For many years, one of the major civic celebrations in New York City was Evacuation Day, which was celebrated each November 25th to mark the day the Americans secured the city following the end of hostilities with the British. Several years later, President George Washington issued a proclamation decreeing that […]
Gratitude and Joy, Peace and Triumph: New York City’s Evacuation Day
In the wake of the Battle of Fort Washington in November 1776, the British firmly held onto York Island (Manhattan), and would continue to control the island for nearly seven years, well after the Battle of Yorktown and cessation of military operations. Many Loyalist refugees from the colonies had fled […]
The Battle of Fort Washington
Attacks of Fort Washington by his Majesty’s Forces under the command of General Sir William Howe, November 16th, 1776. This view shows the three-pronged attack, with the British (in red) and Hessian (in blue) forces against the Americans (in yellow). It also affords an excellent look at the challenging topography […]
Clinton’s Ditch turned Clinton’s Delight: How the Erie Canal was Built
On the morning of October 26th, 1825, citizens of Buffalo poured into the streets to watch a grand parade designating the opening of the Erie Canal. Following the parade and a series of speeches, a canal boat made of local red cedar called the Seneca Chief, carrying Governor DeWitt Clinton […]
New York’s Old Armories
The New York State Arsenal as it looked during the Civil War (above). In 1861 it was occupied by the 7th New York Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Steuben Regiment (below; the location is often cited as the State Arsenal on 57th Street but this is in error). From Old New […]
The Battle of Brooklyn
In January 1776, George Washington appointed General Charles Lee to oversee the construction of defenses in New York, providing instructions that noted “you are to put that City in the best posture of Defence which the Season and Circumstances will admit of.” Lee recognized that the geography of New York, […]
Map and Plan to Illustrate the Battle of Long Island
As part of the commemoration of the 249th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn (Battle of Long Island), I present to you the fantastic Map and Plan to Illustrate the Battle of Long Island. This was compiled by Henry Onderdonk, Jr. and published in 1849 in Revolutionary incidents of Suffolk […]
Historic Trees of New York City
Sweet gum trees and a walnut tree outside of Hamilton Grange. Peter Stuyvesant’s Pear Tree Stuyvesant’s pear tree was still blossoming in the mid-19th century. Note the horse-drawn streetcar on 3rd Avenue. From When Old New York was Young by Charles Hemstreet. On one of Peter Stuyvesant’s journeys back from […]
But I am Not Conquered: The Real-life History of The Gilded Age in NYC, Season 3 Episode 8
One of the important aspects of The Gilded Age has hinged on how and why the old money “Knickerbockers” such as Agnes Van Rijn bristle when “new” moneyed individuals show up and try to get into New York society. This is of course played out in Seasons 1 and 2, […]
A Day that Promised to Make or Mar the Fortunes: The Real-life History of The Gilded Age in NYC, Season 3 Episode 7
Mrs. Astor’s great arbiter of society was born as Samuel Ward McAllister in 1827 in Savannah, Georgia. His father’s family served with great distinction in various levels of local and national government, and his mother came from a long line of New Englanders. He was a cousin of writer Julia […]