In 1824, the French aristocrat Lafayette (Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette), who had played a key role in securing victory over the British during the American Revolution, was invited by President James Monroe to visit the United States, then about to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Upon his arrival on Staten Island, the general was greeted with open arms. He had been a favorite of General Washington, who had acted as a surrogate father to the young Lafayette.
As an advocate for democracy in both the American colonies and in France, and a proponent of abolition, the Frenchman was warmly welcomed on a thirteen-month tour of the United States. His visit spanned a highly controversial 1824 presidential election season in which the House of Representatives selected John Quincy Adams over the highest vote-getter, Andrew Jackson. Lafayette has been seen by historians as a uniting force, whose presence served to remind Americans of their mutual bonds. [Read more…] about Lafayette’s 1824-25 Farewell Tour Commemoration (A Virtual Talk)
Martin V. Melosi’s new book Fresh Kills: A History of Consuming and Discarding in New York City (Columbia University Press, 2020) tells the story of Fresh Kills ― a monumental 2,200-acre site on Staten Island ― that was once the world’s largest landfill.
Bill Miller, knwon as “Mr. Ocean Liner,” is set to give a talk, Floating Palaces: The Great Atlantic Liners, on Thursday, January 30th, from 6 to 8 pm, at the National Lighthouse Museum in Staten Island.
This episode of the podcast Someone Lived Here explores Sailors’ Snug Harbor on Staten Island, for more than a century a charity operated retirement home for sailors.
The National Lighthouse Museum’s Great Staten Island Lighthouse Boat Tour has been set for Sunday, September 15th, from 11 am to 2 pm. The tour will encircle Staten Island, looking at critical points of maritime interest and the historically rich Shooters, Prall, Hoffman and Swineburn Islands. 
The National Lighthouse Museum in Staten Island has announced their yearly Lighthouse Week is set to begin on August 2nd, with the 9th Annual Light Keepers’ Gala.
Someone Lived Here is a non-fiction podcast that tells the stories of New York’s most interesting people, by touring through their homes. Host Kendra Gaylord walks listeners through homes, lighthouses, and mansions while telling of the complicated lives of the women and men who lived there. 
Twenty-five teenagers from United Community Centers youth groups in East New York, Brooklyn were amazed to learn that not only was there slavery in Brooklyn during the Revolutionary era, but that the New Lots African burial ground was now covered over by a park across the street from their community center, a park named after the Schenk slave holding family.
The National Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island, NY is continuing its educational lecture series with “The Lost Lighthouses of Staten Island” on Thursday, April 4, 2019, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Museum.