The history of Pleasantville is a rich patriotic fabric woven with the arrival of the first tenant farmers and laborers during Dutch Manor rule. During the Revolutionary War, local militias were critical in the capture of British spy Maj. John Andre. The construction of the railroad in 1846 opened new markets for farmers and attracted many New York City professionals wanting an idyllic countryside family setting. It also initiated the tradition of the daily commuter. In 1908, the wealthy Manville family moved to the village, and the 1928 wedding of their daughter to the Count Folke Bernadotte...

Mount Pleasant has deep American roots going back to the Revolutionary War, when local tenant farmers filled the ranks of General Washington's Continental army. For years, travel to New York City was difficult, until the arrival of the railroad in 1846 allowed easy transportation to lower Manhattan. In 1893, John D. Rockefeller Sr. began buying land in Pocantico and built his classic Georgian mansion. The massive Kensico Dam in Valhalla was completed in 1917 to satisfy the growing thirst of New York City. In 1927, Rose Hawthorne, the daughter of writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, completed the...