Archives for local-history

Forward & Out

Forward & Out

Forward & Out is composed of 49 episodes, was made for the LGBTQ+ community, and was produced by the White Plains Cable station. The show was produced from 1993 through 1996, and was broadcast from January 1994 through January 1997. At its peak, Forward & Out was broadcast via cable and over-the-air to 1.2 million households in primarily the NY/NJ/CT area and as far away as Philadelphia. The show’s mission was to stimulate pride and raise self-esteem within the LGBTQ+ community by promoting a positive image, and to encourage greater tolerance and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. Forward & Out hosted
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May 20, 2024 2:23 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Homepage and Local History.
Tags: Forward & Out, Katharine Andriotis, LGBTQ+ history, and local-history.

Edward Steinberg Photo

Edward Steinberg Photo

Edward C. Steinberg (1942-2018) worked for White Plains from 1970 to the mid-1990s in the Urban Renewal Agency and later as Commissioner of Planning. He helped build the Galleria, the Transportation Center, the Public Safety Building, the Westchester Mall, and the Federal Courthouse. He was also a photographer, and recently his widow donated three of his photographs to our local history collection. One is of the Transportation Center, one shows workers pouring cement, and the other the demolition of a building.  Part of the pouring cement photo is shown below (it doesn’t say what building it was for, unfortunately). Feel
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January 24, 2023 10:59 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Homepage and Local History.
Tags: local-history and white plains collection.

Daughters of America: Digest of the Day

Daughters of America: Digest of the Day

Recently a member of the local Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) chapter viewed the Local History Room’s file on the DAR.  She noted that the last item in the file belonged to the Daughters of America, not the DAR, and was curious what that group was. The item in question is a 36-page booklet called Digest of the Day, published in 1930 by the Daughters of America’s Martha Washington Council No. 8 in White Plains. According to The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders, the Daughters of America was “a female auxiliary to the Junior Order of
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November 12, 2022 9:48 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Homepage and Local History.
Tags: Daughters of America, local-history, white plains collection, and white plains history.

Photos wanted: Winbrook, WP malls

Photos wanted: Winbrook, WP malls

Two of the original five buildings in the Winbrook apartments (now officially called Brookfield Commons) have been razed and replaced. The three still in use will eventually meet the same fate. The White Plains Mall will be leveled and replaced by a large residential and retail development called Hamilton Green. And the Galleria Mall, which lost its anchor stores when Sears and Macy’s closed, may be demolished whole or in part for a redevelopment that would dramatically change its appearance. As these buildings which were once fixtures in downtown White Plains disappear, we would like to keep a visual record
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May 3, 2022 5:11 pm | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Homepage, Library News, and Local History.
Tags: history of White Plains, local-history, White Plains Galleria, White Plains local history, White Plains mall, white plains new york, and winbrook.

Remembering Jesse Murry

Remembering Jesse Murry

Jesse Murry was a Black, gay art critic, curator and painter. He was born in 1948 in North Carolina and later moved to nearby Greenburgh to live with an aunt. As a youth he spent a lot of time reading at the White Plains Public Library and became friends with the director, Isabel Duncan Clark, who ended up becoming his legal guardian. He studied at Sarah Lawrence College and lived in a White Plains apartment in the 1970s before moving to New York City in 1979. In the last 14 years of his life he wrote for Arts Magazine, taught
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December 8, 2021 11:18 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage, Library News, and Local History.
Tags: Jesse Murry, library history, local-history, and White Plains Public Library.

Battle of White Plains, the Movie

Battle of White Plains, the Movie

In anticipation of our country’s 250th birthday in 2026, we have uploaded “The Battle of White Plains,” the movie, to our YouTube Channel. The 25-minute black and white film, which re-enacts the battle, was made over two weekends in the fall of 1977 near Silver Lake. It debuted at the White Plains Public Library on June 1, 1978. According to Joe Ryan, founder and president of the Living History Education Foundation, who played a Continental soldier in the movie, “The film was created on a limited budget with a lot of local volunteer help. It provided valuable experience for those
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March 8, 2021 3:04 pm | by | 3 Comments
Categories: Homepage, Library News, and Local History.
Tags: film, local-history, Observances and Celebrations, revolutionary history, The Battle of White Plains, U.S. History, white plains, and white plains history.

100 Years of Suffrage: Slide Show

100 Years of Suffrage: Slide Show

On August 18, 1920, a twenty-three year old representative in the Tennessee state legislature cast the deciding vote to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Tennessee became the 25th state to ratify the amendment, giving it the three-fourths of the states needed to become the law of the land. This was the culmination of over 70 years of work by thousands of women in the U.S. to win
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August 18, 2020 1:55 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Homepage, Library News, and Local History.
Tags: local-history, slide show, video, and Women's Suffrage.

Library Launches Documenting COVID-19 Collection

Library Launches Documenting COVID-19 Collection

We're living in unprecedented times. Many of us are working from home and adapting to shared living spaces, childcare demands, and social isolation. Others have had health challenges or find themselves unemployed. Meanwhile, we hear examples of adaptation and education, creativity and bravery. Our lives have continued in new ways. For these reasons, the Library—with your help—is creating a new collection: Documenting COVID-19: White Plains Experiences. The Library wants to hear about you, what you're doing, how you're doing, what you see outside your window. Contributions to the Library’s collection can be anything, from a three-line poem to a 200-page
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May 7, 2020 10:47 am | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: collection, coronavirus, covid-19, and local-history.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Alexis Cole

People & Stories Oral History Project: Alexis Cole

We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ArtsWestchester, The City of White Plains, and the White Plains Business Improvement District on White Plains Jazz Fest 2018! Below is an interview with Alexis Cole from the People & Stories Oral History Project, Jazz Fest edition. Each of the clips we post between now and Jazz Fest will include stories and music from musicians who local roots or connections, but have performed all over the world. Check out the Jazz Fest 2018 webpage for tickets and more information about all the great music happening September 12-16, 2018.   “Award-winning jazz vocalist
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September 10, 2018 6:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Oral History.
Tags: alexis cole, ArtsWestchester, jazz, Jazz Fest, local-history, music, oral history, People & Stories, white plains collection, white plains history, and White Plains Jazz Fest.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Albert Rivera

People & Stories Oral History Project: Albert Rivera

We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ArtsWestchester, The City of White Plains, and the White Plains Business Improvement District on White Plains Jazz Fest 2018! Below is an interview with Albert Rivera from the People & Stories Oral History Project, Jazz Fest edition. Each of the clips we post between now and Jazz Fest will include stories and music from musicians who have local roots or connections, but have performed all over the world. Check out the Jazz Fest 2018 webpage for tickets and more information about all the great music happening September 12-16, 2018.   Albert Rivera’s musical
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September 7, 2018 6:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Oral History.
Tags: albert rivera, jazz, Jazz Fest, local-history, mediterraneo, music, oral history, People & Stories, white plains collection, white plains history, and White Plains Jazz Fest.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Brian Carter

People & Stories Oral History Project: Brian Carter

We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ArtsWestchester, The City of White Plains, and the White Plains Business Improvement District on White Plains Jazz Fest 2018! Below is an interview with Brian Carter from the People & Stories Oral History Project, Jazz Fest edition. Each of the clips we post between now and Jazz Fest will include stories and music from musicians who have local roots or connections, but have performed all over the world. Check out the Jazz Fest 2018 webpage for tickets and more information about all the great music happening September 12-16, 2018.   International professional
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September 4, 2018 6:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Oral History.
Tags: brian carter, jazz, Jazz Fest, local-history, music, new rochelle jazz fest, oral history, People & Stories, white plains collection, white plains history, and White Plains Jazz Fest.

Local History: Addicts & Addiction Pt. 1

Local History: Addicts & Addiction Pt. 1

The past few years, drugs and addiction have been in the headlines. Stories about opiates, the legalization of marijuana, and criminal justice reform have all made drug use and addiction the subject of a national conversation. Just as the civil rights and women's rights movements had historical roots in time periods when those issues were not the focus of public debate, American society has been dealing with addicts and addiction since the 18th century. Here's a look at some resources in the White Plains Collection that you can consult to see how people used to think about these issues. You
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October 30, 2017 11:24 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: addiction, addicts, alcoholics, alcoholism, bloomingdale, bloomingdale asylum, keeley institute, local-history, mental health, mental illness, nellie bly, new york presbyterian, white plains collection, and white plains history.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Jazz Fest 2017 Pt. 5

People & Stories Oral History Project: Jazz Fest 2017 Pt. 5

We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ArtsWestchester, The City of White Plains, and the White Plains Business Improvement District on White Plains Jazz Fest 2017! Below is a clip from the People & Stories Oral History Project, Jazz Fest edition. Each of the clips we post between now and September will include stories and music from musicians who live locally, but have performed all over the world. Tom Van Buren, of ArtsWestchester, co-produced the interviews. Check out the Jazz Fest 2017 webpage for tickets and more information about all the great music happening September 13-17, 2017. Daniel Freiberg
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September 11, 2017 12:30 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Oral History.
Tags: and WPBID., ArtsWestchester, Daniel Freiberg, jazz, Jazz Fest, Jazz Fest 2017, local-history, oral history, People & Stories, westchester history, white plains collection, white plains history, and White Plains Jazz Fest.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Jazz Fest 2017 Pt. 2

People & Stories Oral History Project: Jazz Fest 2017 Pt. 2

We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ArtsWestchester, The City of White Plains, and the White Plains Business Improvement District on White Plains Jazz Fest 2017! Below is a clip from the People & Stories Oral History Project, Jazz Fest edition. Each of the clips we post between now and September will include stories and music from musicians who live locally, but have performed all over the world. Tom Van Buren, of ArtsWestchester, co-produced the interviews. Check out the Jazz Fest 2017 webpage for tickets and more information about all the great music happening September 13-17, 2017.    
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August 22, 2017 5:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Oral History.
Tags: ArtsWestchester, Jake Robinson, jazz, Jazz Fest, Jazz Fest 2017, local-history, oral history, People & Stories, westchester history, white plains collection, white plains history, White Plains Jazz Fest, and WPBID.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Jazz Fest 2017 Pt. 1

People & Stories Oral History Project: Jazz Fest 2017 Pt. 1

We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ArtsWestchester, The City of White Plains, and the White Plains Business Improvement District on White Plains Jazz Fest 2017! Below is a clip from the People & Stories Oral History Project, Jazz Fest edition. Each of the clips we post between now and September will include stories and music from musicians who live locally, but have performed all over the world. Tom Van Buren, of ArtsWestchester, co-produced the interviews. Check out the Jazz Fest 2017 webpage for tickets and more information about all the great music happening September 13-17, 2017.    
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August 15, 2017 9:48 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History and Oral History.
Tags: ArtsWestchester, Glenda Davenport, jazz, Jazz Fest, local-history, music, oral history, People & Stories, white plains collection, white plains history, White Plains Jazz Fest, and WPBID.

Local History: School’s Out, Pt. 1

Local History: School’s Out, Pt. 1

The late 1960s was a time of increasing consciousness about racial issues in the United States. The mainstream civil rights movement won victories in 1964 and 1965 with large pieces of Federal legislation like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. By 1968, however, because of issues like Vietnam, economic injustice, the conditions of urban life, and the nature of black identity some people questioned how much progress had really been made. The civil rights movement itself was fractured. Some advocated equality and integration within the framework of American society. Others, generally younger activists, promoted black power or
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July 21, 2017 5:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: African-American History, Black History, boycotts, civil rights, local-history, race relations, racial balance plan, Reporter Dispatch, school, strikes, students, teachers, white plains collection, White Plains High School, and white plains history.

Local History: Bakers & Barbers

Local History: Bakers & Barbers

Two significant strikes affected daily life in White Plains during the 1950s. In July 1951, “a possible but not acute shortage of bread supplies” was predicted by the Reporter DIspatch due to the strike of thousands of AFL International Brotherhood of Teamsters truck drivers against 16 large companies. Those companies produced 80% of the pre-wrapped bread loaves in the New York metropolitan area. The shortage that developed over the course of the nine-day strike caused one reporter in White Plains to be reminded of “scenes of wartime shortages.” The strike began because the companies refused the union's demand for a
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July 7, 2017 10:21 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: AFL, bakeries, barbers, barbershops, bread, food, groceries, international brotherhood of teamsters, journeymen, labor disputes, labor unions, local-history, markets, shortages, strikes, supermarkets, white plains collection, and white plains history.

Local History: Murals

Local History: Murals

As the renovations continue and you rediscover the main floor of our library, we hope you look up–you'll see three unique murals. Hung high over the east wing (sit back in one of our new lounge chairs!) are murals by two artists who called White Plains home: Edmund F. Ward and Stanley P. Klimley. That's Klimley on the left standing in front of his mural when it was still in the lobby of the White Plains Hotel (image courtesy of the Westchester County Historical Society). Check out information on the artists and their works below!   White Plains resident and
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June 12, 2017 3:42 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: american history, art and artists, battle of white plains, dorothy klimley, edmund f ward, edmund franklin ward, historical murals, local-history, murals, Revolutionary War, rip van winkle, stanley p klimley, the legend of sleepy hollow, washington irving, white plains collection, and white plains history.

Local History: Remembering Jack Harrington

Local History: Remembering Jack Harrington

Local history legend Jack Harrington passed away on Sunday, May 14, at age 97. As a tireless advocate of preservation and conservation (historical and environmental), Harrington knew more about White Plains than just about anybody. To learn more about his life and legacy, check out his oral histories on our website or contact the White Plains Historical Society.
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May 22, 2017 3:05 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: conservation, greenway, jack harrington, local-history, oral history, People & Stories, preservation, white plains historical society, and white plains history.

Local History: Almanacks & Almanacs

Local History: Almanacks & Almanacs

Almanacs (sometimes spelled with a “k”) are an American institution. Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack and The Farmer's Almanac are the best-known examples, but thousands of other more particular, peculiar, and provincial almanacs have been published since the genre was established in the 17th century (the Library of Congress' American Almanac Collection contains 3,986 unique titles). To view some almanacs online, view the results of this basic search on the Digital Public Library of America's site, which produced over 2,000 results. Viewing the results in the timeline view shows the majority of items come from the 19th century, which comports with
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April 28, 2017 5:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: almanacks, almanacs, local-history, People & Stories, poor heathcotes almanac, poor richards almanac, the old farmers almanac, westchester county almanac, Westchester Hills Golf Club, white plains collection, and white plains history.