North Castle Historical Society

John Diaconis on…Togetherness, Reaching Out & Preserving History at the Miller House

April 2, 2021 by Christine Pasqueralle

When one thinks back on the past year, a few words stick out: family, friends, love and togetherness. These are the important things in life that have really come to the forefront in 2020 and beyond. Life as we know it has changed in many ways and people are learning how to live in this “new normal.”

Armonk resident John Diaconis is one of those people.

A partner at White Plains law firm Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, LLP, he is also a former New Castle Town Board member. Diaconis is now President of Friends of Miller House/Washington’s Headquarters, having been a longtime advocate for the North White Plains historical site.

Diaconis moved to Chappaqua in 1990, when he says, the area was semi-rural and very quiet. He relocated to Armonk ten years ago, where he now lives with his wife Ann Dantzig and her 91-year-old mother, Janice Rabinowitz, whom he says “has more energy than all of us.”

Diaconis served on the New Castle Town Board for five years and was the Town Prosecutor until moving to Armonk in 2010. He credits his time on the board with his eventual involvement with Miller House.

“I moved to Armonk in 2010 and the first thing I became involved with was Miller House,” says Diaconis. He was asked to participate by Dorrie Watson, a founder of the North Castle Historical Society and town historian, whom he says was a legend in North Castle. The first order of business was to help work on getting the house refurbished and renovated, as it had been neglected for a number of years.

“Credit goes to George Latimer: he spearheaded the renovation,” says Diaconis. The Miller House hopes to be back open to the public in the near future, but for now they will offer virtual programs.

As the world began to shut down last March, working from home became the norm for many, including Diaconis. As he says, no one was pressured to go into the office and that it is fortunate that most of the work he does can be done from home. Now, the firm is back up and running at 100% with all safety features, such as protective glass in place. Diaconis works in the office as much as he can now, but employees still have the option to stay home when what they are doing does not require them to be in the office. In many ways, it seems the work-life balance has greatly shifted for everyone over the past year.

Appreciating One Another

Diaconis definitely understands the vast importance of family, especially at this time in the world. Unfortunately like most of us, he has also experienced loss. Diaconis’ son Ari passed away three years ago at the age of 33. While he was sick, he spoke a lot about the importance of relationships. As Diaconis says, “He was a really smart kid. My family and I are very attuned to appreciate one another and our friendships. If anything, the social distancing and stay-at-home parts of the virus have reinforced the importance of connection with people.” Ari and his sister Alix both attended school in Chappaqua. After graduating from Horace Greeley High School, Alix is now living in Brooklyn and working as a video editor. Ari went on to graduate from Cornell Law School and practiced law in New York City.

Diaconis also has two step-daughters. Natasha graduated from Byram Hills High School while Lexi graduated from the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry. Lexi lives in Providence and Natasha in San Francisco. The family does a lot of Zoom calls and speaks regularly on the phone. Alix comes up to visit after quarantining and Diaconis visits her in Brooklyn as well.

Everything that’s been happening this last year has made them all closer. The community has definitely come together during this time as well. Diaconis says, “Armonk is an interesting town: everyone is pulling together.” North Castle Town Supervisor Michael Schiliro always starts each board meeting with “Dorrie TIME”. These are good deeds that people in the local community have done inspired by Dorrie Watson. “A lot of people are involved in community efforts to help homeless people,” says Diaconis.

Community Involvement

Local churches are doing outreach and are doing what they can to provide shelter as well as community members volunteering with food distribution and at soup kitchens. There is also a large effort to preserve local history: many in the community are actively involved with helping to fund the library and historical society.

Diaconis really enjoys the sense of community Armonk provides as well as many of the local spots in town–La Mer Seafood, David Chen and DeCicco & Sons included. He spends a lot of time downtown, as it is so walkable and vibrant. As for his role in public service, it all comes down to one thing. “My mentor was Marion Sinek, former New Castle Town Supervisor. People are in public service to try and do good things for people. I try to follow that motto now, as do others in public service.”

Opening Soon: The Landmark Miller House

Situated on a stretch of Virginia Road in North White Plains sits the Elijah J. Miller House. Once almost lost to disrepair, the historic home has undergone an extensive renovation thanks in part to Westchester County and Friends of Miller House/Washington’s Headquarters. The site was the home of Elijah and Ann Miller and it is where George Washington once stayed during the American Revolution. Unfortunately, it had spent more than 20 years with sustained structural damage and visitation was not allowed.

In 2019, County Executive George Latimer led efforts to renovate the house so that visitors could once again come and learn about its historical significance. John Diaconis, President of Friends of Miller House says, “Credit goes to George Latimer, he spearheaded the renovation.” And Kathy O’Connor, Commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation goes on to say, “We were thrilled that the restoration of the Miller House was a priority for the Latimer administration. We look forward to the day when we can begin programming again to educate children about this important landmark and history of their County.”

John Diaconis, outside the Miller House with Philip Sieverding, a Greeley grad who is on the historic house’s board of directors.
Photo by Grace Bennett/Inside Press

Storied History

Originally situated on a 100-acre farm, the house is an 18th Century Rhode Island-style farmhouse, built in 1738 with an addition built in 1770. Miller House served as General Washington’s sleeping quarters and command post during the 1776 Battle of White Plains. Shortly before the battle, Elijah, along with his two sons, John and Elijah, Jr. were killed.

Ann then turned the house into a field hospital, and many soldiers were tended to by her and others in the house and on the grounds. Eventually Charles Lee, Washington’s second-in-command was court-marshaled and the last phase of his trial was held at Miller House. In 1976, Miller House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a Local Historic Landmark by the Town of North Castle.

Diaconis is looking forward to the day Miller House can re-open its doors to the public. “We would love to get school trips up and running again, it’s an important part of what we plan to do–to get things back to where they were.”

He has received emails from people all around the Northeast saying how they used to go to Miller House on field trips and that it was a highlight of their elementary school experience.

Millennial Interest

The Friends of Miller House board includes some millennials, whom the group hopes to connect with younger kids to help expose them to the important local history right here in Westchester County. “Anyone can join the Friends; we always want input from people with suggestions about programs they’d like to see and more. We want to hear from the public.”

For now, Miller House is planning a variety of virtual events including its George Talk book club series, which will feature a book written about Charles Lee. As Diaconis says, “We are grateful for County Executive Latimer’s leadership in preserving this historic landmark. John Nonna, Sharon Tomback and many others also worked countless hours to save the house,” which incidentally also included the saving of a 300-year-old sycamore tree.

Latimer says, “While we may not be able to gather at the Miller House in person, the meaning behind the historic home should never be forgotten. This building tells us the story of the American Spirit.” And we will all look forward to the day when we can once again take in its vast history on its grounds and inside its walls.

Halloween Haunt at Smith’s Tavern

October 26, 2019 by The Inside Press

Ghouls, goblins and ghosts just might make an appearance at the fifth annual Halloween Haunt sponsored by the North Castle Historical Society. The two-day event features a haunted house, pumpkin painting, games, face painting and more.

Admission is $7.00 and the event will take place rain or shine.

October 26: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
October 27: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

North Castle Historical Society Preserves Town’s Past (and its buildings)

October 21, 2016 by Andrew Vitelli

The Quaker Meeting House, located behind Smith’s Tavern.

Today, North Castle’s historic buildings on Bedford Road in Armonk look tranquil, with the small schoolhouse and blacksmith shop serving as charming reminders of a simpler time. Two hundred and forty years ago, though, the site was a training ground in one of the world’s bloodiest, and most historically significant, geopolitical conflicts, as rebel militias headquartered in what is now called Smith’s Tavern, practicing their shooting in the fields out back. The town was viciously divided between rebels and royalists, a division that makes today’s political disagreements appear muted.

The North Castle Historical Society is located at Smith’s Tavern in Armonk.

“North Castle was probably the most hotly contested of all the spots in Westchester, because we had some long-established families with money,” Town Historian Sharon Tomback explains, as she leads this reporter through a tour of the tavern. “Obviously they didn’t want to be revolting because they were well-off and happy.”

The North Castle Historical Society works to make sure this history is not lost for future residents. But preserving these aging buildings is not easy–or cheap.

“It’s very expensive to maintain old buildings,” says Tomback. “I say to friends, ‘You know what it costs to maintain your home. Now multiply that times four, because there are four old buildings.”

On Sept. 12, the historical society held its major annual fundraiser at Amore Italian Kitchen in Armonk, raising close to $15,000 for the society. With much work to be done, raising money is a year-round task, Tomback notes. So how does the society get the funds to keep up with everything it needs to function?

Town Historian Sharon Tomback (left) and Historical Society President Anna Maria Marrone at Smith’s Tavern in Armonk.

“We beg,” Tomback says, laughing. The society has a list of around 500 donors, she notes, who consistently donate to the society to help it carry out its mission. “They are highly supportive, and have never turned us down.” Some even continue to donate after they’ve moved away.

Smith’s Tavern, in which the society is located, didn’t actually belong to the Smiths until after the revolution. The tavern has served as a residence, an inn, and even a post office. Visitors today can still see the bar at which guests were served drinks in centuries past, though unfortunately visitors can no longer order a drink. Behind Smith’s Tavern are three more historic buildings: A Quaker meeting house, a blacksmith shop, and a one-room schoolhouse. “I think we’re very lucky in North Castle to have these four ancient buildings survive,” Tomback notes. “It’s only through the foresight of the incorporators of the North Castle Historical Society that these buildings have survived all these years.”

A tombstone was reused in the floor of Smith’s Tavern.

Since 2012, Anna Maria Marrone has served as president of the historical society. Marrone, who has lived in Armonk for 42 years, was born in Italy, where some buildings date back thousands of years. Though the history of the United States doesn’t compare in terms of length, Marrone finds it no less fascinating.

“Everything in Italy is old, and it’s very well taken care of,” Marrone, a former town assessor, notes. “People want it to be there, and to take care of the homes that are there. So we would like the same thing to happen here, because this is so amazing.”

One of Marrone’s ongoing projects has been an effort to preserve and digitize old newspapers, dating back to 1913.

A rope bed in the bedroom of Smith’s Tavern.

“They were going bad because we had no place to preserve them,” says Marrone. The society teamed up with the North Castle Public Library for the project and has managed to save many newspapers from the past 100 years. Next year, North Castle will be featured in a book from the “Images of America” series, which is sold at bookstores and features historical pictures from thousands of towns across the country. Tomback spent her spring and much of her summer preparing pictures and cutlines for the publisher.

“For three months,” she recalls, “every time someone called I said, ‘Not now.’” The book is expected to be released in January or February.

Smith’s Tavern is also home to a changing exhibition highlighting the region’s history. Now on display are cast irons. Other artifacts found at the tavern include corn cobb pipes smoked by visitors to the inn, a beehive oven, a rope bed, and a silver cup believed to have been used by General George Washington during the revolution. Part of the tavern was constructed later; in fact, an 1812 diary entry refers to Mr. Smith’s “new room.”

September’s fundraiser at Amore, which the society called “Partner in Preservation,” was sponsored by Houlihan Lawrence in Armonk. “It’s important to keep the heritage alive in the community, to show the things that made the different communities what they are, and to respect that history,” says Barry Graziano, Houlihan Lawrence’s Armonk manager.

“It’s always good, in a values sense,” said Graziano, “to see where you’ve come from and where you’ve gone, and I think the historical society reminds people of that.”

While Tomback and Marrone recognize the importance of wooing donors, their greatest focus is bringing children to the society’s facilities and connecting with them at a young age. A Colonial Crafts Day was held in October, and a Halloween party is scheduled for the end of the month.

“If you get somebody interested early, it sort of continues for the rest of his or her life,” Tomback says.

Run by volunteers, the historical society has a board of 23 trustees. A team of about a dozen docents lead tours of Smith’s Tavern and other facilities, with the buildings open from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Sundays for visitors, with private tours also available.

Andrew Vitelli is a Westchester native and the editor of Inside Armonk magazine.

In Gratitude

October 21, 2016 by Andrew Vitelli

Andrew Vitelli

By Andrew Vitelli

For our November edition of Inside Armonk, we have stories on history, politics, art, altruism, and some looks back at the last two months.

As Americans, the first thing that comes to many of our minds when we think of November is elections. With this year being a presidential election year (and an unusual one at that), it’s likely a lot of readers will have more than a little election fatigue by the time you’ve picked up this magazine. But even for those who have watched, heard, and read more than they can stand on the presidential election, the races closer to home often get overlooked. For this issue, we’ve spotlighted the race for Armonk’s representative in the New York State Senate, profiling both candidates and allowing readers to compare where they stand.

Election season is also a great time to look back at the country’s history and at the role our town played.

I’ve highlighted the work of the North Castle Historical Society whose members make sure this history isn’t lost for future generations. We have also included a preview of an upcoming tour of one of Armonk’s historic cemeteries, located next to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and the resting place of many Civil War veterans, for those who want to delve deeper into the history.

Our cover story last issue previewed the Armonk Outdoor Art Show. For this edition, we look back at that weekend, along with coverage of other art shows in the area. We also feature pictures from the Donuts and Cider Festival held in September.

For our Q&A, ‘meet’ Stacy Wilder, the director of communications for the Armonk Chamber of Commerce. Stacy tells readers how the hamlet has evolved in the 22 years she has lived in Armonk, and what the chamber has done in order to keep up.

We also highlight a charity event held this September in a spin studio, where cyclists took a “Spin for a Cure” with funds going towards the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

Finally, our November issue profiles Westchester County Airport, an often overlooked asset for the town and the region. We look at how the airport fits into North Castle and Westchester County, why travelers prefer the airport to some of the larger airports in the area, and how Westchester County Airport became what it is today.

North Castle Historical Society