New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

American Revolution

New Windsor, Knox’s Headquarters Independence Days

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The New Windsor Cantonment and Knox’s Headquarters will present a weekend filled with Revolutionary War activities July 3rd and 4th, 2010. Throughout the celebration, authentically dressed soldiers and civilians will share stories of life from that exciting time. In addition, at the New Windsor Cantonment, there will be cannon and musket firings each day at 2:00 P.M. as well as blacksmithing and children’s activities. At Knox’s Headquarters, visitors may tour the beautiful 1754 Ellison House and watch as a small cannon is fired at 1:30 P.M. and 3:30 P.M. each day.

On the 4th, at 3:00 P.M., New Windsor Cantonment invites the audience to help read the Declaration of Independence, the revolutionary document that inspired the holiday. Following the reading, the 7th Massachusetts Regiment will fire a “feu-de-joie,” a ceremonial firing of muskets in honor of independence.

Knox’s Headquarters, the Ellison House, honors the site’s namesake General Henry Knox, Washington’s Chief of Artillery, with the firing of a 4 1/2 ” bronze coehorn mortar at 1:30 P.M. and 3:30 P.M on Saturday July 3 and Sunday July 4. This mortar, designed to be carried by two men, fired a grenade size exploding ball. John and Catherine Ellison were gracious hosts to three Continental Army generals at different times during the Revolutionary War.

Admission is free.

Both New Windsor Cantonment and Knox’s Headquarters will be open Saturday July 3rd, 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. and Sunday July 4th, 1:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.

For more information, please call New Windsor Cantonment at (845) 561-1765 or Knox’s Headquarters at (845) 561-5498.

New Windsor Cantonment is located with the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor on Route 300 (374 Temple Hill Road) in the Town of New Windsor, four miles east of Stewart Airport. It is three miles from the intersection of I-87 and I-84 in Newburgh, New York. Knox’s Headquarters is located, a mile away from the New Windsor Cantonment, at the intersection of Route 94 and Forge Hill Road in Vails Gate.

Photo: 2nd Continental Artillery Soldiers Load a Replica British Cannon

Abenaki Focus of Vermont July 4th Event

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On the anniversary of American independence, a historical re-enactor will visit one of the historic sites from that period and detail its connections to the Native Americans who also inhabited the area.

Wes “Red Hawk” Dikeman of Ticonderoga, New York, will be coming to the Mount Independence State Historic Site on Saturday, July 3, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. to share his extensive knowledge about the Abenaki connections to the area in the American Revolution and as first inhabitants. [Read more…] about Abenaki Focus of Vermont July 4th Event

Ranger Guided Evening Strolls at Saratoga Battlefield

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National Park Service Rangers will be leading walks through the historic landscape of Saratoga National Historical Park in Stillwater on July 10th, 17th and 24th, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Water bottles, bug repellant, and comfortable walking shoes are suggested. The programs are free of charge.

July 10th — Mud and Misery: Visit the newest site of Saratoga NHP—Victory Woods. Join Park Ranger Joe Craig to find out about the dismal final days of the defeated British army on the ground they occupied. Meet at Saratoga Monument, located off Rte. 338 (Burgoyne Road) in Schuylerville. 6:30-7:30pm

July 17th — “Brother, can you spare a dime?” The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) came at a time when our nation needed a major economic “shot in the arm.” One of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s brilliant but controversial initiatives, the CCC didn’t just put thousands of young laborers and professionals to work; it catapulted America’s conservation movement far ahead of its time. What impacts did the CCC have on Saratoga Battlefield? Join Park Ranger Bill Valosin and find out more! Meet at the visitor center flagpole. 6:30-7:30pm

July 24th — “I don’t think he would accept second in command in Heaven.” Join Park Ranger Eric Schnitzer and learn about the significant role played by America’s most infamous traitor, Benedict Arnold, in the 1777 Battles of Saratoga. Meet at the visitor center flagpole. 6:30-7:30pm

Saratoga National Historical Park presents special interpretive events and programs
throughout the year. For further information about this and other programs, please call
(518) 664-9821 ext. 224 or check their Web site at www.nps.gov/sara.

Vermont Days Events at Western VT Historic Sites

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Vermont Days, June 12 and 13, a weekend of free admission at the Vermont State Historic Sites and State Parks, will be the occasion for a number of special events at the Mount Independence, Hubbardton Battlefield, and Chimney Point State Historic Sites. All events are free and open to the public. [Read more…] about Vermont Days Events at Western VT Historic Sites

Saratoga National Historical Park Opens New Area

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Tomorrow, Saturday, June 5 at 11am, at Saratoga Monument on Burgoyne Street in the Village of Victory, Saratoga National Historical Park will host a grand-opening of “Victory Woods”, a new park site featuring a fully accessible boardwalk trail just south of Saratoga Monument. After opening remarks, there will be a guided hike, a reception with dozens of community organizations and light refreshments.

The 22-acre parcel now called Victory Woods, was donated to the park from Victory Mills Packaging in the 1970s, but could not be developed until 2005 when the park secured a management plan and necessary funding. Since then, the park moved ahead with archeological and landscape assessments, research, public workshops, design and construction plans. The park worked closely with the Prospect Hill Cemetery Association and the Village of Victory – two vital partners that provided access to link the site with the Saratoga Monument.

One of the most attention-grabbing findings during archeology work were artifacts found from indigenous peoples between 5,000 and 8,000 years ago, yet remains from the 1777 British occupation were lost to archeological looting over the years. The loss of this archeological record is significant, although archival documents from the period were extensively researched resulting in a series of exhibit panels that paint a vivid picture of the final days of the British Army in Victory Woods.

The event will kick off with comments by local officials, a ranger talk about the site’s dramatic history and ribbon cutting. Then participants will join park rangers for a walk along the 1-mile round-trip trail. A bus will be available to bring visitors with special mobility needs to the accessible boardwalk section of the trail. Both groups will meet there for a ribbon cutting of the accessible boardwalk trail section.

After June 5, the trail will be open daily from dawn to dusk and occasional ranger-guided walks will be scheduled throughout the summer. Soon, the trail will also link with the Champlain Canal Trail and other developing trails in the area. For more information, please contact the Visitor Center by calling 518-664-9821 ext. 224, or check the Park website at www.nps.gov/sara

Washington’s Headquarters Open for the Season

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Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh, Orange County, has opened its doors to a new season of guided tours, entertaining programs and special events. The site will be open each Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM and Sunday, 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM, and closed every Monday and Tuesday, until October 31st. There is a small admission fee for tours and programs.

Throughout the season, guest speakers will periodically offer presentations dealing with the Hudson Valley’s historic importance, not only during the Revolutionary War, but prior to it and after, in the period of national expansion. The 2010 schedule follows.

August 7th: Badge of Military Merit Day

August 28: Kites Over The Hudson

September 13: Cornelia Tappan Clinton: A First Person Experience (as part of the Dutch Ramble)

September 19: Tryntje Hasbrouck: First Person Experience (as part of the Revolutionary War Ramble)

October 15 and 16: A Night At The Headquarters

December 12: Warm up at the Washington’s (as part of the Newburgh Historical House Tours)

December 27 through the 30: Winter Welcome Week

For more information about visiting Washington’s Headquarters, contact the Museum office at 845-562-1195.

Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site is part of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which administers 28 parks, parkways, and historic sites for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in New York as well as the Palisades Interstate Park and parkway in New Jersey. For more information about New York State parks and historic sites, visit www.nysparks.com and for more information about the Palisades Interstate Park parks and historic sites, visit www.palisadesparksconservancy.org

Vermont’s State Historic Sites Prepare For Opening Weekend

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As the unofficial start of summer – Memorial Day weekend – approaches, so does the opening day for most of Vermont’s Historic Sites.

Most of the state-owned historic sites – President Calvin Coolidge, Mount Independence, Justin Morrill Homestead, Hubbardton Battlefield, Eureka Schoolhouse, Old Constitution House, and Chimney Point State Historic Sites – open for the 2010 season on Saturday, May 29. [Read more…] about Vermont’s State Historic Sites Prepare For Opening Weekend

New Smartphone Experience For Lake Champlain History

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The Ethan Allen Homestead Historic Site and Museum has created “Ethan & the Boys @ Fort Crown Point” which uses smartphones to tell the tale of the Green Mountain Boys and their capture of the New York Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point. The cannon “liberated” at those forts were delivered to George Washington in Boston to end the British siege. [Read more…] about New Smartphone Experience For Lake Champlain History

Mount Independence Named Best History Hike

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The Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell, Vermont has been recognized as a 2010 Editors’ Choice in Yankee Magazine’s Travel Guide to New England.

This designation is awarded by Yankee’s editors and contributors, who name select restaurants, lodgings, and attractions in New England to the list. Recipients range from the rustic to the refined, but all are noteworthy and memorable destinations. [Read more…] about Mount Independence Named Best History Hike

Bennington Battle Monument Opens for 2010

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Vermont’s tallest building is opening for business again, as the Bennington Battle Monument begins its season on Saturday, April 17. Built to commemorate the August 16th, 1777 Battle of Bennington – which actually took place in nearby Walloomsac, New York – this Vermont State Historic Site opened to the public in 1891, some four years after construction began in 1887, at a cost of $112,000.

The monument, a 306-foot stone obelisk, was constructed on the site of a Continental military storehouse that was the objective of the British attack. With his army short of ammunition, food and arms, British General John Burgoyne decided to attack the town of Bennington and capture the storehouse and its supplies, sending about 800 men into battle against what he thought was a militia force about half that size. [Read more…] about Bennington Battle Monument Opens for 2010