The Town of North Castle (26 square miles) includes the unincorporated hamlets of Armonk, Banksville and North White Plains. Although residential, North Castle retains a rural makeup thanks to cautious zoning; most housing lots require 2 acres and some even 4 acres. With a particularly fine reputation for its Byram Hills school district, the town services Armonk, Banksville and parts of Pleasantville, Bedford & Chappaqua. An innovation organization, the Byram Hills Pre-School Association, provides an educational and social network for parents of pre-schools children. The area was first settled in 1644 by Europeans. By 1700, King William III bestowed 3 royal grants unto his favorites: West Patent (New Castle and Western North Castle), Middle Patent (eastern part of North Castle) and  East Patent (Pound Ridge). An Indian fort at what is now IBM looked like a castle and early settlers called it the "North Castle". North Castle was a sanctuary for those escaping religious persecution from New England and Long Island. From 1800 to 1865, agriculture was the main staple, supplemented by shirt and shoemaking. In 1861, the Quarry Heights and the Kensico sections of North Castle became North White Plains. During the Civil War, Armonk was an important stop along the underground railroad. Attempts to build the railroad (above ground one!) through Windmill Farms in 1867 met with local resistance and financial difficulty, so North Castle remained fairly isolated until NYC decided to buy up the Kensico Reservoir in 1900. From 1900 to 1915, the Kensico Dam was constructed with granite from North Castle quarries. Wealth New Yorkers bought up country estates for horse breeding and gardening. In the 1920's and 30's, a small airport in Armonk featured stunt flying, parachuting, flying lessons and barnstorming. As the airport became more popular, it attracted famous flyers; Charles Lindberg flew into Armonk in August 1928 and stayed overnight. On weekends, traffic would sometimes be backed up for miles in all directions, awaiting to see the aerial antics. Roadside refreshment stands flourished, and after Prohibition they opened up as bars. At one time, there were as many as 19 bars and the hamlet was dubbed "Barmonk." Armonk also became the center for weekly dances, especially at the Mechanics Hall which was located across from the Fire House. When Big Band music entered the scene in the 30's, Westchester was called the cradle of swing; Log Cabin was one of the more popular haunts with an estimated i million customers a year by Fortune Magazine. Land developers descended upon Armonk in the late 1920's; they wanted to create colonies for "property connected" people. the Whippoorwill area was built up and featured a country club which was taken over by the bank during the depression. From 1941 to 1957, large parcels of North Castle were bought by land developers. Windmill Farms, one of the largest, had 300 homes built on 100% acres by Dr. Carl Paterno. Armonk was considered as a site for the headquarters of the United Nations in 1948, but the community objected. However, the town embraced IBM's idea to build their headquarters here in the 1950's.
 

This is an excerpt taken from: "The Best of Westchester" by Marian Hamilton, Marken Publishing, Armonk, NY