Battle Week 2009 at the Old Stone House and Elsewhere

There's a whole  lot of early American history in the Park Slope/Gowanus/Sunset Park area. The first battle of the Revolutionary War took place in Washington/JJ Byrne Park and that's what's celebrated every year during Battle week. Marilyn Pettit, Chair of the Old Stone House Board of Trustees explains:

"The Battle of Brooklyn took place seven weeks after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and was the first battle of the United States.

"Even though the Americans lost the battle in the face of the overwhelming British forces, the bravery they displayed helped galvanize the Colonists and proved their determination to fight for the freedom and liberty which they eventually won seven years later in 1783.

"The Old Stone House is the place where 256 brave members of Captain Smallwood’s Maryland Regiment sacrificed themselves on August 27, 1776, to buy time for the rest of their American comrades to evacuate to safety during the Battle of Brooklyn."

Sunday August 23, 11 AM - 1 PM

Evergreens Cemetery Walking Tour
 

Evergreen Cemetery presents a walking tour of the revolutionary war-related sites of the cemetery. Meet at Evergreen Cemetery Main Gate, Bushwick Avenue and Conway Street, Brooklyn.
718-455-5300/www.theevergreenscemetery.com/

Wednesday, August 26, 6 PM
Gowanus Dredgers Estuary Tour

 

Canoe the Gowanus Canal and learn the history of this infamous escape route for American soldiers during the Revolutionary War. 2nd Street between Bond and the Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn.

718-768-3195/www.gowanuscanal.org/

 

Friday, August 28, 6 PM - 8 PM

Battle of Brooklyn Neighborhood Walk

Led by Old Stone House Board Member and Hunter College Archaeology Professor William J. Parry. Meet at Grand Army Plaza, entrance to Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn. $12 per person/$10 OSH members; includes light refreshments. Wear comfortable shoes.
Reservations and infortmation:
718-768-3195/info@theoldstonehouse.org

 

Saturday, August 29, 11 AM - 12 PM

Maryland 400 Remembrance Ceremony

Meet at the newly refurbished Maryland Monument in Prospect Park. Enter Prospect Park Southwest and 16th Street and proceed across to Wellhouse Drive, then uphill to the monument. Sponsored by the Maryland State Monuments Commission.
718-768-3195/info@theoldstonehouse.org

 

Saturday, August 29, 10 AM - 5 PM

Battle Days Reception

Old Stone House, JJ Byrne Park, 3rd Street at 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, OSH Gallery. Reenactors Welcome!

Sunday, August 30

Battle of Brooklyn Commemoration

  

The Green-Wood Cemetery, 5th Avenue at 25th Street, Brooklyn. 718-768-7300 for more information.

 

10 AM - 12 PM Green-Wood historian Jeff Richman and author Barnet Schecter conduct a trolley tour of the cemetery. Reservations necessary. $20 for the public, $10 for Historic Fund members. 718-768-7300

11:30 AM Tributes to George Washington's Irish Generals, The Bold Fenian Men/The Civil War, Irish Korean War Memorial, Matilda Tone

12 PM - 1:15 PM Re-enactment inside the Main Gate

1:30 PM Parade to top of Battle Hill

2 PM Memorial Ceremony at Battle Hill; Micahel Callahan, Guest Speaker