TOWN OF NORTH CASTLE - TOWN HISTORY
by Doris Finch Watson
Town of North Castle Historian
Nineteenth Century

During the early part of the 19th century, most North Castle residents were farmers, but by 1840 the shoemaking industry had taken hold.   Nearly 300 households were involved in stitching shoes in the evenings for extra income.  Some women had sewing machines and also worked on producing shirts. The Industrial Revolution brought an end to those "cottage industries".

The mid-1800s was a time of change.  The railroad had arrived, but not in North Castle, so stagecoaches traveled to and from the trains.  The center of Armonk was divided into building lots, and lovely homes were built including those in the “Bedford Road Historic District” which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Efforts are underway to continue to preserve this charming streetscape.  

The coming of the railroad and the arrival of the Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of the shift away from the region’s agricultural life and local cottage industries. North Castle suffered economically.  Between 1860 and 1900, North Castle’s population declined from 2,200 to 1,470.