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.

'Scarsdale On Ice' Exhibit On View Now at Scarsdale Library

We had a brrrr-illiant time at the 'Scarsdale on Ice' exhibit opening reception, thanks to all who attended. You can visit the exhibit any time this month at the Scarsdale Public Library in the Local History Center. 

Leslie Chang shared many anecdotes about forgotten traditions and locations, while guests sipped drinks from the hot chocolate station. A replay of the talk is at the link: fb.watch/j0p0mKarwf/?mibextid=qC1gEa

The 'Scarsdale On Ice' exhibit is up all month.

Watch Now: 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.

Scarsdale Historical Society Awards Grant to Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters

Historic Site in Hartsdale, NY. Played A Key Role in Revolutionary War

The Scarsdale Historical Society (SHS) today announced the award of $7,500 granted to the Friends of the Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters (OHRH) in Hartsdale, N.Y. The grant is a part of SHS’s mission to discover, preserve and disseminate the rich history of Scarsdale and its neighboring communities in Central Westchester.

In 1781, OHRH served as the headquarters for the Comte de Rochambeau and his French Forces during the French American Encampment in Greenburgh, N.Y. It was here that Rochambeau and George Washington made the important decision to march their troops to Yorktown, Virginia, where they jointly defeated the British army and won America’s Independence. Not only is OHRH one of the most important sites of revolutionary history in Westchester County, but it is also a rare example of an 18th-century farmhouse, with its original details intact, that was occupied by one family from 1785 to 1990.

“Friends of OHRH are grateful for the continued support of the Scarsdale Historical Society,” stated Susan Seal, President of the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters. This grant will help defray the cost of storing the vast contents of the house representing over 230 years of the life of the house. These antiques and artifacts have been safely removed from the house by the Friends to allow the restoration work to progress. The grant also continues to provide us with an expert to assist us in maintaining our website.”

“With this grant, we are pleased to play a role in making sure the history and legacy of OHRH lives on,” stated Randy Guggenheimer, President of the Scarsdale Historical Society. “OHRH is a community treasure that will educate and inspire the public for generations to come.”

Visit the OHRH website to learn more.

Watch Now: A History of Black People in Scarsdale

In this collection of videos, Scarsdale Village Historian Jordan Copeland shares his ongoing research on the important history of the Black community in Scarsdale.

The first video in the playlist is a recording of a Zoom presentation and discussion from October 18, 2020. That event had over 350 registrants. The subsequent videos include interviews with former and current residents.

Historical Society Offers Reward for Lost Scarsdale Inquirers

The Scarsdale Historical Society is offering a reward of $50 for each issue of the missing Scarsdale Inquirers listed below for each of the first 10 issues found and if you have an issue you are willing to part with, please email scaref@wlsmail.org to make arrangements.  We are happy to accept either a hard copy or microfiche version of the newspapers. 

The Scarsdale Historical Society has provided grants over the last several years to the Library to preserve and digitize the older issues of the Scarsdale Inquirer. We have completed digitizing the issues between 1901 and 1977 and they are available here. 

The issues of the Scarsdale Inquirer that are missing – and that will qualify for rewards – include those between the following dates:

• July 1, 1907 – Dec. 31, 1907

• January 1, 1908 – Dec. 31, 1908

• January 1, 1910 – Dec. 31, 1910

• January 1, 1911 – Dec. 31, 1911

• January 6, 1918 – Dec. 18, 1918

• January 1, 1919 - June 13, 1919

• July 1, 1919 – November 8, 1919

• October 12, 1961 – Dec. 31, 1961