Ring in the spirit of the season and join us for a festive Holiday Tea Party in true Victorian Style at Larchmont’s oldest and most historic home, the Manor House. Guests are invited to see this grand old estate beautifully draped in Christmas décor, learn about tradi-tional Victorian holi-

day practices and enjoy an old-fashioned tea with delicious seasonal treats. Hostesses and entertainers will be donned in period costumes as we illuminate what the holidays were like in our Village over 100 years ago.

C o m e C e l e b r a t e t h e H o l i d a y s ! V i c t o r i a n H o l i d a y T e a a t t h e M a n o r

H o u s e o n D e c e m b e r 9 t h

T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E L A R C H M O N T H I S T O R I A L S O C I E T Y

The Gazebo Gazette December 2007 The Gazebo Gazette

• Date: Sunday, December 9th

• Time: 2 pm

• Place: Manor House, 18 Elm Avenue

• Cost: $25.00 for LHS members/$30.00 for non-members

• R.S.V.P. Dee van Eyck 834-0449. Reservations are required

Checks should be made payable to The Larchmont Historical Society and mailed to: Holiday Tea”; LHS, P.O. Box 742; Larchmont, NY 10538

The Manor House has been featured several times on our Annual House Tour and is Larchmont’s only remain-ing 18th century estate. Built in 1797 by Peter Jay Munro, nephew of Chief Justice John Jay, the house has changed hands and had several differ-

ent uses over the years but has maintained much of its historic integrity. The Society deeply appreciates the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Carl Olsson for once again opening their doors to share this historic treasure with the Larchmont Historical Society and the Larch-mont community.

When was your house built? Who lived there? As one of the oldest suburbs in the country, Larchmont is full of interest-ing historic homes, each one with a story to tell.

The Century Homes Club celebrates and documents our his-toric homes that are at least 100 years old. Prospective mem-bers submit an application along with 2 pieces of evidence to prove your home has been standing in the same location for at least 100 years.

Request an application by calling 834-2239 or email ar-

chives@larchmonthistory.org. LHS will be happy to research your home for a nominal fee, or you can discover your own homes’ secrets.

There is a $200 membership fee which includes a handsome bronze plaque to display at your home’s an invitation to the festive CHC annual cocktail party and a one-year membership to the LHS.

Join the Century Homes Club

It’s hard to believe that the hustle and bustle of another busy holiday season is already upon us. We hope you can find time to join us at our festive Victorian Holiday Tea next Sunday at Larchmont’s Manor House. It’s sure to be a special treat that fills you with the true spirit of the Season. Much thanks, from all the LHS Trustees, to Carl and Mary Olsson for teaming with us once again, to share their special historic home with the Larchmont community. It certainly is wonderful that some of the custodians of our most historic homes understand the importance of continuing to educate Larchmont about our unique social and architectural history. This is what we strive to achieve through our beloved House Tour each year and the homeowners who understand their role as care-takers of these historical icons are the special ingredient that makes it such a great success. I thank all of you who have already committed to this year’s event and hope that those of you who are still on the fence will continue to consider all the positive benefits of participating in this educational endeavor. On that note, the Annual Spring House Tour Committee is still looking for volunteers; so if you would like to work with an enthusiastic, fun and talented group of people and love the House Tour, please let us know! Interested parties should contact Susan Emery, House Tour Chair at: susanemery@mindspring.com/834-3682. LHS also needs members of the community to join our Museum Planning Committee. We have begun gathering suggestions and information on potential sites and certainly would welcome additional participation and ideas. Don’t forget -- we always welcome volunteers in the Archives – call or email and we’ll respond! We are updating our website as I write this, so remember to check in for upcoming events and that you can also renew your membership dues online! We have exciting plans for the second half of the year, and the website is a great way to stay on top of the latest news! As always, thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at the Tea or one of our events soon! We wish you warmth and cheer as you celebrate the holiday season with your families and friends. Barbara Rewey Newman

M e s s a g e f r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t : B a r b a r a R . N e w m a n

T h e G a z e b o G a z e t t e

Published by: The Larchmont Historical Society

P.O. Box 742, Larchmont, NY 10538 Editor: Nancy White

Contributors: Elaine Everhart, Teresa Laughlin, Roberta Warren

Officers and Board of Trustees: Barbara R. Newman, President

Lauren Gottfried, 1st VP, Membership Dee van Eyck, 2nd VP, Programs

Cate Jarrett, Recording Secretary George Berridge, Treasurer

Ned Benton Kate Kelly William Byrne Mary McGahan Stacy Caffrey Norma Perciasepe Barbara Coyne Patricia Roberts Manual Delgado Colette Rodbell Susan Emery Melissa Schoen Andrew Francella Judith Doolin Spikes Margi Gristina Roberta Warren Peggy Kahn Nancy White Pier Witek

The Larchmont Historical Society was founded in

1980 and chartered in 1981 as a not-for-profit

educational corporation by the New York State

Board of Regents to discover, preserve and

disseminate information concerning the natural,

social, and civic history of Larchmont, and to

promote the preservation of local historical sites

and structures. The Society maintains an archives

in the Mamaroneck Town Center, 740 W. Boston

Post Rd., Mamaroneck; publishes a newsletter;,

offers programs; conducts tours for school chil-

dren and adults; and offers outreach lectures to

other community groups. The newsletter is

published to provide news of the Society and

occasional articles of related interest. Opinions

expressed are those of their authors; publication

should not be construed as endorsement by the

Society.

We’re Online!

Visit us Virtually at: Larchmonthistory.org

Vist our ONLINE PHOTO MUSEUM.

Learn about LHS and our ACTIVITES. Check out our CALENDAR OF EVENTS to find out about UPCOMING PRO-

GRAMS

LOVE LARCHMONT HISTORY?

JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2007/08.

Find out how to MAKE A DONATION, GET INVOLVED, VOLUNTEER for a

research project, etc., ALL ONLINE

Christmases in Larchmont at the turn of the century were “all white Christmases, “ and the scene which greeted the eyes of householders looking out of their windows in those days was similar in many respects to a present-day Christmas scene in rural New England. The countryside was only sparsely settled, showing sweeping vistas of snow-covered fields, broken here and there only by the tracks of the horse-drawn sleighs carrying families to church and to Christmas gatherings.

For the children, Christmas in all its whiteness was a great joy. The presents they most desired, of course, were sleds and skates which were always put to immediate use. Those were the days before the “Flexible Flyer, “ the days when sleds had individuality! They were made of wood with tin or iron runners, and varied in length, color and height. Sleds in hand, Johnny and Jane would visit their neighbors to com-pare sleds, to see who had the “biggest and best.” Then off they would go, for the entire village was open sledding coun-try. Or with their new skates (clamp type for the little folks), they would gather at the ponds which were scattered through the low areas of the village, but which have since disap-peared as the Village has grown. The writer recalls vividly his first sled, which he received at this farmhouse home; it must have been no more than two feet long and yet he showed it with great pride to his playmates in the area, among whom were Colby and Loring Van Dam, sons of Dorothy Dare, the well-known actress, whose home was on Willow Avenue.

The older children together with the grown-ups would gather at the mill pond for a sociable afternoon on Sunday of Christ-mas week, while on other days many straw rides would wind their way through Larchmont streets and the surrounding countryside. The jingling bells of the sleighs mingling with the singing of the riders was indeed pleasant to hear.

On Christmas Eve, all the children of Larchmont, regardless of their religious preferences, were invited to Christmas par-ties at the churches, at which hymns were sung around the Christmas tree which was illuminated with wax candles. Presents of candy and toys were then distributed to each happy child.

C h r i s t m a s I n o l d L a r c h m o n t R e p r i n t e d f r o m L a r c h m o n t T i m e s

D e c e m b e r 2 2 , 1 9 4 9

P a g e 3

During the week there were social gatherings and the cotil-lions held at several homes were greatly enjoyed. These were “dress-up” affairs, and the dances in vogue were of the square-dance variety.

Christmas week usually ended with “Open House” at the “Manor House” where Larchmonters gathered on New Year’s Day to partake of the excellent eggnogs which Wesley Olers so graciously provided in their historic old colonial, high-ceilinged mansion. By Philip Severin

Philip Severin wrote this article as part of his “Old Larch-mont” series, all of which are available at the archives. Philip moved to Larchmont in 1899. He and his brother Emil were partners of the Severin Co.,(real estate) founded in 1899 by Frederick D. Boehm. The office was located where the Catery is located today, at the station stairs.

Thanks to an astute reader who correctly identi-fied our “mystery guest” at the CHC cocktail party in October. From left to right: Stephen Bauer, George Berridge, LHS Board member and Treasurer, Ned Benton, LHS Board member

VIST US VIRTUALLY AT WWW.LARCHMONTHISTORY.ORG

Membership Form

Please enroll me as a member of the Larchmont Historical Society. My tax-deductible dues for one year are en-closed. Annual membership year is: September 2007 - June 2008. __New Member __ Renewing Member Please indicate membership category: __Individual $ 15 Make checks payable & mail to: __Family $ 25 __Senior (65+)& Student $ 5 The Larchmont Historical Society __Institutional or Business $ 40 P.O. Box 742 __Sustaining $ 50 Larchmont, NY 10538 __Life (individual only) $150 I would like to volunteer to help on the following committee(s): __Spring House Tour ___Museum Planning ___Grant Research/Writing __Membership ___Museum Capital Campaign ___Century Homes Club __Exhibits ___Newsletter ___Fundraising __Publicity __Historic Sites ___Monthly Programs __Archives

Name: ___________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________ Telephone:_____________________ E-Mail: ________________________

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Larchmont, NY 10538

Permit No. 366

Larchmont Historical Society

PO Box 742 Larchmont, NY 10538