Historical Background of Hartsdale, New York

Banville Law's personal injury lawyers in Hartsdale, NY present this article for your enjoyment. New York offers so much historical significance and we hope you find a fact you may not have known before.

Early History

Located in Greenburgh, New York, is the town of Hartsdale. Lying along the Bronx River, it is about 20 miles north of New York City. Initially, home to the Algonquian tribe, British colonists would develop the 576-acre area under the Manor System. The Manor System was a system practiced in the Middle Ages that refers to farming land owned by a Lord and maintained by his peasants in exchange for protection. They would give the land to Frederick Philipse, a Dutch merchant known for being a British Loyalist. Philipse would name it the Philipse Manor and lease it to his tenant farmers or peasants as the Manor System referred to them.

Colonial Era

In 1776, a Revolutionary War battle would take place near the current location of the train station in Hartsdale. A house on Ridge Road later named the Odell House after John Odell, would become the headquarters for Comte De Rochambeau, a French general. This house is also the location Geoge Washington formed an alliance that led to the Battle of Yorktown.
After the Revolutionary War was won by the Continental Army and American colonialists, Frederick Philipse's great-grandson, Frederick Philipse III, deserted the land and fled. Seized by the government, the manor was sold to the farm tenants that remained, many related to the Hart family.

19th Century

Under the ownership of Eleazar Hart, Hartsdale transitioned into a more urban neighborhood with the New York and Harlem Railroad development in 1865. Between 1880 and 1940, large estates and farmland were partitioned and sold to build private houses and apartments. By the 1960s, there was barely any farmland left.

20th Century

A German-Jewish baker named Felix M. Warburg would purchase the land in 1904. He would build his summer home upon the 500-acre Woodlands estate, next to the country club that he and his wife frequented. In 1958 this mansion would be converted into the Jewish Museum of New York after the death of Freida Schiff Warburg, Felix's wife.

Historical Dates

In 1928, a Scottish inventor, John Logie Baird, transmitted a signal from a short-wave television signal to make history. This historic event would not be the only ones to come from Hartsdale; see a few listed below:

• 1896 - Samuel Johnson - America's first canine pet cemetery
• 1917 - Louis Diat - invented Vichyssoise, a creamy chilled soup
• 1934 - Tom Carvelas - World's first Carvel Ice Cream store

See More: The History of White Plains, New York

Our Local Office

At Banville Law, our experienced Hartsdale, NY, personal injury lawyers have been providing legal services for victims of accidents for years. If you or someone you love has sustained injuries caused by an incident, contact our legal team to schedule your free consultation.

Banville Law
44 S Broadway #100
White Plains, NY 10601, USA
(914) 228-1866