"Home, Hearth & History; Scarsdale's Historic Houses" the Scarsdale Historical Society's Fall Exhibition, opens at the Society Museum with a preview and reception on Sunday, October 2, 2-5 p.m.
Curated by Education Consultant Susan Kaufman, the exhibition will present an overview of the development of homes in Scarsdale. Starting with early maps, Susan will show where the first homes were built, who lived in them and how the community grew. The exhibition will also include stories of Scarsdale's current historic houses.
The exhibition, which will be on view until January 6, 2006, is underwritten by a grant from the James A. Macdonald Foundation. Hours are Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; weekends by appointment. Admission for members is free; for non-members it is $3 for adults, $2 for students and seniors. For additional information phone (914) 723-1744.
Holiday Workshops
The Society also plans to hold workshops for children in October, November and December on the holiday themes of Halloween, Thanks-giving and Christmas/Chanukah. Watch your mail for fliers announcing the dates!
Fall Foliage Race Oct. 16
Two popular features introduced last year will again be included in the Scarsdale Historical Society's 25th Annual Fall Foliage Run and 19th "Walk for Fun" on Sunday, October 16: a Kids' Race and a Dogs' Race. The 2.5K (1.55-mile) walk, the Kids' race and the Dogs' race start at 2:30 p.m., and the 5K run at 3 p.m., rain or shine, at the I.H.M. parking lot.
Registration forms will be sent to members and all previous entrants. Extra forms can be obtained at Society headquarters, (937 Post Road, corner Boulevard) and from most race sponsors. The pre-registration deadline is Monday, October 10. Until then, entry fees will be $15 for adults, $13 for under-18's. Race-day registration, for an additional $2, will be accepted at the Society, 937 Post Rd., corner Boulevard, starting at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 17. There will be a 50% discount for those with new memberships of $50 or more.
At post-race ceremonies, trophies will be presented to the man and woman who finish first overall, and awards to the first three Run finishers in each age group. The eleventh annual Stanley Newhouse Trophies will be awarded to the first Scarsdale Master (50 & over) male and female 5K-run finishers. Ribbons will be presented to all walkers.
Sponsors include the Scarsdale Recreation Department, Scarsdale Police Benevolent Association, Balducci's, Bear Naked Granola, Coca Cola/Dasani, Coldwell Banker, DeCicco Marketplace, Efficiency Printing, Equinox, HSBC Bank, Julia B. Fee Real Estate, Adam Krajchir, Metro Sports Magazine, Prudential Centennial Realty, Scarsdale Antiques Running Club, Scarsdale Improvement Corp., Scarsdale Spencer Pharmacy, Scarsdale Sports, Scarsdale Youth Soccer Club, Shari's Rolling Pooch Parlor, Dr. Robert Silverman, Shire Family Chiropractic, Starbucks, Dr. Andrew Tepper, Trader Joe's, Weinberg Nature Center, Westchester Road Runners, White Cleaners, Wilson & Sons Jewelers, and the Arthur Manor and Drake-Edgewood Neighborhood Associations.
The Society Museum exhibition, "Home, Hearth & History", will be open on race-day, as will the Cudner-Hyatt House and the Historical Society Museum Shop. The Weinberg Nature Center Zoo will visit 2-4 p.m. Refreshments for participants will be provided by Starbucks, Trader Joe's and Coca Cola/Dasani; snacks will be available for purchase by spectators, at a nominal cost. There will also be door prizes, donated by local merchants.
For additional information, or to volunteer to help, phone the Society office, 723-1744.
Oct. 19 Fall Lecture: "The Secret City: Woodlawn Cemetery"
Fred Goodman , author of "The Secret City: Woodlawn Cemetery and the Buried History of New York", will present the Scarsdale Historical Society's Fall Lecture on Wednesday, October 19, 8 p.m., at the Scarsdale Library. His slide-illustrated talk will be preceded by a brief business meeting, including the election of trustees. The meeting is free and open to the public.
"The Secret City: Woodlawn Cemetery and the Buried History of New York" is Goodman's "effort to resurrect forgotten but instructive moments in New York City history -- a meditation on what it means to be a New Yorker."
Goodman is a journalist, author and former editor of Rolling Stone. His book "The Mansion on the Hill: Dylan, Young, Geffen, Springsteen, and the Head-on Collision of Rock and Commerce" won the Ralph J. Gleason Award for Best Music Book of 1997 and was a New York Times "notable book" of the year. He is currently writing a book on Edgar Bronfman Jr. and his acquisition of the Warner Music Group.
A Bronx native and graduate of Cornell University, he lives in White Plains with his wife and two sons.
The Scarsdale Library is at Post (Rte. 22) and Olmsted Rds. For additional information, phone the Society office, 914-723-1744.
Please note our "Dutch Bulb Delivery Service"! The Society will deliver your bulbs, ordered in our Spring 2005 Sale, to your home, during the week of October 3. Please phone our office, 723-1744, if you prefer to pick them up at the Society.
Do You Have a SCARY STORY To Tell?
If so, children and adults are invited to submit their stories to the Society, in preparation for our second "Fright Nite at a Historic Site". Halloween stories submitted will be read by their authors on Thursday, October 27, 6-8 p.m. We will gather to hear the scary stories and to enjoy cider, donuts, treat bags, spooky surprises and tours of the Cudner-Hyatt House.
Submit written stories, by October 20, to the Scarsdale Historical Society, 937 Post Rd., Scarsdale NY 10583, Attn: Fright Nite. We will contact entrants regarding details and scheduling. Space is limited, so call 723-1744 for reservations, at $5 per person. Proceeds will benefit Society Education programs.
Cudner-Hyatt House Restoration Nearly Completed
By Curatorial Consultant Mimi Sherman
The re-roofing of the Cudner-Hyatt House, completed last year, left a few details undone, which have now been addressed. The exterior painting has been completed, and the new copper downspouts are now weathering nicely. The cellar is drier than it has been in years.
There had been much discussion about the type of roofing. Almost miraculously, if after-the-fact, a copy of a letter dated 1979 from Gretchen Siebel (the Hyatts' granddaughter) and her brother Oliver Hyatt has surfaced. In it Oliver states unequivocally that the "original" roof -- that is the one present before Caleb Hyatt's 1919 renovations -- was, indeed, of wood shingles.
Both the kitchen porch and the bulkhead door to the cellar have been rebuilt, using pressurized wood. Ground level clapboards, which were seriously deteriorated, have been replaced. Where original pieces had to be removed, storage for historical reference has been arranged. Most of the newly repainted shutters have been re-hung, though several are still at the carpenter's, undergoing repairs. Many of the clapboards are not completely smooth, which is appropriate for a house of the age of CHH.
Curatorial Progress
In the meantime, on the Curatorial side, progress continues to be made in transcribing the Hyatt letters. All of 1904 has been completed and Tobey Zuckerman is surging ahead into those from 1905.
The collection of tapes and transcriptions from the Oral History Project of the 1970s and 80s has been reassessed and systematized. Only about 20% of the interview tapes were ever transcribed. Anyone interested in listening to and typing up these audiotapes should leave a message for Mimi at 723-1744.
"Wish List"
The Curatorial office would love to enter the 21st century world with an up-to-date computer. (The one in current use has only 32 MB RAM.) In order to begin computerization of the collection in PastPerfect software, we need a Pentium 4 computer with 512 MB Ram, at least 80 GHz in the hard drive and Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. (Such a set-up from Dell, which would run about $800, would include a 15 or 17" screen and probably a printer.)
MacDonald Speaks at Womans Club 9/30
Barbara MacDonald, Vice President and Historian of the Historical Society, will speak at the Scarsdale Womans Club on Friday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m. The topic of her slide-illustrated talk will be the history of the Club's building, which was built in 1858 as "Rowsley Cottage" by William Bailey Lang, and about Mr. Lang's family.
Condolences
The Society mourns the passing of our long-time members Mary Helton, Audrey Hochberg, Betty Nemeroff, Sally Mitchell and Betty Taubert.
Audrey Hochberg, in addition to serving as County Legislator and State Assemblywoman, was an active leader in the Society. While she was in the Assembly, she helped the Society to secure several grants that enabled the participation of Mount Vernon 4th-graders in our Local History Program. She and her husband Herb were the honorees at our Dinner-Dance in 1999.
Just last September we congratulated Betty Taubert on receiving the Thanks Badge, the highest national recognition for outstanding adult volunteers Girl Scouts of Westchester-Putnam.
Dates to Remember
"Home, Hearth & History" Exhibition opening Sunday, October 2, 2-5 p.m., Preview/Reception
Fall Foliage Run & Walk Sunday, October 16; Walk, Kids' & Dogs' Races 2:30 p.m., Run 3 p.m.
Dutch Bulb DELIVERY Week of October 3; WE WILL DELIVER TO YOUR HOME; Phone 723-1744 if you prefer to pick up
Annual Meeting and Fall Lecture Wednesday, October 19, 8:15 p.m., Scarsdale Public Library Fred Goodman: "Woodlawn Cemetery"
Halloween "Fright Nite at a Historic Site" Thursday, October 27, 6-8 p.m.
Grapefruit Sale Starts Nov. 1; Order deadline Nov. 28. Order forms will be mailed last week of October; pick-ups Dec.12-16
Candlelight Tours/Victorian Holiday Workshop Sunday, December 11, 2 p.m.