New Screening of A River Returns: A History of the Bronx River

The Scarsdale Historical Society’s newest documentary film, A River Returns: A History of the Bronx River will be shown on Wednesday, May 15th beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Yaeger Room of the Bronxville Public Library at the Annual Meeting of the Bronx River Parkway Reservation Conservancy. The public is welcome and admission is free. 

The library is located at 201 Pondfield Road, Bronxville, NY. The screening will be preceded by a brief business meeting. Light refreshments will be served.

Additional Screening of Our New Documentary Film: A River Returns, a History of the Bronx River

The second screening of our new documentary film, A River Returns, a History of the Bronx River will be held at the Bronxville High School Auditorium on Sunday, March 31st at 3 p.m. Admission is free. Join us for the inspired story of the return of the Bronx River and a Q&A with the filmmakers and the historians interviewed in the film.

The beloved Bronx River has played a significant role in the rise of towns and modern suburbs in Westchester and the Bronx. Our film tells the story of the river’s remarkable history, sorrowful decline and the unique efforts to reclaim the river by the communities it flows through.

The Bronx River travels from Valhalla in Northern Westchester for 16 miles through towns in Westchester and for 8 miles in the Bronx before it flows into Manhattan’s East River. Once teeming with fish and wildlife, the Bronx River Valley was the hunting grounds for Native Americans and the fur traders. The river powered the mills of the first colonists and factories. However, by the 1890s the Bronx River had become a toxic brew of industrial and human waste.

The first efforts to protect the river resulted in the construction of the Bronx River Parkway and a greenbelt of parks in the early 1900s that transformed towns in Westchester. The second major clean up began in the 1970s when local activists from blighted neighborhoods in the South Bronx and river advocates joined forces to restore the river.

Today, the Bronx River continues to be cared for through an alliance of private and government groups and by the efforts of volunteers, students, educators and environmentalists. Those efforts have become a model for the restoration of urban rivers across the nation.

This is the third film produced by the Scarsdale Historical Society with the combined teamwork of Barbara Shay MacDonald, the Society’s Historian, and Lesley Topping, a New York based filmmaker, who grew up in Scarsdale. The two previous films include A Tour of the Cudner-Hyatt House and Scarsdale in the 18th and 19th Century: From Hardscrabble Farms to Gracious Estates. They can be watched here.

Adventures In The Neutral Ground: The Revolutionary War In Westchester County

Westchester County played a dramatic, sustained and crucial role in the Revolutionary War. Many casual observers today might consider Boston or Philadelphia to be the major, or only, sites for Revolutionary War history. While those sites may rightly boast of key incidents or events, Westchester County was critically and strategically important throughout the full eight years of the war. With photographs from historic sites around the county, Dr. Weiselberg's slide show offers a comprehensive view of the many people, places and events in Westchester County, including in the Briarcliff area, which shaped the Revolutionary War, and in turn how the experience of war left its mark on Westchester County and on American memory more broadly. Dr. Erik Weiselberg, Principal Historian for Revolutionary Westchester 250, holds a Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of Oregon and has been a social studies teacher in Westchester for over 18 years. This program is cosponsored by the Briarcliff Manor - Scarborough Historical Society and the Briarcliff Manor Public Library. 

Registration is recommended but seating is limited and on a first come basis. To register, please email Karen Smith at mail@briarcliffhistory.org or Shelley Glick at sglick@wlsmail.org or call the library at 914-941-7072.

Historical Society Documentary Premiering at the Scarsdale Public Library on November 29th

The Scarsdale Historical Society has produced a new documentary video “Scarsdale in the 18th & 19th Centuries: From Hardscrabble Farms to Gracious Estates” which will be shown for the first time in the Scott Room at the Scarsdale Public Library on Wednesday, November 29th. The video is hosted by Scarsdale Historical Society V.P. and Historian, Barbara Shay MacDonald.

The documentary was professionally produced and directed by Scarsdale native Lesley Topping. Ms. Topping is an independent filmmaker, producer and film editor whose work includes dramatic films, documentaries, and television programs. She has edited award-winning films for the Cousteau Society, CBS, PBS, and A&E, and worked on many feature films. She also produces multimedia content for businesses and not for profits. Richard Westlein is a 12-time Emmy Award winning cinematographer and ABC cameraman.  His extensive credits include “One Life to Live”, “All My Children”, and many ABC programs, documentaries and commercials. He is a cameraman on “The View” and the owner of Jupiter Video that provides state of the art production equipment to many companies. Lesley and Richard are cousins and often partner on independent projects. 

The event at the Scarsdale Public Library will include a reception beginning at 7:00 p.m. followed by a screening of the documentary from 7:30-8:00.p.m. After the film, there will be an opportunity to ask questions of Ms. MacDonald and Ms. Topping.

See Hamilton in Scarsdale!

For one night only you can see incredible original documents written by Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson and more at the History Discovery Night, sponsored by the Scarsdale Historical Society and the Scarsdale Public Library. The event is on Tuesday, June 6th, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Scarsdale Public Library, 54 Olmsted Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583.

The exhibit will include one of Hamilton’s most revealing love letters to Elizabeth Schuyler, Hamilton’s letter rallying to defeat Jefferson after Washington declined a third term, and a rare printing of the infamous Reynolds pamphlet—along with highlights from the Library’s local history collection.

You can also bring in your own documents, photographs, books, pamphlets, and other materials (except furniture) related to Scarsdale history to learn about preserving and sharing your items. Hear about local history resources available at the Library and the Historical Society, or ask the experts about preservation, digitization and housing or display options. Meet members of Scarsdale Historical Society, Scarsdale Library’s local history librarian Dan Glauber and historic document expert Seth Kaller.

Free and open to the public.
RSVP preferred to scaref@wlsmail.org.

History Discovery Night

See Rare Historic Documents & Bring Your Own to Show

Join us for an evening with members of the Scarsdale Historical Society, Scarsdale Library’s local history librarian Dan Glauber, and historic document expert Seth Kaller with his Alexander Hamilton Collection.

Bring in your own documents, photographs, books, pamphlets, and other materials (except furniture) related to Scarsdale history. Learn more about preserving and sharing your items, hear about local history resources available at the Library and the Historical Society, or ask the experts about preservation, digitization and housing or display options.

See highlights from the Library’s local history collection.

And also see incredible original documents written by Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson and more—including one of Hamilton’s most revealing love letters to Elizabeth Schuyler, Hamilton’s letter rallying to defeat Jefferson after Washington declined a third term, and a rare printing of the infamous Reynolds pamphlet.

Tuesday, June 6th, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
SCARSDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY
54 Olmsted Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583
914-722-1300
scarsdalelibrary.org 
scaref@wlsmail.org