The Scarsdale Historical Society

Touching fact about Scarsdale's first July 4 celebration as a village in 1916: five of Scarsdale's Civil War veterans were honored with leading the raising of the flag ceremony! 400 people joined the festivies opposite the Village Hall. An eight-piece band traveled all the way from Brooklyn (shown on right). Scarsdale Inquirer reported that it was a "simple and unpretentious affair" because the Village Board had gotten to a late start "owing to the pressure of business."... Read full details here: https://news.hrvh.org/veridian/ Credit: By M. Rosenfeld. From New York Heritage Digital Collections

Paul Sullivan, 4, of Montgomery Road cooling off the feet of Scarsdale Postman Richard Martinez. Update: Little Paul is grown up and commented on Instagram that he remembers his mother getting the bucket ready! The photographer was his neighbor. Credit: Elizabeth Ann Arey for @scarsdalenews July 21, 1977.

80 years ago for the last day of school, Scarsdale Inquirer wrote Off to play we go - until September 8! - Friday, July 27, 1941

Taken from a windmill in 1898 vs a satelite in 2021. At Sprague and Nelson Road, there may be trees and houses now, but most of the houses pictured are still there (see labels). Don't miss tomorrow's Short Film Premiere: Arthur Manor, Scarsdale’s First Suburban Community with Scarsdale Public Library, when Jordan Copeland will guide us through the history of Scarsdale's first neighborhood.... Photo from New York Heritage Digital Collections.

Juneteenth: A day to reflect, educate yourself and celebrate. You can learn about the history of Black people in Scarsdale and Edgemont at the link below. Photo: Students from the Quaker school from 1890 that includes 5 Black students, some of whom may have been from the Purdy family discussed in our film. Robert Purdy was an escaped slave (via the Underground Railroad per stories passed down) who became a landowner in Scarsdale. Hear their family story in the Scarsdale film.... https://www.scarsdalehistoricalsociety.org/black-people-in- Credit: Scarsdale Public Library, New York Heritage Digital Collections

Attending church Sunday school in a firehouse? Do you know what two present-day churches got their start in the Arthur Manor firehouse (a section of the Edgewood neighborhood). These Sunday school students are with their teachers at the Sprague Road firehouse c. 1900. Learn about the firehouse and the neighborhood that initiated Scarsdale’s transformation to modern suburb at Monday’s Arthur Manor Film Premiere and Q&A at 7:00 PM, register at https://www.scarsdalelibrary.org/.../arthur-manor-historical-. Thank you Scarsdale Public Library for hosting.

Some things never change. Photo credit: Scarsdale Public Library Flickr page. Year unknown.

Can you imagine thousands of British soldiers marching up Weaver Street? General Sir William Howe's British forces marched up present-day Weaver Street on their way from New Rochelle to fight in the Battle of White Plains. In 1776, Weaver Street was bogs, swamps, rocks and hills - and Howe wrote that the conditions made his advance difficult and dangerous. This street was laid out in 1720 at two rods wide." They say it was named for Huguenot weavers in Larchmont, yet it appe...ars as Lincoln Avenue and Quaker Ridge Road in early atlases. In later years, the Scarsdale Inquirer has many references to road improvements needed on Weaver Street, with one contributor in 1917 calling its condition "the most scandalous in Scarsdale." Today, Weaver Street has many thriving businesses (and a beautifully paved roadway!). For more street facts, visit https://www.scarsdalehistoricalsociety.org/streets-place-na (link in bio). * Map Credit: Taken from The Library of Congress Plan of the Operations of the King's Army in Westchester by Claude Joseph Sauthier in 1777. * Intersection Photo: Corner of Weaver and Palmer from Scarsdale Public Library Flickr page. Year unknown. * Letter to the Editor: Scarsdale Inquirer, February 7, 1917.

The Scarsdale Historical Society is pleased to be co-sponsoring a Zoom event this Sunday morning, June 6th at 10am featuring a fascinating 92-year-old woman, Chanita Rodney. Chanita is a Holocaust survivor who was on the last Kindertransport from Germany to England and was adopted by a childless couple in the UK. Her story is compelling one of strength, vitality and hope. Please join us via Zoom. The program is offered at no charge but prior registration is required. Register for the program and a Zoom link will be sent in advance of the program. https://www.sstte.org//a-shared-holocaust-memorial-commemo

Can you imagine Benjamin Franklin passing through Scarsdale in a carriage on Post Road measuring miles to NYC? He allegedly sat in a "comfortable chaise" (of his own designing), measured miles with his own primitive odometer and directed men who marked the miles with stones. He was appointed Colonial Postmaster-General in 1753 and marked miles as he formalized the early postal system. We still have our milestone. It was originally on Post Road by Wayside Cottage, but now li...ves safely inside Village Hall. The stone reads: XXI Miles to N. York 1771. Fun fact: Apparently, our marker is special because it uses Roman numerals, as pointed out in the book: "A Relic of the Highway: The Origin and Use of Milestones" by Elbert Floyd-Jones. Photo credits of original location: Scarsdale Public Library Flickr Page.

We recently received an inquiry that shines a light on a young pilot, Lt. Robert Lawrence Reese, and other family members who served our country in the military. Lt. Reese was one of nine American pilots who died when two planes crashed on a farm in Foxley, England on July 5, 1944. Andy Wells, whose family owns the farm, is gathering information to erect a monument and exhibition in his hometown in memory of the American service men who died that day. Our latest Village Clips blog post recounts the story of Lt. Reese, his two brothers, Arthur and Gomer Jr., who both served in the Army in WWII and Gomer Jr.’s son, Captain Gomer David Reese III. Capt. Reese was an Air Force pilot in the Vietnam War, killed in action on April 24, 1970. Documentarian Lesley Topping tells their poignant stories.

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