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Fishkill Historical Society
British Major John Andre and West Point General Benedict Arnold (pictured) were here at the historic Van Wyck Homestead Museum on Saturday, September 18th, 2010, as part of our 230th Anniversary Revolutionary War Ramble weekend event co-sponsored by the Fishkill Historical Society and The Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot.
These are the first photos being displayed on our new FHS Website as a Slide Show.
(Click Here to view all of the Images as a Slide Show)
Sept. 11th, 2010 – 13 Star American Flag Raising Ceremony (Click here to view photos)
At 11:00 AM on Patriots Day, September 11, 2010, we raised our new 6’ x 10’ American Flag on the new Flagpole. Flag-raising photos were taken by Arlene Hamm – one of the Founding Members of the Fishkill Historical Society who helped to preserve the Van Wyck Homestead Museum from being torn down and destroyed when I-84 was being built in the 1960s. Student’s Quote: “Can you believe they were going to tear that house down” ? ! !
Sept. 18th and 19th, 2010 – Revolutionary War Encampment Weekend:
Van Wyck Homestead Museum (Click here to view photos)
FHS Members dressed in colonial clothes demonstrated colonial-era spinning and weaving and played harp music on the front porch, while other FHS Members gave tours in the Homestead and sold items from our Gift Shoppe.
“Rendezvous with Treason” – Dramatization Re-enactment (Click here to view photos)
Major John Andre’s and General Benedict Arnold’s dramatization re-enactment portraying their conspiracy to surrender West Point to the British in September 1780, was attended by over 100 visitors. (Click here to read details about Major John Andre’s capture and execution). Note: General George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette, and Alexander Hamilton, and others, were returning to West Point from Connecticut when they received word that Major Andre had been captured as a Spy. Benedict Arnold’s plan was for the British forces to attack West Point when Washington, Lafayette and Hamilton were at the Fort the following week, so these three “Enemies of the Crown” would have been killed or captured by the British as well as having Fort West Point fall into British control !
Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot (Click here to view photos)
Periodically, on Sat. Sept. 18th and Sun. Sept. 19th, members of the 5th New York Regiment – Revolutionary War re-enactors – escorted visitors to the Revolutionary War gravesite located about 200 yards south of the Van Wyck Homestead. Members of the Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot talked about this long-lost gravesite, and then the 5th New York Regiment re-enactors fired their muskets in tribute to the hundreds of Continental Army and Militia soldiers buried in unmarked graves at this historic site.
“Thank You” to all of the Fishkill Historical Society volunteers who generously donate their time and efforts during the year to keep our Van Wyck Homestead Museum open for tours each weekend during our tourist season (June thru October), and for other special events like our upcoming Crafts Boutique in late November. Special “Thanks” to FHS Members and 5th New York Regiment volunteers and Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot for your assistance in preparing, organizing and helping to make our Revolutionary War weekend a huge success !
Steve Lynch President
Fishkill Historical Society
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