Briarcliff History Timeline

Thank you to the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society for creating this timeline for the Village. For more information on the history of Briarcliff Manor please take a look at the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society's website

BRIARCLIFF MANOR HISTORY TIMELINE

Late 17th Century.  The area, which is now Briarcliff Manor was originally settled by the Sint Sinck Indians. It was purchased from Weskora, the tribal sachem, and the land became part of the Royal English Patent given to Frederick Philipse.

1775-1783. Revolutionary War.  Apart from frequent raids by cowboys and skinners, irregulars who stole and plundered from both sides little happened in Briarcliff Manor. Since the Philipse family was loyal to the English Crown during the War the land was seized from them and sold to those loyal to the American cause.

1820. Whitson’s Corner was established by John Whitson who built “The Crossways” at the corner of South State Road and Pleasantville Road. It served as the first post office for the area.

1839. St. Mary’s Episcopal Church of Scarborough is established and starts the first school in the area to educate children of the workers of the Croton Aqueduct.

1848. All Saints Episcopal Church is established by Rev. John David Ogilby who named his property Brier Cliff after his family home in Ireland. The name would later become Briarcliff and eventually Briarcliff Manor.

1860. Walter William Law arrives in the US and shortly afterwards (1861) begins working for the firm of W.&J. Sloane where he will continue to work there for forty years eventually becoming a partner. Law will later (1886) marry Georgiana Ransom. Seven children are born between 1866 and 1880

1865. A one-room schoolhouse for local children, Whitson’s School, is established on Pleasantville Road.

1875-1912. Long Hill Road School operates at Scarborough Corners.

1881. Putnam Railroad finally operates through Briarcliff Manor.  The stop is called “Whitson’s Station” and the stationmaster and first postmaster is Charles Whitson.

1891. Law retires from W.J. Sloane makes his first land purchase of 233, from James Stillman and takes up residence in Law Manor on Scarborough Road. Soon he has acquired 5,000 acres. Eventually He becomes the largest landowner in Westchester County.

1893. Scarborough Presbyterian Church is dedicated at the corner of Albany Post Road and Scarborough Road.

1896. Briarcliff Congregational Church is built with funding provided by Walter Law. George Todd provides the stones used in its construction.

1898. Law devotes his energies towards the development of Briarcliff Farms. Operations expand greatly and a spur of the Putnam railroad is built to transport produce to New York City. Milk and butter from Briarcliff Farms wins the Gold Medal at the Paris Exposition.

1901. Briarcliff Lodge, the” Hotel Beautiful” opens.

1902.  Briarcliff Manor is incorporated. Four years later, Scarborough is included as part of the incorporated village.

1903. Mrs. Dow’s School for Young Women starts with first class in a new building, which much later becomes the main building in the Pace campus.

1905. Law replaces the old train station with a beautiful new building. The station stop is renamed “Briarcliff Manor”.

1906. The first group of stores are built in “town”.

1907.  Law moves Briarcliff Farms to Pine Plains and begins to develop Briarcliff Manor.

1908. The Briarcliff Trophy Automobile Race is run over a 30-mile course. An estimated 100,000 visitors come to Briarcliff Manor to watch.

1909. A New elementary school is built at 1125 Pleasantville Road. Known as the “Alamo” due to its design.  Community Club takes over the former school building.

1911. Sleepy Hollow Country Club opens in the building known as Woodlea, a grand residence originally built for Col and Mrs. Elliot Shepard.

1913. The Municipal Building (now The Patio) is dedicated. It houses the Fire Dept., Police and Village government.

1914. Briarcliff Public Library starts at the Community Club.

1918. Six acres of land at the corner of Pleasantville Road are dedicated as Liberty Park, later renamed Law Park.

1923.  Chauncey Depew Steele takes over the management of the Briarcliff Lodge.

1924. W.W. Law dies in Summerville, S.C. He and his family are buried in Woodlawn cemetery in the Bronx.   

1926. St. Theresa’s Church is dedicated

1927. First public municipal swimming pool built in Westchester County is opened in Briarcliff.

1933 Mrs. Dow’s School becomes Briarcliff Junior College.

1937. Briarcliff Lodge closes. Property purchased by Edgewood Park College. Later becomes King’s College

1952. Village’s 50th Anniversary is celebrated.

1995.  Former Briarcliff Lodge is abandoned and burns to the ground in 2003.

2002. 100th Anniversary Centennial is celebrated.

2010. Law Park Pavilion is built.

2015.  The upper floor of the Pavilion in Law Memorial Park is seriously damaged by fire and has to be demolished and rebuilt.

2016. Housed within the expanded Briarcliff Manor Public Library building in Law Memorial Park - the William J. Vescio Community Center opens for public use. The Center is now the home to multiple Recreation and Library programs, Village Board and Committee meetings, and is also available for private rental by residents and local community groups. The Center is an adaptive re-use of what was once the Briarcliff Manor Train Station, built in 1909 by Walter Law to serve as the Village's access point to the old Putnam Division railroad (the old railway bed is now the "North County Trailway"). In addition to the Community Center, the Public Library Building also houses the Recreation Department, the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society and, of course the Briarcliff Manor Public Library.

2017.  The restoration and expansion of the Law Memorial Park and Pavilion is complete. The Pavilion is dedicated on Memorial Day.