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.

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. 

Watch now! The film is online here.

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.

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

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.

Documentaries Now on Website

We are thrilled to announce that our two most recent documentaries are now available on our website here.

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, Vice President and 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.

These films join the two previous documentaries that the Society produced and which are also available for viewing on the website: SCARSDALE IN THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES: FROM HARDSCRABBLE FARMS TO GRACIOUS ESTATES and A TOUR OF THE CUDNER-HYATT HOUSE MUSEUM.

Additional content relating to each of the Society’s films can be found under the Articles tab of the website.

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.

Watch now! The films are online here.