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.

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.

Historical Society Presents Two Documentary Films

The Scarsdale Historical Society, in cooperation with the Scarsdale Public Library, invite the public to join us for an afternoon of films at Quaker Ridge School Auditorium (125 Weaver St., Scarsdale, NY) on Sunday, February 9th at 3:00pm. Admission is free and light refreshments will be provided.

THE LIFE AND ART OF ANNA RICHARDS BREWSTER is a short (9 minute), poignant film that rediscovers the magnificent work of Anna Richards Brewster (1870-1952), a Scarsdale resident, who in her day was recognized as one of America’s finest Impressionist painters. Her work was widely exhibited in Europe and America, and she painted many familiar stunning landscapes of Scarsdale.

A RIVER RETURNS: A HISTORY OF THE BRONX RIVER is a 40 minute film that provides a historical journey down the Bronx River and a tale of how it was rescued from severe pollution to become a model for restoring natural resources nationwide. The Bronx River may be a small river but it played a large role in shaping the towns and lives of people in Westchester County, including Scarsdale.

These documentaries were professionally produced and directed by Scarsdale native Lesley Topping with Barbara Shay MacDonald, VP, Historian of the Scarsdale Historical Society. 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.

After each film, there will be an opportunity to ask questions of Ms. MacDonald and Ms. Topping.

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.