Welcome to the Westchester County Historical Society

Stories about the people and events that have shaped Westchester's rich history come alive at the Westchester County Historical Society. Our library, Westchester's largest collection of local history, covers the County's development from the first Dutch settlers in Yonkers to the most recent corporate settlers on the White Plains corridor.

History is
Alive
in Westchester

WCHS was founded in 1874 as a member-based, not-for-profit agency incorporated by the State of New York to serve the people of Westchester. The mission of WCHS is to collect and preserve books and pamphlets, maps, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, and periodicals pertaining to the history of Westchester County, to promote the knowledge and understanding of that history, and to advocate for the preservation of the county's architectural heritage.