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

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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.

Recording of "How Scarsdale Became Scarsdale" Now Online

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Scarsdale Village Historian Jordan Copeland explores the far-sighted decisions, community institutions, and unusual circumstances that transformed Scarsdale from a sparsely populated farming area to a prominent, sought-after suburb.

Originally presented on November 29, 2023 at an event by the Scarsdale Historical Society and sponsored by the Scarsdale Library. 

Watch now at here.

Colonial Day Event

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The Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters and the Town of Greenburgh are hosting Colonial Day in Hart’s Brook Park & Preserve.

Come see what life was like during the 1781 Encampment of American and French troops in Greenburgh!

  • Tour Washington’s Revolutionary War Tents & Encampment, guided by historic interpreters from Philadelphia’s acclaimed Museum of the American Revolution.

  • Meet George Washington, Le Comte de Rochambeau, and Ben Franklin.

  • See military marching and drills by re-enactors of the 5th New York Regiment and Hearts of Oak.

  • Toys, games, and activities for kids; demonstrations of Colonial cooking, wool spinning, blacksmithing, and more!

  • Learn about the role Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters played in the encampment and how this historic site is being restored.

242 years ago, in the summer of 1781, the Continental Army under the command of George Washington and the French Army under the command of Le Comte de Rochambeau, marched into Greenburgh with 9,000 soldiers and camped for six weeks. Rochambeau stayed at the Odell House and it was there that the two generals made a crucial decision that resulted in the final victory that won the Revolutionary War.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M.
Rain Date: Sunday, October 1, 10 a.m to 4 p.m.

  • Admission is $10 for ages 13+; $5 for ages 3-12 and active service members/veterans (with ID). Children under 3 are free.

  • Pay when you park with cash, check or Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards. No electronic payments.

  • Hart’s Brook Park & Preserve, 156 Ridge Road, Hartsdale, N.Y.

  • Parking at Ridge Road Park, 287 Ridge Road, Hartsdale, N.Y. Free shuttle bus service to the nearby event. Handicap parking available at the Hart’s Brook Park site.

This event is brought to you by Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters and the Town of Greenburgh. It is part of the Hudson River Valley Ramble, an event series that celebrates the history, culture, and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley.

Funding provided by Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, Town of Greenburgh and Westchester County.

Follow the French Tour

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Washington Reviewing Our Ally—the French—1781 by Henry Alexander Ogden. The Society of the Cincinnati, Washington, DC.

This family-friendly tour of three historic Revolutionary War sites in Westchester—where French troops camped during the final year of the war—was organized by the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters. The Scarsdale Historical Society provided the funding to create the free TravelStorys audio tour. The audio tour will be available long after the event for tourists and history lovers to use.

  • Visit three historic Revolutionary War sites in Westchester, where French troops camped during the final year of the war.

  • Listen to the FREE AUDIO TOUR about the crucial French alliance with General George Washington and the Continental Army.

  • Come learn about the French role in winning our war for independence, see their encampment sites, visit a historic tavern, meet Generals Rochambeau and Washington, tour a pop-up museum, and pet animals from the colonial period.

  • This free family-friendly event will take place Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • Each location will have family activities.

FREE AUDIO TOUR!
Download the free TravelStorys Follow the French audio tour and learn about the sites as you drive to each location. The audio launches automatically—hands-free—as you approach each site, without the need for cell service or Wi-Fi. You can also listen to the tour at home. Click here to download it. The tour will be available long after the event for tourists and history lovers to use.

TOUR SITE LOCATIONS
Audio tour works best in this order.

Smith’s Tavern Educational Complex
440 Bedford Road, Armonk, NY

Smith’s volunteers, in period costume, will welcome you with lots of fun for the whole family. There will be an optional self-guided tour of four ancient buildings: Historic Smith Tavern (a National Register of Historic Places site), a 1798 Quaker Meeting House, Brundage Blacksmith Shop and East Middle Patent One-Room School. Here you can see the correspondence between Washington, Rochambeau and Lauzun, pretend you are a soldier of Lauzun’s Legion or stand with Rochambeau. Learn about the Daughters of the American Revolution and all it does to promote American history.

Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters
425 Ridge Road, Hartsdale, NY

See artifacts from the museum-in-the-making, meet General Rochambeau and many of the camp followers. Costumed volunteers will offer children’s activities, a selfie booth and teach you how to make a model of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters. Learn about the nearby encampment of the French and American armies, the crucial decision that was made at the house by Washington and Rochambeau and the ongoing restoration of this National Register of Historic Places site.

Rochambeau Park/Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds
99 Moseman Road, Yorktown Heights, NY

Meet French, Continental and British forces in uniform performing drills and firing muskets, participate in an encampment setup (for both adults and kids), learn to use a model musket, greet reenactors in period dress, and see farm animals from the period.

Tour organized by the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, in collaboration with the North Castle Historical Society and the Yorktown Heritage Preservation Commission.

Funding for TravelStorys audio tour provided by the Scarsdale Historical Society.

Scarsdale on Ice Photo Exhibit Opening Reception

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Join us for the opening of a photo exhibit celebrating Scarsdale's favorite winter pastimes through history, in partnership with the Scarsdale Living Magazine and the Scarsdale Public Library.

Trustee Leslie Chang will highlight stories and local tidbits about our rich history of ice skating, skiing, sledding and platform tennis. Through the exhibit of historic photographs, visitors will see that Scarsdalians have long enjoyed experiences shaped by snow and ice - sometimes in the most unexpected places.

Wednesday, March 1, 2023
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Register here: https://www.scarsdalelibrary.org/event/scarsdale-ice-photo-exhibit-opening-reception

Scarsdale-Related Photos and Documents Sought for Scanning Event

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Scarsdale Historical Society to Preserve Memories for Archives

Nineteenth-century Scarsdale resident Valeria Dean Burgess with child, a photo that has been donated to the Scarsdale Public Library archives. Historic photos from all eras are welcome at the scanning event.

The Scarsdale Historical Society is pleased to announce “Scarsdale’s History for the Future,” an upcoming community scanning event on Saturday, October 1st from 1:00-3:00 PM at the Scarsdale Public Library. The community is asked to bring in their Scarsdale-related historic photos and documents that can be digitized, at no charge, and any media will become part of the Village’s archives.

The project is part of the Scarsdale Historical Society’s mission to preserve and share Scarsdale’s unique and continuing history. The organization is seeking old photographs, fliers, diaries or documents – anything that tells the story of Scarsdale and its residents. Paper documents and photographs no larger than 11 inches by 17 inches will be digitized during the scanning event. If items brought cannot be scanned at that time for any reason, other arrangements can be made.

During the scanning event, visitors will also enjoy a small exhibition featuring items from Scarsdale’s history, and also a selection of rare artifacts that have national importance. TheScarsdale Public Library will be showing a book of town minutes starting in the 18th century; Scarsdale High School yearbooks from the 1930s; and maps of the village from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Seth Kaller, a leading American history dealer and collection-builder and a Scarsdale Historical Society trustee, will display valuable original documents and artifacts, including: the only copy in private hands of New York’s first printing of the Declaration of Independence (July 11, 1776; not Scarsdale, but close – the state’s assembly met in White Plains to vote in favor of independence, and the document was printed in New York City near Wall Street); one of Alexander Hamilton’s most revealing love letters to Eliza, written from Dobbs Ferry in 1780; Jesse Owens Congressional Gold medal; Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s law books; and a NY Votes for Women suffrage broadside.

“We encourage everyone to dust off Scarsdale-related photos and documents from their attics and basements so they can be properly preserved and enjoyed for years to come,” stated Randy Guggenheimer, President of the Scarsdale Historical Society. “We are grateful to the staff at the Scarsdale Public Library for making this effort possible.”