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.

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.

Watch Greenacres Tales: Building a Scarsdale Neighborhood

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Our new video explores the unique and surprising history of the Scarsdale neighborhood known as Greenacres. Featuring local historians and residents including Barbara Shay MacDonald Randy Guggenheimer, Jordan Copeland, Leslie Chang, Jay and Marc Shulman, Andrew Sereysky and Rev. Katherine Pater. A Scarsdale Historical Society Production. Music by Marc Shulman, Directed and edited by Lesley Topping.

Videos of the Q&A sessions that took place after the two showings on the night the film premiered are here and here.

Quaker Ridge Film Premiere

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The Scarsdale Historical Society’s new documentary traces the untapped history of Quaker Ridge: its Quaker legacy, leading abolitionists, hidden stories and transformation to a modern Scarsdale community.

Interviews include Westchester historians, Barbara Shay MacDonald, Barbara Davis, Jordan Copeland and Patrick Raftery. Produced by the Scarsdale Historical Society. Directed by Lesley Topping.

Time: Tuesday, April 19th at 7:00pm
Place: Quaker Ridge Elementary School Auditorium at 125 Weaver St, Scarsdale, NY 10583

RSVP here to attend. Admission is free. The film length is 35 minutes with Q&A to follow.
The event is co-sponsored by the Scarsdale Historical Society and the Scarsdale Public Library.

Arthur Manor: Scarsdale’s First Suburban Community

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In 1891, the Arthur Manor Suburban Home Company began construction of a housing development that initiated Scarsdale’s transformation from a rural town of farms and estates to a modern suburb. This 20-minute film features Jordan Copeland, SHS board member and newly appointed Scarsdale Associate Village Historian, as he guides us through Arthur Manor to learn about the history of this unique community and how its growth impacted the nearby neighborhood of Edgewood. Additional information and a video of the Q&A that took place after the film premiered is here.

Arthur Manor Film Premiere

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ArthurManorEarlyDays.jpg

Please join us for the premiere virtual screening of our latest film, Arthur Manor: A Historical Tour of Scarsdale’s First Suburban Community about the history of this Edgewood neighborhood. In 1891, the Arthur Manor Suburban Home Company began construction of a housing development that initiated Scarsdale’s transformation from a rural town of farms and estates to a modern suburb. This 20-minute film features Jordan Copeland, SHS board member and newly appointed Scarsdale Associate Village Historian, as he guides us through Arthur Manor to learn about the history of this unique community and how its growth impacted the nearby neighborhood of Edgewood. The film was directed and edited by Lesley Topping and is her second film in our series about Scarsdale’s remarkable neighborhoods.

The film will be shown via Zoom on Monday, June 21st at 7:00 p.m. and will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the filmmakers. This event is presented by SHS and the Scarsdale Public Library. Click here to register.

The first film in this series, Path to a Scarsdale Community: Fox Meadow and the Butler Estate was co-produced and narrated by Barbara MacDonald, Scarsdale Village Historian and the Society’s Historian. It can be viewed here.