Depression Era Letters Found in Attic of Richbell Road Home
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While renovating a home on Richbell Road in the Spring of 2009, the residents discovered a trove of old letters under the attic floorboards. Further searches brought stacks of documents to the surface: immigration visas, Christmas cards, friendly correspondences, war bonds. Dated from 1929 to 1945, these documents pieced together the story of the Rabe family.
The Tretter family is the current owner of the house and daughter Alison, a junior at SHS, has researched the Rabe family history, written an introduction and developed an exhibit of the found materials in the library of Scarsdale High School. The letters are now on view and members of the community are invited to take a look.
The Rabe family consisted of Harry, his wife Dora, and their son Raymond. Throughout the thirties and forties, Harry worked as a florist for both public greenhouses and private resorts. His wife, Dora, was an immigrant from London, England who worked as a housewife and occasionally as a maid.
Although the letters were never written to the Heathcote home where they were discovered, they were addressed to many other areas near or in Westchester. Ali’s research concluded that The Rabes services as domestic servants were probably popular in the Westchester area because of the influx of wealth in the community after World War One. A middle class family pre-war was able to hire a houseful of servants in the twenties due to the success of the war economy. In addition, elaborate gardens were common on the elite of Westchester’s estates. These upper-class gardens required large staffs of gardeners and the most modern machinery in order to outshine those of their neighbors. However, as the Depression hit Westchester, the upkeep of such gardens was an unnecessary luxury for most. The letters from friends and family reflect the Rabes’ struggle during this time. But, when the economy improved with the start of World War Two, the Rabes found their services were needed once again. Working in a greenhouse, Harry probably participated in the Victory Garden craze that swept Westchester.
Through the addresses and postmarks on the letters, Ali was able to trace the Rabe family from Mamaroneck in the early thirties, to Tuxedo Park in Orange County during the mid thirties, to Mamaroneck again in the late thirties, and to New Jersey in the forties. Most likely, the family lived in the carriage house on the Scarsdale property in the fifties or sixties; Harry as a gardener for the estate and Dora as a maid. Ali deduced that, over all, the Rabes has almost the same experience as the average, native-born, domestic servants: their welfare during the Depression depended greatly on the fiscal stability of the upper-class and they heartily participated in the war effort. However, their services were more prized than the average domestic due to the family’s location in affluent Westchester.
Among the papers is the program of events on the Cunard Samaria ocean lines for a crossing from England to New York on August 29, 1931. The program includes a schedule for Tea Dances and a Deck Tournament and Mrs. H.Rabe is listed as a participant (quite possibly working for her passage as a “hostess” aboard the ocean liner). Perhaps she was taking a trip home to visit her family as another letter expresses concern about the welfare of Mrs. Rabe’s mother who stayed behind in England. Other documents and letters housed in the exhibit include a letter from Dora’s brother in the UK bemoaning the lack of work both in England and the USA during the Great Depression and a chatty and humorous letter from a friend, Sandy, who was stationed in the Aleutian Islands during WWII. The letters reveal that Dora’s father lost his flat during the bombing raids of London. There is correspondence from Dora’s brother in England discussing the food shortages and other post war inconveniences. The exhibit also includes Christmas cards and Birthday greetings found in the attic.
Ali’s research located the Rabe’s on the 1930 US Census records and through the internet and obituaries, Ali has been able to locate the descendants of the family living in New Jersey!
Drop by the Scarsdale High School Library to view the exhibit before school closes for the year.
Enjou Chocolat Disappears and Enricos Expands
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Add Enjou Chocolat on Garth Road to the ever-growing line-up of disappearing Scarsdale retailers. When you find yourself yearning for chocolate you won’t find Enjou. The store is dark, there is no explanatory note on the window and the store appears to be in the midst of a renovation. Their chocolate covered pretzels were a favorite in my house and made great gifts at Christmas. Enjou will be missed. Here one day, gone the next, stores seem to vanish overnight.
In Hartsdale, Enrico’s Bakery will be moving into larger quarters in the storefront previously occupied by Hartsdale Farms. Enrico’s, which always appears to be doing brisk business, will expand their line of products. In addition to cakes, breads, cookies and pastries, Enrico’s plans to offer bagels, smoked fish and cheeses. Perhaps they are attempting to fill the void left by the Cheesery that closed earlier this year.
Despite their Italian roots in the Bronx, Enrico’s already sells kosher goods, and with the addition of smoked fish and cheeses, they may be aiming to serve the Jewish community with catering and smoked fish platters for special occasions and holidays. They plan to move into their new space down the block in July.
Be True Yoga Opens in Scarsdale Village
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Be True Yoga opens its doors on June 1 as the first green yoga studio in Westchester, right in the heart of Scarsdale Village. A multi-traditional studio with a core of highly skilled teachers, Be True focuses on alignment and a lifting of the spirit. Classes are offered at various levels for teens to adults with a strong mix of teachers and styles from Anusara to Iyengar to Vinyasa.
After teaching in her home studio in Scarsdale, for four years, Be True director Iris Cohen, responded to the need for a dedicated yoga space that would provide the vibe and energy of a New York City studio. She gutted a light-filled, high-ceilinged doctor’s office in the Harwood building installing bamboo floors and using reclaimed wood for all the millwork. Everything from the reception desk to the cubby walls to the yoga props is sustainable. The studio features artwork from local artists and students and the space will offer Sunday afternoon workshops on yoga basics, yoga therapeutics and nutritional counseling.
The decision to open a studio in the heart of the village rather than a shopping strip was deliberate. “I wanted the studio in the center of town where you could ride your bike or hop on and off the Metro North train before or after work; A place where you could shop in the village, eat lunch and do your errands without having to get into your car for every errand,” says Cohen.
One of the many pleasures of realizing the dream, was that there are an abundance of highly skilled, charismatic teachers right in Westchester who like Iris Cohen, trained in the rigorous Anusara yoga training program with the same top New York City teachers. Other waiting-list only Equinox teachers such as Cynthia Zimet, Melanie Hyman Tilles and Susan Malcolm were all looking to find a yoga studio home as was a Scarsdale-based Iyengar teacher, Nancy Kardon.
Be True invites the community to explore the transformative power of yoga with a summer special promotion of a $10.00 introductory class and a 5-class package at $82.50. Registration is available at the studio or online at betrueyoga.com. More information about the studio’s mission, the classes and levels, teachers and contact information is also available on the website. Be True Yoga can be found at 14 Harwood Court, third floor, suite 326 in Scarsdale Village.
Neighborhood Day at the Fox Meadow Tennis Club
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The Fox Meadow Tennis Club, founded in 1883, is one of the oldest and most respected tennis clubs in the U.S. and is recognized as the 'Founding Club of Platform Tennis'. They hosted numerous national championship tournaments, and count many nationally ranked players and champions among their members.
On Saturday, June 19th from 2 - 4 pm the Fox Meadow Tennis Club is having a Neighborhood Day party for any members of the community who are interested in playing some tennis, meeting club members, or seeing the newly renovated club house.
Refreshments will be served and families are welcome. Tennis whites are required for anyone who would like to play tennis during the event.
Fox Meadow Tennis Club
14 Wayside Lane
Scarsdale
(914) 723-9743
www.foxmeadowtennisclub.com
9 Tips for Battling Mold in Your Home
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Spring showers were here early, but they brought more than expected … a record rain fall, with power outages and hurricane force winds. Now, the sun is out and we are all relieved that historic rains and flooding are over. However, even though the water dried up, there may be a funny smell in your basement. Is this what everyone fears…MOLD? Before you pack up the family and leave, you have other options.
First a little background, often folks forget that mold occurs naturally in the environment. In some cases, the fungus mold, can be beneficial, such as in foods like bread made with yeast, some of your favorite cheeses -- and, don’t forget penicillin. What we should remember is that there are many types of mold -- some are fine, but some types may be harmful. Then, there is the amount of Mold present. Mom always said that “too much of a good thing can be bad.” All this holds true for mold in homes and buildings. Mold is fine outside these structures, but when a “growth that appears to be mold” begins inside a building, like in our homes, the process of this growth can result in a “mildew” smell. This is an indicator that your home, office or structure is becoming unhealthy.
High humidity, standing water or high moisture levels, all resulting from flood water being held in the structure of a home, such as inside our sheetrock, can cause mold spores to grow and multiply. Organic materials found in homes and buildings such as wood, paper, drywall, insulation and carpet provide food sources for mold to grow. This increase in the level of mold spores can result in health issues and concerns in a relatively short time.
What are the signs or factors to watch for? Here are some rules of thumb to identify a potential mold growth issue, especially if there was a flood, even for a short time or small quantities of water your home, or business:
- Visible mold that can be any color (brown, green, black, etc.)
- Strong musty odors
- Excessive humidity after the water is gone
What to do?
In most cases, there is no need for panic, but here are some actions that you can explore:
- Bleach is not your friend. While the visible mold may be gone, the air may still be humid and contain mold spores that can enable mold to grow again.
- Fresh air is great! Open windows and doors during nice, cool, dry days to lower humidity levels in the affected space.
- Central air can spread the spores to the whole structure through your duct system and may not help to alleviate the issue. Try to keep vents closed and the system off, if there is any growth suspected, until a professional can use a fungicide to stop the growth.
- Explore services that can help you remediate a visible or potential mold issue. An independent Indoor Air Quality/Environmental professional has the expertise to inspect a home or building and call it a “mold growth” as well as detailing the best course of action.
- Hire a reputable and established company that is ‘trained’ in mold remediation. Some general contractors may not be trained or know the proper process’ to alleviate a mold situation, and make sure that your home and family are safe again.
- While any work is being done, anyone with respiratory concerns or immune deficiencies should not be present or enter an affected room. Plus, ensure that the workers have contained any rooms with plastic or other barriers during the process, keeping the spores out of the rest of the house.
Overall, this was a difficult spring for many local residents, but everyone has pulled together to get through it. Hopefully, the worst weather is over and we all can begin to enjoy the spring sunshine!
This article was written by Amanda Cohen and Hillary Sheperd from Servpro of Scarsdale/ Mount Vernon, with trained service professionals who can safely clean and restore your home or business.
