Historical Society Celebrates Heathcote with a New Documentary and Railway Exhibit

It was a packed house with standing room only at both screenings of the Scarsdale Historical Society’s new documentary, The Road to Heathcote and the Forgotten Railway. The half-hour film explores the origins of the Heathcote neighborhood and traces the last vestiges of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway (NYW&B) that stopped at Five Corners from 1912 to 1937. The Scarsdale Historical Society released the film alongside a new exhibit titled “Heathcote’s Forgotten Railway,” which will be on view for the month of November at the Scarsdale Public Library.

This film tells the story of a small group of friends who founded the Heathcote community and built the first elegant houses on Heathcote Road after draining the swamplands of an old abandoned farm. Traveling to the other end of Heathcote Road, our local historians reveal the unusual history of the Donnybrook Inn, and the story behind the small real estate office that used to be the Heathcote Train Station. Viewers will also glimpse the surprising remains of the so-called ‘million-dollar-a-mile railway’ in our bordering towns.

The “Heathcote’s Forgotten Railway” exhibit features archival photographs, maps and artifacts from the NYW&B. The exhibit 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.

The railway exhibit is on display all month in the library’s Local History Center. The film, and other films produced by the Scarsdale Historical Society can be viewed at: https://www.scarsdalehistoricalsociety.org/videos.

Film participants holding the NYW&B station sign that’s over 86 years old, including (left to right) Michael Zeller, filmmaker Lesley Topping, Leslie Chang, Jordan Copeland, Randy Guggenheimer, and Eliot Goldfinger. Jonathan Lerner, current owner of the former Heathcote Station and Reverend Dr. Kelly Hough Rogers of Scarsdale Congregational Church also appear in the film. A model of a NYW&B Coach.The Heathcote’s Forgotten Railway exhibit delves into more history of the abandoned railway.