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

Recording of "How Scarsdale Became Scarsdale" Now Online

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.

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.

Arthur Manor Film Premiere

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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.

Online Zoom Class: The History of Arthur Manor and How It Sparked Scarsdale's Suburban Transformation

Through an investigation of old photographs, maps, articles, and the physical legacy of long-ago events, we will examine the early twentieth century creation and growth of Arthur Manor and Edgewood.  You will learn how the Arthur Manor development initiated the transformation of Scarsdale from a rural area of farms and estates to the modern suburban community it is today.

Your $20 tuition supports the Scarsdale Adult School, a nonprofit continuing education program for lifelong learning. Register here: https://bit.ly/3c1JYiw

Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 7:30pm.

Watch Now: A Tour of the Cudner-Hyatt House

A tour and history of The Cudner-Hyatt House Museum from the Scarsdale Historical Society with historian, Barbara Shay MacDonald. Built in the 1700's, this is one of Scarsdale's earliest settlements. Two families, the Cudners and the Hyatts, lived in the farmhouse for over two centuries.