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.

Watch the Newly Digitized Film, “Scarsdale in World War II”

Scarsdale in World War II, created and released by residents in 1946, chronicles how Scarsdalians united and rallied in support of the war effort in the 1940s. It was produced and screened as part of a fundraising campaign for Jewish refugee children.

The original 16mm film was found in storage at the Scarsdale Public Library, and all 1,200 feet of film has been digitized and preserved by the Scarsdale Historical Society. This historic treasure presents a stunning, visual testimony of Scarsdale life in the 1940’s. The footage captures Scarsdale’s landmarks as they appeared almost 80 years ago, including the only-known footage of some sites that no longer exist.

Proceeds from the screening of this film went to a national interfaith organization named “Children to Palestine.” The meaning behind this name requires some explanation, as it could cause some confusion in today’s context. When Jewish children were orphaned and displaced during the Holocaust, one of the few options for resettling them was the area then known as Palestine - before Israel became a nation in 1948. Moved by the plight of Jewish children, Scarsdale residents of all backgrounds united to rescue them from the “land of persecution” and bring them to a “Land of Promise.” 

The Scarsdale branch of “Children to Palestine” was founded by two Scarsdale residents: Dorothy Silverstone (of 6 Richbell Close) and Susan Bennett (or 10 Elmdorf Drive). A Junior Committee was formed, and they sponsored the making of this film with the support of Dorothy Silverstone’s husband, Murray Silverstone, who was the President of 20th Century Fox. They were a very philanthropic couple, and it’s worth noting that with all of Murray’s accomplishments in the movie industry, this film was named in his obituary as one of his proud accomplishments. 

We conducted some historical research and detective work to identify some of the film locations and prominent residents, and provided this information in captions to help the audience connect and better understand the film. We have a terrific community on Facebook and Instagram that helped us with the detective work.

The film was produced by stage producer Julian Olney and narrated by renowned broadcaster Lowell Thomas. 

Other than the captions, the film is presented as originally created. It contains language which may cause offense.

The original film reel has a strong aroma of vinegar, a sign of film degradation. We are fortunate that is was digitized when it was.

Watch the Road to Heathcote and the Forgotten Railway

Discover the origins of the Heathcote neighborhood and the abandoned remains of the New York, Westchester & Boston Railway (NYW&B) that had stations throughout Westchester including one at Five Corners in Scarsdale. Topping takes viewers inside iconic buildings at Five Corners, Scarsdale Congregational Church, Heathcote School and more. Featuring local historians and residents including Randy Guggenheimer, Jordan Copeland, Leslie Chang, Michael Zeller, Eliot Goldfinger and others. Produced by the Scarsdale Historical Society, directed and edited by Lesley Topping. A video of the Q&A that took place after the film premiered is 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.

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.

Historical Society to Premiere Fox Meadow Film via Zoom

Charles and Emily Butler

The Scarsdale Historical Society is pleased to announce the Zoom premiere of a new film, Pathway to a Scarsdale Community: Fox Meadow and the Butler Estate. The half hour documentary, the first in a series about Scarsdale neighborhoods, is the story of Charles and Emily Butler who owned the magnificent 500-acre estate that became the neighborhood of Fox Meadow. The film will be shown via Zoom on Thursday, November 12th at 7:00pm. Please register to view the film here.

Using rare photographs and new research, the film portrays the life of Charles Butler (1802-1898), a brilliant financier and philanthropist who also had a surprising influence on national events. The second part of the film is about his daughter, Emily Ogden Butler (1840-1927) who played an important role in the community and early suburbanization of Fox Meadow and Greenacres. 

The Scarsdale Historical Society was motivated to produce the film after it received a trove of rare photographs of the Fox Meadow Estate, which was donated by Joan Brandt of Saugerties, New York. Her late husband, Everett, who enjoyed collecting, bought the photo album at a flea market in the 1960s. When he passed, his wife and children were thoughtful enough to contact the Historical Society and donate the photo album.

The film, Pathway to a Scarsdale Community: Fox Meadow and the Butler Estate, was directed by Lesley Topping, a veteran filmmaker originally from Scarsdale, working under the historical guidance of Barbara Shay MacDonald, the Historian and Vice President of the Scarsdale Historical Society. Barbara MacDonald also is one of the film’s narrators. 

About the Scarsdale Historical Society
The Scarsdale Historical Society exists to discover, preserve, and disseminate historical information as well as inspire others to learn about and contribute to the history of Scarsdale and the Central mid-Westchester region.

Our other films include A Tour of the Cudner-Hyatt House, A History of the Bronx River, Scarsdale in the 18th and 19th Centuries, and Anna Richards Brewster’s Life and Art in Scarsdale.

The Butler’s estate, Fox Meadow.