findings, photographs that were uncovered during the production of the documentary. There’s a display of suffrage artifacts including the original Scarsdale Equal Suffrage Club minutes book from 1914-1918.

The original Scarsdale Equal Suffrage Club minutes book

The Scarsdale Public Library has scanned and transcribed the entire notebook so that anyone can view it online. The notes speak of fundraising campaigns, local views toward suffrage, and correspondence with renowned suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt. View it here.

More Scarsdale History Documentaries

The entire collection of our documentary films can be viewed here.

Scarsdale Suffragists Documentary Premieres at Scarsdale Public Library with Two "Sold Out" Screenings

Women Rising: The Scarsdale Suffragists premiered December 16th with two fully reserved screenings at Scarsdale Public Library. The film tells the little-known story of the courageous women behind the suffrage movement in Scarsdale and how their work shaped the community. We also unveiled two new photo exhibits that evening in partnership with the library’s Local History Librarian, Daniel Glauber.

The film was introduced by President Randy Guggenheimer, who shared some insights about making the film. There were countless mentions of Scarsdale’s suffrage meetings, rallies and dances in newspapers, yet there were no photographs of the women in the library’s photo archives. In search of photographs and firsthand stories about these women, relatives were tracked down all over the country. Guggenheimer stated, “With this new film and exhibits, we give these trailblazers proper recognition and individual identities. When you leave the library tonight, you’ll remember the names of Florence, Josephine, Bella and Edna.”

Women Rising features trailblazers like Florence Bethell who lectured, wrote, marched and lobbied for womens’ right to vote - at a village, state and national level. In the face of apathetic and sometimes hostile attitudes toward women’s suffrage, the women used creative approaches to educate Scarsdale women on suffrage - from porch parties to suffrage dances. 

The screening was followed by a Q&A panel with film participants.

Front (left to right): Nancy Horrigan, Archivist for the Scarsdale Woman’s Club, Lesley Topping, Filmmaker, Barbara Davis, Director of the Westchester County Historical Society. Back, left to right: Linda Leavitt, former Editor-in-Chief of the Scarsdale Inquirer, Daniel Glauber, Scarsdale Public Library Local History Librarian, Leslie Chang Trustee and Associate Scarsdale Village Historian Historian.

In closing, Guggenheimer emphasized that this suffrage movement was a milestone in a longer fight. “The spirit, bravery and resilience of the Scarsdale Suffragists is an inspiration, but we must remember that their crusade was just one pivotal step in the continued battle for equal women’s rights and suffrage.”

After the screening event, attendees visited the Local History Center to see the new suffrage exhibits. For only that night, there were some museum-quality suffrage artifacts on display, thanks to our trustee and collection-builder, Seth Kaller. The exhibits are on display at the Scarsdale Public Library through January.

The film is now available online! Click here.

The entire collection of our films can be viewed here.

Q&A Panel, left to right: Nancy Horrigan, Leslie Topping, Barbara Davis, Leslie Chang, Dan Glauber

Screening of "Women Rising: The Scarsdale Suffragists"

Filmmaker Lesley Topping

Trustee and collection-builder, Seth Kaller brought some museum-quality suffrage artifacts for the evening.

The new Scarsdale Suffrage exhibits are in the library's Local History Center and will be on display through January 2025.

She Rowed for 5 Hours

I started out thinking I’d share a simple photo of two sisters at the Ferncliff estate in c. 1900. I figured out that Ella Ford of Ferncliff is on the left, and her sister Margaret Swift is on the right. But then, I did a quick google.and we discovered something extraordinary.

Mrs. Harry S. Ford (Ella) and her sister Mrs. Fred J. Swift at ferncliff (1000 post road, scarsdale) c. 1900. Credit: Scarsdale public library

Twelve years after this photo was taken, Mrs. Swift boarded the TITANIC. As a first class passenger, she was fortunate to board a Lifeboat 8 with two friends, and the Captain threw them a loaf of bread as they pulled away.

The Brooklyn Eagle newspaper was on-site when she disembarked from the Carpathia on the dock in New York. They said she “tumbled into the arms of her sisters” (one of which is Mrs. Ford). She recounted how she rowed for 5 hours until they saw the Carpathia in the distance. The newspaper quotes her as saying she was “alright,” “a little tired,” and “the only trouble is I look like a tramp.” She was still in the same dress from the shipwreck.

By this time, Scarsdale’s Mrs. Ford had moved to Manhattan (after subdividng Ferncliff in 1910!). Mrs. Swift was a widow and a Brooklyn resident when the wreck occurred.

We're glad we happened to look up Mrs. Fred J. Swift. They say she seldom spoke of the tragedy in later years, and she lived to be 82.

Read her incredible account of surviving the Titanic here: https://www.newspapers.com/.../brooklyn-eagle.../157013963/

Source: Photo from Scarsdale Public Library and the Brooklyn Eagle, April 19, 1912

Now Streaming: "The Village: The History of Downtown Scarsdale"

This film explores how Scarsdale’s business district grew from a humble train depot and a few wooden buildings to the iconic Tudor-style commercial center we have today. 

The Village will take viewers on a journey spanning more than 200 years, beginning with a colonial-era mill on the Bronx River. Archival photographs capture the development of Scarsdale’s earliest businesses and “downtown” streets, when horses clip-clopped on dusty roads. The film chronicles the factors that contributed to Scarsdale’s suburbanization, and the prominent, community-minded residents that developed the business district that still stands today. 

This half- hour documentary is directed and edited by local filmmaker Lesley Topping, with appearances by village historians Jordan Copeland and Leslie Chang, and Peter Blier from Scarsdale Central Taxi. It is part of an ongoing series from the Scarsdale Historical Society on the history and neighborhoods of Scarsdale. All the previous films can be viewed at https://www.scarsdalehistoricalsociety.org/videos.

Watch the Newly Digitized Film, “Scarsdale in World War II”

Scarsdale in World War II, created and released by residents in 1946, chronicles how Scarsdalians united and rallied in support of the war effort in the 1940s. It was produced and screened as part of a fundraising campaign for Jewish refugee children.

The original 16mm film was found in storage at the Scarsdale Public Library, and all 1,200 feet of film has been digitized and preserved by the Scarsdale Historical Society. This historic treasure presents a stunning, visual testimony of Scarsdale life in the 1940’s. The footage captures Scarsdale’s landmarks as they appeared almost 80 years ago, including the only-known footage of some sites that no longer exist.

Proceeds from the screening of this film went to a national interfaith organization named “Children to Palestine.” The meaning behind this name requires some explanation, as it could cause some confusion in today’s context. When Jewish children were orphaned and displaced during the Holocaust, one of the few options for resettling them was the area then known as Palestine - before Israel became a nation in 1948. Moved by the plight of Jewish children, Scarsdale residents of all backgrounds united to rescue them from the “land of persecution” and bring them to a “Land of Promise.” 

The Scarsdale branch of “Children to Palestine” was founded by two Scarsdale residents: Dorothy Silverstone (of 6 Richbell Close) and Susan Bennett (or 10 Elmdorf Drive). A Junior Committee was formed, and they sponsored the making of this film with the support of Dorothy Silverstone’s husband, Murray Silverstone, who was the President of 20th Century Fox. They were a very philanthropic couple, and it’s worth noting that with all of Murray’s accomplishments in the movie industry, this film was named in his obituary as one of his proud accomplishments. 

We conducted some historical research and detective work to identify some of the film locations and prominent residents, and provided this information in captions to help the audience connect and better understand the film. We have a terrific community on Facebook and Instagram that helped us with the detective work.

The film was produced by stage producer Julian Olney and narrated by renowned broadcaster Lowell Thomas. 

Other than the captions, the film is presented as originally created. It contains language which may cause offense.

The original film reel has a strong aroma of vinegar, a sign of film degradation. We are fortunate that is was digitized when it was.