The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

history

Mother of Two Lost to Gun Violence: Hillary “Strong on the Issues”

by

“I live with the pain every day.”

By Susan Youngwood

Philadelphia, PA, July 24 — Jackie Rowe Adams lost two sons to gun violence. Her 17-year-old was shot 33 years ago by three men who didn’t like the way he looked at them

Sixteen years later, her 28-year-old was killed in a robbery, by a 13-year-old.“It seems like yesterday,” she said. “I live with the pain every day, every hour.”

Jackie Rowe Adams lost two sons to gun violence.
Jackie Rowe Adams lost two sons to gun violence; she is fighting for Hillary Clinton to make history.

Gun control is one reason she supports Hillary Clinton. “She is a strong strong woman. A strong lady. She’s strong on the issues.”

Rowe-Adams is on the DNC Credentials Committee. From Harlem, she is president of her local chapter of the ASME Union, District Council 37. She founded Harlem Mothers Say Stop Another Violent End, which provides support and grief counseling to survivors of gun violence.

“I’m for Hillary all the way,” she said.  “I was for Hillary from the beginning. Let me tell you. She rose to the occasion in all her positions. She did a great job.”

When Clinton accepts the nomination this week, says Rowe Adams, “I feel I’m a part of history. I’m excited because it’s her time. It’s time for the world to believe in a female. And to open doors for the younger generation.”

Spring into History at the Greeley House

by

Special Guest Presentation! “Westchester County: A Historical Tour in Postcards”– Thursday, March 24th, 7:30 pm

Please join the New Castle Historical Society in the Horace Greeley House parlor for an evening of local history presented through historic postcards. The program, presented by Patrick Raftery of the Westchester County Historical Society, discusses the history of Westchester County from the late-17th century to the present using historic postcards. Among the topics covered are historic houses and churches, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, the Croton and Kensico dams, monuments, transportation, education and recreation.
MainStreet
Many of us have only seen photos of the past in black and white, and thus we imagine our ancestors’ past in hues of gray. Obviously we know better, but it’s hard to visualize the vibrant colors of the past since many of us have never seen it. Luckily for us, photographers and postcard producers would colorize their photos and cards, so that those vivid hues and tints were widely available to those who could not experience it first-hand. We can enjoy these photos and postcards and imagine what our ancestors might have experienced: what scents they sniffed, what colors they saw, and what textures they might have touched! Looking at these items we can take a glimpse into the past.

Registration is recommended, but all are welcome to attend. Please register by calling Cassie Ward at 914-238-4666 or by emailing director@newcastlehs.org.
Recommended Donation: $10

Includes: Program, self-guided tours, and wine & cheese.
Location: Horace Greeley House, 100 King St., Chappaqua, NY
Other upcoming events: www.newcastlehs.org/events

Celebrate the History of North Castle

by

By Deborah Notis

Historic Smith’s Tavern, fitting headquarters for the North Castle Historical Society. Collections of The North Castle Historical Society Photo
Historic Smith’s Tavern, fitting headquarters for the North Castle Historical Society. Collections of The North Castle Historical Society Photo

The North Castle Historical Society, established in 1971, is rich in local and national history. Headquartered at Historic Smith’s Tavern on Bedford Road in Armonk, the North Castle Historical Society has a membership of almost 500 addresses with 23 trustees.

The North Castle Historical Society is dedicated to promoting and encouraging the study of North Castle’s history. Historians affiliated with the North Castle Historical Society engage in continuous research to uncover new insights into the history of North Castle. The historians also work to preserve buildings of historical and architectural interest.

“We invite our community to learn and celebrate our vibrant history,” states Sharon Tomback, the Recording Secretary for the North Castle Historical Society’s Board of Trustees. She points out several noteworthy points of interest in the area, including the Widow Brush House, known to many residents as La Cremaillere Restaurant, the Middle Patent Rural Cemetery, which is the oldest cemetery in North Castle, and the Elijah Miller House, which served as Washington’s headquarters in 1776.

Historic Smith’s Tavern, the headquarters of the North Castle Historical Society, is a landmark property. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the tavern provided multiple, unique purposes. At some point, Historic Smith’s Tavern served as everything from a military headquarters, a taproom and a town hall to a stagecoach stop and post office. In the 20th century, Smith’s Tavern was a private residence, a schoolhouse and even a restaurant.

In addition to the North Castle Historical Society’s headquarters at Smith’s Tavern, the Society operates three other historical buildings–the Brundage Blacksmith Shop, the East Middle Patent One-Room Schoolhouse and the 1798 Quaker Meeting House. Each ancient building is furnished to reflect the colonial era. Brundage operates a forge and other tools that would be used in a traditional, colonial era blacksmith’s shop. The Schoolhouse accommodated first through eighth graders throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Furnished like a colonial era classroom, the schoolhouse has a working school bell that can still be rung by visitors.

The North Castle Historical Society hosts several rotating exhibits. Period clothing, quilts, colonial era photographs and photographs from collections, dolls, shoemaking, and postage and greeting cards from various collections. “We have wonderful volunteers who staff the Educational Center on Wednesdays and Sundays. They welcome both drop-in visitors and pre-scheduled groups,” notes Tomback.

Every year, local fourth grade classes schedule a Colonial Crafts Day with the North Castle Historical Society. The students spend approximately five hours doing up to 13 separate activities. They make candles, quilt, perform tinsmithing, watch the blacksmith at work, practice writing with a quill, make butter and participate in various other workshops designed to give them a flavor of colonial life.

The North Castle Historical Society also hosts several community events throughout the year. They sponsor meetings and lectures. This year, they planned a wine tasting and a Halloween Haunt. The wine tasting took place at the Historic Smith’s Tavern’s Educational Complex on August 2nd. The Halloween Haunt, scheduled for October, will also be held at Smith’s Tavern. Pumpkin decorating, games, snacks and ghost stories are planned for this fun-filled afternoon. Both of these events serve as fundraisers and are open to the community. The objective is to increase local awareness about as well as help raise funding for the North Castle Historical Society.

Interestingly, the North Castle Historical Society does not receive any government support. With donations and volunteers, it maintains the inside and outside of the historic buildings, runs all programs, and continues to research the vital history of North Castle. The trustees hope residents will donate their time and funds to help to keep these buildings and their programs relevant and available to the community at large.

“There are hundreds of interesting history lessons in North Castle,” notes Tomback. If residents want to learn about The Battle of White Plains, the Underground Railroad stop between North White Plains and Armonk, or the history of the Kensico Dam, the information is available through the North Castle Historical Society. And the North Castle Historical Society encourages people to invest in the history that makes North Castle a historically unique place to live.

Deborah Notis is a freelance writer and owner of gamechanger, LLC, a free referral service connecting Westchester families to highly qualified instructors.

Greetings from the New Castle Historical Society!

by

cassie wardFounded in 1966, the New Castle Historical Society (NCHS) is a non-profit educational organization that seeks to research, discover, collect, and preserve the history of the Town of New Castle. The NCHS is located in the Horace Greeley House Museum and is open to the public for tours and research.

The Town of New Castle’s diverse history is evident in our many parks, buildings, roadways, trails, businesses, and organizations. Residents and visitors alike will quickly find that New Castle is home to many captivating historical narratives. These narratives range from the days of the Wappinger Confederacy’s use of the land, to the early Quaker settlement of the area, to stories from the Colonial Times, the Revolutionary War, and the 19th and 20th centuries.

At the New Castle Historical Society, families and friends can walk in the footsteps of history by touring the Horace Greeley House Museum, by performing research in our collection and archive, or by taking a guided walking tour of Horace Greeley’s Farm and downtown Chappaqua.

We greatly look forward to sharing the history of the Town of New Castle with you and your guests!

Sincerely,

Cassie Ward, Executive Director,
New Castle Historical Society and Horace Greeley House

newcastlehs.org

historical society logo

NCHS ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS

Gold in Your Attic

Booth featured at the annual Chappaqua Expo every Fall, boasting a community-donated item. Past items include a rare Russian samovar, an opaline glass light fixture from Paris, vintage embroidered Japanese kimonos, and Tiffany candlesticks. As is with the Chappaqua Expo in general, all proceeds benefit the New Castle Historical Society and Greeley House. Please see site info below to learn when and how to donate or consign an item for the booth.

Holiday Crafts & Tree Lighting

Holiday-011Held annually every December (exact date will vary year to year), this afternoon-long holiday event is not to be missed. The Greeley Museum hosts a unique Holiday Open House from 1 p.m.- 5 p.m.; attendees can see decorations the Greeley family would have used when it was their country home in the 1860s. Younger children may take part in our Crafts workshop, and create handmade holiday gifts, such as paper snowflakes, corn husk dolls, and paper chains. The afternoon ends with the Society’s Tree Lighting celebration and marks the beginning of the new holiday season, which, of course, would not be complete without a visit from Santa.

Victorian Valentine’s Tea

A New Castle favorite every year! Participants make Victorian crafts for Valentine’s Day, and practice penmanship and etiquette, before sitting down to a formal Victorian Tea in the dining room of Horace Greeley House. Light refreshments will also be served. Held annually every February (exact date will vary year to year) for students in grades 2-4.

Other Events

In addition to the special events listed above, NCHS also offers tours of the Horace Greeley House. These tours run on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 1-4 p.m., or by appointment. The Greeley Museum Gift Shop is also open year-round from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. (M-F) and 1-4 p.m. (Sat).

For more information or to register for any events, visit newcastlehs.org

“…and the Crowd Went Wild.”

by

Article and Photo by Dawn Evans Greenberg

With a warm-up act of über hip band, Echosmith, and an army of young volunteers escorting the press and manning walkie talkies like old hands–plus a diverse crowd representing every color, age and background–it was clear on Saturday that Hillary Clinton’s official campaign kickoff on Roosevelt Island was pure 21st century.

Arriving by tram to one of Manhattan’s gems is always a thrill, but on Saturday morning, even more so–crammed in with excited Hillary fans some from as far away as Texas. The new FDR Park is still under construction but looked beautiful against the Manhattan skyline with the UN in view just across the river.

With no further adieu, no warm up speeches, no Cuomo or DeBlasio in sight, Secretary Clinton was announced…and the crowd went wild. Toddlers waved flags from dads’ shoulders and many wondered if they were watching history being made. hillary rally crowd

Clinton spoke of her most passionate causes: preschool for all children, womens’ and immigration rights and inclusion for all members of society. The poignant story of her own mother, abandoned as a child, held the crowd rapt. Dorothy Rodham credited the kindness of others with her survival; a lesson the Secretary made clear she embraces.

The Secretary ended to rapturous applause as she rallied her base for the long fight ahead. Fight is a word that came up often, even in the campaign’s Spotify playlist. One has the sense that she is 100% ready for it.

Dawn Greenberg is the founder and executive director of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival and the executive director of the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce. In her spare time, she’s an avid follower of politics.