The Westchester County Historical Society has published its spring issue of “The Westchester Historian” (Volume 94, Number 2), with a feature article describing the 12 visits that Martin Luther King Jr. made to Westchester County between 1956 and 1967.
Author Andy Bass traces the dozen times King came to the county at the invitation of local individuals and organizations. A few of the visits were to the private homes of friends and collaborators, while others involved addresses to large gatherings at churches and fundraisers. The 30-page article with 232 footnotes, “Martin Luther King, Jr.: Visits to Westchester 1956-1967,” is accompanied by 22 photographs, including six of King in Westchester during his various visits.
When asked how he came to research this topic, Bass said: “I had done a piece three years ago about King’s visit to Scarsdale, and became curious about his other visits to the county since little to nothing had been written about them in the intervening decades. King visited few other counties in the nation as many as 12 times.”
Executive Director Katherine Hite added: “The 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. inspired us to explore this significant connection linking Westchester County to the life and legacy of this civil rights leader.”
Bass has researched and written on a variety of subjects related to Westchester County history for various publications. Previous topics include the filming of the John Frankenheimer film “Seconds,” the Heathcote Station of the New York Westchester and Boston Railway, and the Boulder Brook Club. He has also prepared three National Register nominations that each resulted in findings of National Register eligibility by the New York State Historic Preservation Office. He is currently researching Jackie Robinson’s ties to and experiences in Westchester.
The spring 2018 issue is available to subscribers as a benefit of membership at the $50 or higher level, at libraries throughout Westchester County, as a single issue for $10 at the WCHS office at 2199 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford (Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), through the WCHS online store (www.westchesterhistory.com), or by calling the WCHS office at 914-592-4323.
The award-winning “Westchester Historian” has continuously published the latest scholarly research on Westchester County since 1925. Established in 1874, The Westchester County Historical Society is one of the oldest historical societies in America and the only organization that collects and promotes the countywide history of Westchester.
