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.

Heathcote's Forgotten Railway Exhibit On View Fall 2023 at Scarsdale Public Library

The “Heathcote’s Forgotten Railway” exhibit features archival photographs and artifacts from the New York, Westchester, & Boston Railway (NYW&B) that stopped in Heathcote from 1912 to 1937. It traces the spectacular rise and slow demise of the railway with particular attention to its roots in Scarsdale. Scarsdale Historical Society member Michael Zeller has loaned pieces from his collection for the exhibit. It will be on view at the Scarsdale Public Library in the Local History Center through the end of December 2023.

This exhibit coincides with our new documentary, The Road to Heathcote and the Forgotten Railway.

Artifacts include a model NYW&B train, maps, original Heathcote Station tickets and even a conductor’s jacket button.

Film Premiere of The Road to Heathcote and the Forgotten Railway

Join us for the premiere of our newest film, The Road to Heathcote and the Forgotten Railway. It explores the unusual origins of the Heathcote neighborhood and tours the last vestiges of Westchester’s ‘Million Dollar A Mile Railroad’ that made stops at the Heathcote Train Station at Five Corners from 1912 to 1937.

Film Premiere of The Road to Heathcote and the Forgotten Railway
Wednesday, November 1st
Two screenings at 6:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Scarsdale Public Library

Q&A Session to Follow
RSVP is requested. Admission is free. There will be a Q&A panel with local historians, filmmakers, residents and railroad enthusiasts.

This half hour documentary is directed and edited by local filmmaker, Lesley Topping. The event is co-sponsored by the Scarsdale Historical Society and the Scarsdale Public Library.

• RSVP for 6:15 p.m. screening here

• RSVP for 7:30 p.m. screening here.

Other Films
This film 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 here.

Scarsdale’s Battle of the Books Exhibit

In 1949, a small group of Scarsdale residents, known as the Committee of Ten, began attending school board meetings and requesting the removal of certain books from the High School library. They argued that these books were subversive and were examples of Communist infiltration in the schools. They soon began targeting individuals who had been invited to speak or perform for students or teachers. The controversy gained national attention as part of a wave of McCarthyism affecting public schools, and only faded in 1954 when McCarthy himself was censured by Congress. The parallels between the Battle of the Books of the 1950s and issues of censorship in public schools today are striking, and provide a new perspective on our current issues.

On display in the Quiet Reading Room and Local History Center at the Scarsdale Public Library in September and October 2023.

Colonial Day Event

The Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters and the Town of Greenburgh are hosting Colonial Day in Hart’s Brook Park & Preserve.

Come see what life was like during the 1781 Encampment of American and French troops in Greenburgh!

• Tour Washington’s Revolutionary War Tents & Encampment, guided by historic interpreters from Philadelphia’s acclaimed Museum of the American Revolution.

• Meet George Washington, Le Comte de Rochambeau, and Ben Franklin.

• See military marching and drills by re-enactors of the 5th New York Regiment and Hearts of Oak.

• Toys, games, and activities for kids; demonstrations of Colonial cooking, wool spinning, blacksmithing, and more!

• Learn about the role Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters played in the encampment and how this historic site is being restored.

242 years ago, in the summer of 1781, the Continental Army under the command of George Washington and the French Army under the command of Le Comte de Rochambeau, marched into Greenburgh with 9,000 soldiers and camped for six weeks. Rochambeau stayed at the Odell House and it was there that the two generals made a crucial decision that resulted in the final victory that won the Revolutionary War.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M.
Rain Date: Sunday, October 1, 10 a.m to 4 p.m.

• Admission is $10 for ages 13+; $5 for ages 3-12 and active service members/veterans (with ID). Children under 3 are free.

• Pay when you park with cash, check or Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards. No electronic payments.

• Hart’s Brook Park & Preserve, 156 Ridge Road, Hartsdale, N.Y.

• Parking at Ridge Road Park, 287 Ridge Road, Hartsdale, N.Y. Free shuttle bus service to the nearby event. Handicap parking available at the Hart’s Brook Park site.

This event is brought to you by Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters and the Town of Greenburgh. It is part of the Hudson River Valley Ramble, an event series that celebrates the history, culture, and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley.

Funding provided by Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, Town of Greenburgh and Westchester County.

Follow the French Tour

Washington Reviewing Our Ally—the French—1781 by Henry Alexander Ogden. The Society of the Cincinnati, Washington, DC.

This family-friendly tour of three historic Revolutionary War sites in Westchester—where French troops camped during the final year of the war—was organized by the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters. The Scarsdale Historical Society provided the funding to create the free TravelStorys audio tour. The audio tour will be available long after the event for tourists and history lovers to use.

• Visit three historic Revolutionary War sites in Westchester, where French troops camped during the final year of the war.

• Listen to the FREE AUDIO TOUR about the crucial French alliance with General George Washington and the Continental Army.

• Come learn about the French role in winning our war for independence, see their encampment sites, visit a historic tavern, meet Generals Rochambeau and Washington, tour a pop-up museum, and pet animals from the colonial period.

• This free family-friendly event will take place Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Each location will have family activities.

FREE AUDIO TOUR!
Download the free TravelStorys Follow the French audio tour and learn about the sites as you drive to each location. The audio launches automatically—hands-free—as you approach each site, without the need for cell service or Wi-Fi. You can also listen to the tour at home. Click here to download it. The tour will be available long after the event for tourists and history lovers to use.

TOUR SITE LOCATIONS
Audio tour works best in this order.

Smith’s Tavern Educational Complex
440 Bedford Road, Armonk, NY

Smith’s volunteers, in period costume, will welcome you with lots of fun for the whole family. There will be an optional self-guided tour of four ancient buildings: Historic Smith Tavern (a National Register of Historic Places site), a 1798 Quaker Meeting House, Brundage Blacksmith Shop and East Middle Patent One-Room School. Here you can see the correspondence between Washington, Rochambeau and Lauzun, pretend you are a soldier of Lauzun’s Legion or stand with Rochambeau. Learn about the Daughters of the American Revolution and all it does to promote American history.

Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters
425 Ridge Road, Hartsdale, NY

See artifacts from the museum-in-the-making, meet General Rochambeau and many of the camp followers. Costumed volunteers will offer children’s activities, a selfie booth and teach you how to make a model of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters. Learn about the nearby encampment of the French and American armies, the crucial decision that was made at the house by Washington and Rochambeau and the ongoing restoration of this National Register of Historic Places site.

Rochambeau Park/Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds
99 Moseman Road, Yorktown Heights, NY

Meet French, Continental and British forces in uniform performing drills and firing muskets, participate in an encampment setup (for both adults and kids), learn to use a model musket, greet reenactors in period dress, and see farm animals from the period.

Tour organized by the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, in collaboration with the North Castle Historical Society and the Yorktown Heritage Preservation Commission.

Funding for TravelStorys audio tour provided by the Scarsdale Historical Society.