North Castle Historical Society

The Miller Hill historic marker has been restored…it looks awesome!!

Please save the date and plan on joining us for a special celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence 🇺🇸

What a great presentation today! We enjoyed hearing about the life of George Washington. We also welcomed new board president Tim Radice and thanked Ed Woodyard for his service.

See you there this Sunday!

Please join us for this wonderful free event!

250th Anniversary of The Boston Tea Party December 16, 1773 On December 16, 2023, Boston will commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, a moment that forever changed the course of American history.

Then and Now… happened to be shopping at the Star Spangled Carousel store this weekend and while discussing its history with proprietor Susan was so surprised she had this wonderful 1920’s photo of her building. Charming interior and fabulous selection of children’s clothes…Thanks for sharing!

Frosty Day Parade!

It's almost time for everyone's favorite Halloween Event! Please join us for the Halloween Haunt, Saturday 10/28 from 11-4 and Sunday 10/29 from 12-3. Looking forward to seeing you all there! 🎃

Thank you to everyone supporting our Partners in Preservation Annual Event! We had such a great time last night.

Have you seen our Partners In Preservation web page? Get a preview of the Silent Auction items and see all the amazing local business Sponsors and Adveristers supporting our preservation and education work. Looking forward to seeing you at our Annual Event!

NCHS Home - Partners In Preservation Its Time!

It’s time to get your mark your calendar and buy your tickets to the North Castle Historical Society annual Partners In Preservation event! Do something good while having a good time! Tickets and more information can be found on our website www.northcastlehistoricalsociety.org . We are looking forward to seeing you there!

If you haven’t seen the “Follow the French” exhibit at Smith’s Tavern, there’s still time. Stop by on a Wednesday or Sunday between 2 and 4 for a tour!

An important video presentation

Places That Matter: Burial Grounds of North Castle Learn about a few of the people who came before us - those who began a community more than 250 years ago that has become the community we enjoy today - those...

FOLLOW THE FRENCH TOUR - May 20, 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visit three historic Revolutionary War sites in Westchester, where French troops camped during the final year of the war, and along the way listen to a free audio tour about the crucial French alliance with General George Washington and the Continental Army. Come learn about the French role in winning our war for independence, see their encampment sites, visit a historic tavern, meet Generals Rochambeau and Washington, tour a pop-up museum, and pet animals from the colonial period.

The free family-friendly event will take place May 20, 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can go at your own pace and visit the sites in any order.

The three sites are Smith’s Tavern in Armonk, Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters in Hartsdale, and Rochambeau Park/Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds—where there will be a re-creation of a French campsite. Each location will have family activities.

FREE AUDIO TOUR!

Download the free TravelStorys Follow the French audio tour and learn about the sites as you drive to each location. The audio launches automatically—hands-free—as you approach each site, without the need for cell service or Wi-Fi. TravelStorys has produced 4,000 mini-podcasts in more than 200 audio tours in 36 states and 3 countries.

More details and the link to the audio tour coming soon.

Tour organized by the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, (https://www.odellrochambeau.org/), in collaboration with the North Castle Historical Society (https://www.northcastlehistoricalsociety.org/) and the Yorktown Heritage Preservation Commission (https://www.yorktownny.org/hpc)

Funding for TravelStorys audio tour provided by the Scarsdale Historical Society.

It was so wonderful to have our friends and neighbors joining us for some Halloween fun! 👻 Let’s do it again next year 🎃. Thank you for supporting The North Castle Historical Society 🥰

Please join us!

Thank you so much to our amazing and generous members and supporters! Our Partners In Preservation Annual Event was a success and everyone had a great time! We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you ❤️

Hear ye! Hear ye! Mount Misery has been preserved!
CONGRATULATIONS AND HUZZAH!! to our DOLL member Nora Kanze Manuele who successfully lobbied the Town of North Castle for several years to designate and preserve a lot on historic Mount Misery, “twin hill” to Miller Hill, owned by the Town of North Castle, as a historic Revolutionary War site located on the Heritage Trail and to have the Town purchase an adjoining vacant lot for the same purpose.

Nora, and DOLL President Cynthia Kauffman, are lifelong residents of Mount Misery.

Nora gives credit to many people and Govt officials but she was the driving force behind this project. DOLL thanks the Town of North Castle, Supervisor and Councilmembers, for caring about and preserving our local historical site.

At the Town Hall meeting, Cindy gave the history and significance of this site:
"In 1958 the White Plains Monument Committee, the precursor to the White Plains Historical Society, was organized to locate and mark as many Revolutionary War sites as possible. The Heritage Trail was created to mark 12 sites along an 11-mile loop with the cooperation of the Westchester Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, the City of White Plains, and the Towns of Harrison and North Castle. You may be familiar with the red, white and blue signs with a revolutionary war soldier, posted along the way. One site, immediately to the south of #34 Nethermont Ave is a designated stop on the Heritage Trail that marked Revolutionary era earthworks. It is now untended and overgrown. The properties you are discussing are on this already marked historic route.

There is also another property that I believe is owned by the Town at the intersection of Nethermont and Grove Road, overlooking Broadway. The address should be #21 Grove Road. Though it is a small rocky piece of property, we can be certain that it was from that spot that our Patriots watched the battle of Miller Hill. From that location, in the days when there were few trees, you could see as far as New York City, and certainly Chatterton/Battle hill in White Plains. From that spot our soldiers watched the battle approaching. The terrain is unsurmountable and the rocky outcroppings there were noted in several publications early in the 1900’s as still retaining their soot marks from soldier’s fires.
The significance of the Battle of White Plains in October of 1776 is often overlooked. Though it was a tactical draw, it was in reality, a win for the Patriots who had been retreating from the Battle of Brooklyn since August of 1776. On Miller Hill and Mount Misery our Patriot soldiers held their ground, the high ground. Mount Misery has an elevation of 440 feet, 80 feet higher than Miller Hill. The topography of the 2 hills flanking the one road North, Broadway, and bounded by the significantly larger at that time, Bronx River and the great swamp stopped the British advance North.
Records of the term ‘Mount Misery’ were used as far back as October of 1776 when a young Private, Joseph Plumb Martin, was posted there. He later wrote of that time, in his book “Private Yankee Doodle”… “The water, nearly over our shoes, caused many of us to take violet colds,…I had the canopy of heaven for my hospital, and the ground for my hammock.” We need to remember what those people risked for us. Just as troops were posted on Miller Hill for much of the war, troops were posted on Mount Misery as well. In the ‘McDonald interviews’ done in the 1800’s, a Patriot soldier named Samuel Lawrence, at the age of 87 recalled being camped on Mt. Misery in 1778. General Washington was there asking about the guard which was posted at Mt. Misery and was pleased at what he saw.
The importance of the sites on Mount Misery cannot be given any less significance than those on Miller Hill or Miller House. It was the strategy of using what was called the “twin hills” that stopped the British advance north and gave General Washington and his troops time to move north to Fishkill, gather supplies and travel what was known as ‘the retreat to victory’, to Trenton where our Patriots had their first, and much needed, victory of the war."
Cindy added this personal story…
"I remember an elderly neighbor, Miss Lewis, who owned the property for many years. It was her intention after she passed, that the property become a park, for children to play on, as we did as children. When she passed the property was unfortunately sold off in parcels. Now that we have finally been able to preserve, for our posterity, this important site, I am certain that she would be delighted to know that some of her land will be preserved in its original state."

Keep an eye out for more information for the dedication of this site. We look forward to having you join us!