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.

Film Premiere of The Road to Heathcote and the Forgotten Railway

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Join us for the premiere of our newest film, The Road to Heathcote and the Forgotten Railway. It explores the unusual origins of the Heathcote neighborhood and tours the last vestiges of Westchester’s ‘Million Dollar A Mile Railroad’ that made stops at the Heathcote Train Station at Five Corners from 1912 to 1937.

Film Premiere of The Road to Heathcote and the Forgotten Railway
Wednesday, November 1st
Two screenings at 6:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Scarsdale Public Library

Q&A Session to Follow
RSVP is requested. Admission is free. There will be a Q&A panel with local historians, filmmakers, residents and railroad enthusiasts.

This half hour documentary is directed and edited by local filmmaker, Lesley Topping. The event is co-sponsored by the Scarsdale Historical Society and the Scarsdale Public Library.

  • RSVP for 6:15 p.m. screening here

  • RSVP for 7:30 p.m. screening here.

Other Films
This film 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 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.

Annual Meeting & Scarsdale on Ice Opening Reception

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2023 ANNUAL MEETING
All Scarsdale Historical Society members—and anyone interested in joining—are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting. Please join us for a brief update on the activities of the Scarsdale Historical Society.

The current membership will vote to elect the following people to the Board of Trustees:

  • Class of 2025 – 2 Year Term – May Cowan

  • Class of 2026 – 3 Year Term – Karen Ceske, Seth Kaller, Dana Matsushita and Christine Weston

The continuing trustees are:

  • Class of 2024 – Leslie Chang, Jordan Copeland, Barbara Shay MacDonald and Deborah Skolnik

  • Class of 2025 – Randy Guggenheimer, Stewart Kagan and Deidre Michael

Wednesday, March 1, 6:45 p.m.
At the Scarsdale Public Library, Scott Room

Please stay for the exhibit opening reception of the Scarsdale on Ice Exhibit. If you have any questions, please call us at (914) 723-1744.

SCARSDALE ON ICE PHOTO EXHIBIT OPENING RECEPTION
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. at the Scarsdale Public Library

To register click here.