Wayside Cottage

Wayside Cottage, located at White Plains Post Road, Scarsdale, is a historic home in Westchester County that is believed to have been built in 1717. It started off as a one room farmhouse and over the centuries has evolved into an inn, post office, tavern, clubhouse, library, and historical museum. Besides the cottage's rich evolving history, historians also believe Wayside is the oldest landmark in the Village of Scarsdale.

Wayside Cottage, located in the Village of Scarsdale, was originally built by Edmund Tompkins in 1717 on his 100 acre plot of land. The cottage changed owners several times. Then in 1761 James Varian and his family moved from New York City, which had just been captured by the British, to the Wayside Cottage, which was "neutral" ground. The Varians were patriots during the American Revolution, and James performed active military service. James's son Jonathan turned the Wayside Cottage into a drovers inn, where traveling beef cattle could feed on the adjoining pastures before journeying to the New York market. It also served as a private residence until 1851. The Varians owned the home for over 90 years, longer than any owner in its history.

In 1853, entrepreneur Charles Butler bought Wayside as a country estate. In the late 1860's it was occupied by his nephew Benjamin F. Butler, Jr. and his wife Ellen, who first gave the house the name Wayside Cottage. When he died the land passed on to his daughter Emily. In 1917, during the middle of World War I, Emily gave 30 acres of the land of Wayside Cottage to the residents of Scarsdale to form a farming community.

When Emily Butler died in 1919, the Scarsdale Women's Club used the cottage as its clubhouse. In 1928 the Woman's Club moved to a larger headquarters and Wayside became the home of the Scarsdale Library. In 1951 the Scarsdale Library decided to move to a larger building and the Junior League of Scarsdale (now known as The Junior League of Central Westchester) became the new managers.

Today Wayside is the oldest landmark in the village of Scarsdale and one of the oldest preserved residences in the United States. Now managed by the Junior League of Central Westchester, Wayside serves many purposes. There are tours of the cottage given to school children to learn about colonial life. In addition, the cottage is available for rent for social and community events. The Wayside Cottage has evolved and changed its appearance a lot throughout 1717 from a one room farmhouse, to an inn, tavern, post office, and library.

1. Williams, Gary. Jackson, Kenneth T. . Picturing Our Past National Register Sites in Westchester County. New York. 2003.
2. Wayside Cottage, Junior League of Central Westchester. Accessed May 7th 2020. https://www.jlcentralwestchester.org/about-us/wayside-cottage/.
3. Hansen, Harry (1954). Scarsdale: From Colonial Manor to Modern Community, Harper & Brothers.