View New Film: "Women Rising: The Scarsdale Suffragists"

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.

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. 

Women Rising 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. 

A suffrage exhibit is also on display at the Scarsdale Public Library through January. The entire collection of our films can be viewed here.

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.

Film Premiere of The Road to Heathcote and the Forgotten Railway

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

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

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

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.