Centennial Celebration News
2007 marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of Fraunces Tavern Museum. The buildings in which the Museum is housed were purchased by the Sons of the Revolution in 1904 and skillfully restored in the three years that followed. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have enjoyed our exhibits and programs over the past one hundred years.
Our Independence Day Kick-off was a great success!
More than 70 participants enjoyed the
All-Night Starlight Tour of Revolutionary Manhattan,
from 2 - 6 a.m. on July 4.
At our Free Afternoon Open House we welcomed hundreds of visitors from across the globe and right here at home.
The Declaration of Independence was read with revolutionary fervor, and everyone enjoyed our colorful Flag Gallery and informative exhibits.
We're open six days a week, Monday-Saturday, from 12 noon to 5 p.m. $10/$5 for seniors and children from 6-18. Children 5 and under and Museum members are always FREE!
Join here.
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Centennial Celebration - Summer 2007 Events
We had a great time! Don't miss out on our Fall events.
Starlight Tour
Wednesday, early morning July 4, 2007: 2 a.m. - 6 a.m.
Night owls will have a great time on this walk through the silent (you bet they are at this hour!) caverns of Lower Manhattan. Learn little-known facts about important Revolutionary War heroes buried in Lower Manhattan. Experience what it was like for colonists living in New York during the 18th century as you visit sites that include:
" the scene of Washington's evacuation from Brooklyn Heights in August 1776 after the disastrous Battle of Brooklyn (as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge),
" the gravesite at St. Paul's Chapel of General Richard Montgomery, who almost conquered Canada,
" the last residence of Thomas Paine
" the statue of Nathan Hale and
" the unmarked grave in the Trinity Church graveyard of General Horatio Gates, the forgotten hero. His brilliant victory at the Battle of Saratoga was the turning point in the American Revolution, and his upset victory in the 1800 New York City elections was a turning point in American politics.
Step off: City Hall Park at Broadway and Park Place
Last stop: Fraunces Tavern, where George Washington gave his famous farewell to his officers.
Historian and veteran walking tour guide James S. Kaplan will lead the tour. Mr. Kaplan has given this tour for the Fraunces Tavern Museum for the last five years, as a continuation of his all-night Independence Day walking tours offered previously under the auspices of the 92nd Street YMHA.
Independence Day Open House
A walk through Fraunces Tavern Museum is a trip through history. On July 4th, this is the best deal in town! Two floors of exhibits, historic photos, engravings, prints, and colorful flags. FREE admission all afternoon.
Start your tour with:
If These Walls Could Talk: 54 Pearl Street
Now through December 31, 2008
Every building in New York tells a piece of its past. As Manhattan's oldest surviving building, 54 Pearl Street has witnessed nearly three centuries of the city's history. Built as a home by Stephen Delancey, a Huguenot refugee turned successful merchant, in 1719, 54 Pearl Street represented the commercial, multi-cultural nature of early New York. During the Revolutionary War period, the tavern run by Samuel Fraunces gained note not just for its food and drink but its politics. The Sons of Liberty held meetings here before British occupation of the city. Festivities were held here for Evacuation Day on November 25, 1783, and a week later Washington said farewell to his officers in the tavern.
From 1785 until 1790 New York City served as the nation's capital, and 54 Pearl Street served as the offices for the Departments of State, Treasury, and War. As a boarding house in the 19th century, 54 Pearl Street reflected the growth of New York City as a major world port. Finally, the restoration of the building by the Sons of the Revolution and the opening of the museum in 1907 illustrate reactions to the city's rapid growth and eventual rebirth of the city's financial district.
More to see:
the site of George Washington's farewell to his officers
the recreated 18th century Clinton Dining Room (complete with block-printed wallpaper)
The star-spangled McEntee - Sons of the Revolution Gallery
And more …
Centennial Celebration Talks
Summer Talk 1: Thurs., June 7, 2007
6:30 p.m.
$6/members free
No reservations required.
Marvin Kitman speaks about "George Washington: The Man, the Monument and the Bridge"
Author, commentator, and humorist Marvin Kitman shows the human side of our most revered Founding Father. Kitman's books include The Man Who Would Not Shut Up: The Rise of Bill O'Reilly, The Making of the President 1789: The Unauthorized Campaign Biography, and the ever-popular George Washington's Expense Account.
Summer Talk 2: Tues., June 12, 2007
FREE Lunchtime Special
12:30-1:30 p.m.
No reservations required.
Dr. Robert Speigelman speaks on "The Wild, Wild East: New York's Drama of Westward Expansion"
New York's early frontier is America's true "Wild West." Civilization means
Westward Expansion, but two "obstacles" block the way: Indians and Nature.
Combining dramatic images and fresh research, Spiegelman details this
forgotten New York, where settler dreams encounter native life ways. This
program, which is free and open to the public, is made possible through the
support of the New York Council for the Humanities' Speakers in the
Humanities program. Free Admission.
Summer Talk 3: Thurs., July 12, 2007
6:30 p.m.
$6/members free + refreshments for all!
No reservations required.
Dr. Ronald Brown speaks on "Colonial Flushing: The Birth of Religious Tolerance in America." Illustrated with slides.
In 1645 Colonial Dutch governor Willem Kieft granted a group of English
settlers a charter to form the community of Flushing, Queens. In this
charter, the settlers were allowed "Liberty of Conscience." In 1646,
Peter Stuyvesant replaced Kieft as governor, and began persecuting the
Quaker residents of Flushing. On December 27, 1657, the inhabitants of
the town sent the famous Flushing Remonstrance to Stuyvesant, protesting
his treatment of the Quakers and demanding the "Liberty of Conscience"
guaranteed in their charter, not only for Quakers, but for all
Christians, Jews, and even Muslims. After four years of struggle which
included the arrest and deportation of Quaker sympathizer John Bowne,
Dutch authorities in Holland duly affirmed the religious freedom of the
residents of Flushing and the remonstrance entered history, with
Flushing becoming known as "The Cradle of American Religious Freedom."
Summer Talk 4: Tues., July 24, 2007
The One-Hour Armchair Walking Tour
12:30-1:30 p.m.
FREE! with Museum admission
If you couldn't make it to our famous All-Night Walking Tour on July 4th, join us for this comfy armchair version. In this delightful talk, expert guide James Kaplan will hit the high points of his four-hour ramble through historic Lower Manhattan.
Summer Talk 5: Tues., August 21, 2007
12:30-1:30 p.m.
FREE! with Museum admission
National Park Service Ranger Michael Callahan speaks on “The Royal Navy in New York, 1776”
Michael Callahan will discuss the major contribution of the Royal Navy to the British victory in New York in 1776 and the ways in which the campaign would never have been a success for the Crown Forces without the support of the Senior Service. The background of the Royal Navy will be highlighted, along with its ships, men (and women), and weapons.
Summer Talk Finale with Thomas Fleming: The Battle of Brooklyn
Talk 6: Thurs., August 23, 2007
6:30 p.m.
$6/members free
No reservations required; Co-sponsored by the Battle of Brooklyn Memorial Society.
This is the highlight of our Battle Week observance! Join historian, best-selling author --and the new President of the Society of American Historians -- Thomas Fleming, as he speaks about the Battle of Brooklyn.
When the two armies met, the Americans found themselves disastrously outflanked by the British. "My God, what brave fellows I must lose this day," gasped General George Washington as the battle unfolded. Mr. Fleming will tell the story of this dramatic clash from both the British and the American points of view. Hear about General Henry Clinton's brilliant plan of attack; the illness of General Nathanael Greene, which left the Americans without a leader who knew the terrain; and other significant details of this famous battle.
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