The History of Slavery in Scarsdale

One of Westchester’s last remaining slave quarters is on Old Army Road in Scarsdale. It stands behind the Pre-Revolutionary heritage home known as the Hunt-Smith House.Scarsdale Historical Society Examines the History of Slavery in Scarsdale, Westchester County and New York City.
The Scarsdale Historical Society has published an article on its website about the history of slavery in Scarsdale, Westchester County and New York City from the 1600s to 1865.

The article is related to the Scarsdale Historical Society’s documentary, Scarsdale in the 18th and 19th Centuries: From Hardscrabble Farms to Gracious Estates,​ which premiered at the Scarsdale Public Library on November 29, 2017. Both the film and article were researched and written by documentary filmmaker Lesley Topping and Barbara Shay MacDonald, the Historian and Vice President of the Scarsdale Historical Society.

Mrs. MacDonald’s interest in the subject began while she was researching the history of her historic home in Scarsdale, the Underhill House (c. 1687), where she lived until 1998. She recently discovered that in the 18th century a slave family probably lived in the house. The father was the family’s slave master, Thomas Hadden, who lived in Wayside Cottage across the street. His will, which frees the mother, “Wench Rose,” and her seven children can be read on the Scarsdale Historical Society website.

Drawing on town records, regional censuses, and other sources, the article examines the historical pervasiveness of slavery in Scarsdale and throughout Westchester County and New York City, and includes an extensive list of links and resources on the subject.Joseph Carpenter, Quaker abolitionist from Scarsdale, with an orphaned child.

Read the article here:
And see the movie here:

About the Scarsdale Historical Society
The Scarsdale Historical Society exists to discover, preserve, and disseminate historical information as well as inspire others to learn about and contribute to the history of Scarsdale and the Central mid-Westchester region.
Learn more on their website here:

Thomas Haden lived in the Wayside Cottage, one of Scarsdale's oldest existing farmhouses. He had seven children with an enslaved woman named Rose.