ROOTED HERE
The history of White Plains
White Plains is Westchester County’s seat and a regional commercial center. Mamaroneck Avenue and the surrounding downtown streets connect restaurants and shops with the city’s civic and cultural life.
People who shaped White Plains
These milestones are an introduction, not a complete local history. Follow the linked city and museum sources to explore the people and places behind them.Read the local historical account.
Watch the city’s history
FROM THE ARCHIVES
White Plains, NY in the 20th Century
The public library presents a visual account of twentieth-century White Plains.
Watch on YouTube ↗
FROM THE ARCHIVES
The Birth of New York in White Plains
The White Plains Public Library explains why New York’s 1776 approval of the Declaration of Independence at the White Plains courthouse mattered.
Watch on YouTube ↗
FROM THE ARCHIVES
The Battle of White Plains
The White Plains Public Library’s overview of the 1776 Battle of White Plains and the wider invasion of New York.
Watch on YouTube ↗Famous people born in White Plains
See all 48 famous people
- Before the colonial town
Weckquaesgeek homelands
The area was the traditional land of the Weckquaesgeek people. The White Plains name comes from the Munsee word Quarropas, associated with white fog over the marsh; the name survives in a downtown street.
City of White Plains: New York State DRI strategic investment plan ↗ - 1683
The first colonial settlement
Connecticut Puritans from Rye made the first non-Native settlement in November 1683, buying about 4,400 acres. Competing land claims were not settled until a royal patent for White Plains in 1721.
Wikipedia: White Plains, New York ↗ - 1757
A county seat
White Plains became the seat of Westchester County. County institutions later helped support the legal and banking businesses that became important to its downtown.
City of White Plains: New York State DRI strategic investment plan ↗ - 1776
Independence and battle
New York’s provincial representatives approved independence in White Plains in July. Later that year, George Washington’s Continental Army fought British forces around Battle Hill and Dusenbury Hill.
City of White Plains: New York State DRI strategic investment plan ↗ - 1778
Washington at the Purdy House
The Jacob Purdy House is documented as George Washington’s headquarters from July 23 to September 16, 1778. Saved from demolition in the 1960s, the house was moved to Park Avenue and deeded to the city in 1973.
White Plains Historical Society ↗ - 1844–1866
Railroad and village government
The New York and Harlem Railroad arrived in 1844, drawing businesses toward Railroad Avenue, now Main Street. White Plains incorporated as a village in 1866.
City of White Plains: New York State DRI strategic investment plan ↗ - 1916
A city serving Westchester
White Plains became a city in 1916. Its county-seat functions and railway connection continued to shape a growing center of offices, shops and services.
City of White Plains: New York State DRI strategic investment plan ↗ - 1949
A suburban shopping destination
After World War II, downtown White Plains became a shopping district with branches of famous New York stores. Macy’s opened a grand Main Street store in 1949, followed by stores including Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor.
Wikipedia: White Plains, New York ↗ - 1966–1980
Urban renewal
During the urban renewal era, 130 acres of homes and businesses were demolished to expand the central business district. The program culminated in the Galleria mall, which closed in 2023.
New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative: White Plains strategic investment plan ↗
See the history for yourself.
Check current opening hours and visitor information before you go: local cultural and visitor information.
For local services and public information, the local government website is a starting point. For historical research, consult local libraries, archives and museums and check collection-specific image permissions.
Selected milestones from the linked historical sources. This is an introduction, not a complete account of the city’s history.