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Historic Sites in Westchester County Associated with the Revolutionary War

Constance M. Kehoe, President: [email protected] Erik Weiselberg, Ph.D., Principal Historian: [email protected]

Note: This list is a work in progress. The authors are interested in comments and suggestions. Copyright © Revolutionary Westchester 250, Inc.

May 1, 2020

Proposals for filming locations and other places of interest

Criteria

Historic significance – major events and contributions of Westchester Photogenic – nice spot for a photo, video or interview Easily visited by the public (parking, restroom, easy access, etc.) Representative (from across the county, and all aspects of the war) Otherwise significant/recognized (for ex., status as state or federal historic site) Signage, monuments, preservation efforts, etc. (especially recently installed or updated)

Miller House, White Plains – ’s Headquarters, 1776

The Miller House served as headquarters for General and others during the Battle of White Plains, the largest battle of the war in and a decisive one for the course of the war. At one time a museum and center for interpreting the Revolutionary War era, the house just underwent a $3.5 million repair, with contributions from the county and some from the state. Ann Fisher Miller, wife of Elijah Miller, acted as a hostess to generals, including George Washington, who used the house as a headquarters, particularly during the Battle of White Plains, October 1776. Miller’s two boys signed up for the patriot cause but died of disease early in the war. Women played a greater role in the than has generally been recognized, and this site offers an opportunity to interpret both the largest battle in Westchester and one of the many roles that women played.

Nearby: Ann Fisher Miller grave site at Presbyterian Church, Purdy House (Washington’s HQ in 1778), Battle Hill Park, Cannon monument, Merritt Hill, Mortar monument, Armory (site of former Courthouse where Declaration of Independence was ratified on July 9 and read in public on July 11, 1776)

2. Captors’ Monument, Tarrytown – Site of capture of Major John André

On September 23, 1780, three patriot militiamen (John Paulding, , and David Williams) apprehended a solitary traveler who turned out to be Major John André, who was carrying plans of the Continental Army’s stronghold at West Point from traitor to British command in City. The event highlights questions of patriotism and betrayal central to the emotional experience of the war, especially in the so-called Neutral Ground of Westchester County, and if things had turned out differently at this spot, the war – and independence - might have been lost. In 1853 residents erected a monument to the captors, on land donated by William Taylor, a former slave who had purchased his freedom; the dedication was attended by Colonel James A. , son of , and . In 1880 a statue of John Paulding was placed on top.

Nearby: Revolutionary Soldiers’ Monument at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Old Dutch Burying Ground (Revolutionary soldiers’ graves), Action at Tarrytown marker (French-American forces fired at British ships in the , 1781).

3. Odell House – Rochambeau’s Headquarters, Hartsdale

In July and August of 1781, around 6,000 French troops joined about 4,000 American forces in a camp lasting for over six weeks that stretched from Ardsley to White Plains. The Odell House served as the headquarters of Comte de Rochambeau, commander of French land forces. Generals Washington and Rochambeau as well as other officers met often in the house. In August the generals decided to march the ground forces to Yorktown, Virginia, where they would meet the French fleet to trap and defeat British General Cornwallis in the battle that effectively ended the war. A shining example of French and American cooperation, the decision that won the war was made right here at this site.

Local patriot John Odell, who served General Washington as a mounted guide during the war, bought the house after the war, and his family lived in it, and served in the U.S. military, for generations. The town of Greenburgh will take over the deed in January 2020, and they received a $1.3 million matching grant from the state to restore and stabilize the structure. Located on the federal Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail, this site, once restored, would have an international reach as a draw for heritage tourism in Westchester.

Nearby: Signs indicating French Camp, Hartsdale; signs indicating American Camp, Ardsley; Odell Tavern (private) in Irvington was John Odell’s childhood home.

4. Verplanck – King’s Ferry (& Fort Lafayette, and view of Stony Point)

King’s Ferry was an important crossing of the Hudson River throughout the Revolutionary War, connecting Verplanck’s Point and Fort Lafayette on the east side of the Hudson, with Stony Point and its fort on the west side. Since the British controlled , Kings Ferry was the southernmost crossing point for American personnel and supplies for most of the war. General George Washington crossed at King’s Ferry in November 1776 after the Battle of White Plains. In the spring of 1779 the British took both Stony Point and Fort Lafayette. On the night of July 15-16, General Anthony Wayne took back Stony Point during a daring, nighttime assault and the last major battle in the north; however, the Continental Army could not hold the fort, and it was reoccupied by the British until October when they left for the southern theater. In August 1781, American and French forces left their camp in Greenburgh and crossed King’s Ferry on their march to the south to surprise Cornwallis at Yorktown. The combined armies returned via King’s Ferry in

1782. The waterfront park at Verplanck’s Point offers beautiful views of the Hudson River, including Stony Point on the far side. A marker at the site shows the famous Trumbull painting of Washington at King’s Ferry (Washington at Verplanck’s Point, 1790), where he is depicted overseeing the transport of French and American forces in August 1781 on their way to trap Cornwallis in Yorktown. In 2017, Philip Mead, chief historian at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, determined that a watercolor panorama by Pierre Charles L’Enfant depicted this 1782 encampment, including Washington’s canvas marquee tent. This site is another major draw for cultural tourism.

Nearby: Post Hannock House, headquarters of Colonel Livingston, who ordered cannon fired on André’s ship the Vulture, and where General Washington presented medals to the captors of Major John André.

5. Pines Bridge Monument – At Railroad Park, Yorktown Heights

On May 14, 1781, loyalist surprised an American position guarding the Pines Bridge crossing at the Croton River held by the Rhode Island Regiment, which consisted of a large number of African-American soldiers. Colonel Christopher Greene and Major Ebenezer Flagg, along with several members of the Rhode Island Regiment, were killed in the action. The Pines Bridge Monument, designed by noted sculptor Jay Warran, was unveiled at Railroad Park in 2017. This site is particularly valuable for demonstrating the contributions and sacrifices of persons of African descent to the patriot cause.

Nearby: Monument at the First Presbyterian Church where Greene and Flagg were buried, and another marker and plaque known as the Monument to the First Rhode Island Regiment (1982) honors the memory of the African-American soldiers who died. Nearby: Davenport House (private), the headquarters of Colonel Greene and Major Flagg and the center of the action during the skirmish. Nearby: Underhill House (private), where Major John André stopped for breakfast on his way towards Tarrytown on September 23, 1780.

6. Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site – Yonkers

Frederick Philipse III, lord of the manor, sided early on with the royal cause, and his manor house at Yonkers soon became confiscated by the rebels. Situated within the no-man’s-land between the Continental and British lines, the manor house stood on land which changed hands often, and therefore served as headquarters only for advanced expeditions by the crown forces operating out of New York City: General Knyphausen, in the fall of 1778, and Sir Henry Clinton in the summer of 1779, from which he launched his attacks on Stony Point. On June 30, 1779 Clinton issued the Philipsburgh Proclamation from here, offering every African American “who shall desert the rebel standard, full security to follow within the lines any occupation which he may think proper.” Actions originating here in 1778 led to the Stockbridge Massacre, in which Native Americans serving the patriot cause were killed. The oldest building in Westchester, a stop at the Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site highlights the consequences of choices made by loyalists and patriots, and landlords and tenants alike, and shines a spotlight on the roles played by auxiliary troops and British regulars, Native Americans and persons of African ancestry.

Nearby: Sherwood House, a tenant farm of the period; memorial to Stockbridge Indians at Indian Field, Van Cortlandt Park, the Bronx.

Other Sites of Interest

1. St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site, Mount Vernon / Eastchester – During the 1776 campaign it served as a Hessian hospital, and marker indicates a sand pit used as a gravesite. Grave sties of the Ward family, Stephen the patriot and Edmund the loyalist and Edmund’s wife Phebe, are also there. 2. Croton Point Park - View of André-Arnold meeting site; Americans fired on the Vulture 3. Paulding Memorial and Old St. Peter’s Church (French military hospital) - Cortlandt Nearby: grave sites of Van Cortlandt family at Hillside Cemetery Van Cortlandt Upper Manor House – Washington’s HQ, André site 4. French camp and war hospital, North Castle Meeting House, André site - Mt. Kisco. 5. Sand’s Mills (Thomas Wright Mill), Armonk – Jameson’s HQ where André was detained. 6. Battle of Edgar’s Lane, Hastings – site of rare and decisive American victory in 1778. 7. Dobbs Ferry – Historic “ferry” site, edge of French-American camp 1781, redoubt site. 8. British water-born raid at Lent’s Cove in March 1777 including Marinus Willett’s counterattack – Peekskill 9. Fort Hill Park, Peekskill - site of redoubts 10. Birdsall House, Peekskill – Washington’s Headquarters 11. Peekskill Museum, Peekskill – Cannon believed to have been fired at Vulture. 12. Pound Ridge – skirmish with Banastre Tarleton, July 2, 1779 13. Burning of Bedford July 11, 1779 by British troops – Bedford 14. French Army Camp – Bedford. 15. Thomas Paine cottage, New Rochelle – given to Paine after the war. 16. Sherwood House, Yonkers – tenant home, Washington had road constructed nearby 17. Van Cortlandt Manor – Croton-on-Hudson (Historic Hudson Valley) 18. Philipsburgh Manor – Sleepy Hollow (Historic Hudson Valley) 19. Sunnyside, Tarrytown – patriot outpost and later home of Washington Irving, who used Revolutionary War in his fictions and wrote biography of George Washington ( Historic Hudson Valley). 20. Van Tassel home, Elmsford (private) – patriot outpost and site of British raid in 1777, rebuilt 1793. 21. Odell Tavern, Irvington (private) – seat of NY government at time of Battle of , August 31, 1776; site of British camp after Battle of White Plains, November 1776; childhood home of patriot guide John Odell; oldest building in Irvington and one of the oldest in Westchester. 22. Ward’s House, Tuckahoe – patriot outpost, site of British raids in March 1777 and November 1778. DAR marker marks the spot where Captain Samuel Crawford was killed in a skirmish with British troops November 18, 1777, a deputy from Westchester County to Provincial Congress and Committeeman from Scarsdale. 23. Young’s House, Valhalla – patriot outpost, site of British raid on February 3, 1780; house is gone, but a monument is there. 24. Hammond House, Valhalla (private) - former patriot outpost and museum run by WCHS. 25. John Jay Homestead, Bedford 26. Jay Heritage Center, Rye 27. French Artillery Camp – Hartsdale, at Hart’s Brook Nature Preserve and Arboretuem, Ridge Road. 28. Joseph Appleby House – Washington’s HQ – (now WFAS Radio station) 29. Elmsford Community Reformed Church - Van Wart Monument at grave site, and other patriots. 30. Andre’s Spring, Pleasantville – DAR plaque marking a spring where Major André stopped to water his horse on his way to Tarrytown. 31. Valentine Hill at St. Joseph’s Ave, Yonkers – Marker commemorating Washington’s Headquarters on Valentine Hill, in fence of St Joseph’s Seminary. 32. St John’s Church – Yonkers - marker at South Wall – Revolutionary Soldiers’ grave sites. 33. Chappaqua Friends Meeting House - During the Revolutionary war the meetinghouse served as a 'hospital' for some of Washington's wounded soldiers who were brought there following the Battle of White Plains on October 28, 1776. Some American soldiers are apparently buried in the grave yard.

34. Washington Monument, Dobbs Ferry – formerly erroneous, now corrected – Broadway across from Livingston Ave; near marker to former redoubt. 35. August 19, 1781 Monument, Dobbs Ferry, at little white church – dedicated to French American alliance and decision to march to Yorktown. 36. Yorktown – Hunt’s Tavern, north side of Crompond Road, near Hallock’s Mill Road.; 37. Yorktown – FDR Park. Sign commemorating camp and Rochambeau’s arrest. 38. Yorktown – Samuel Delevan House site, Hallock’s Mill road between Route 202 and Road. 39. Bethel Cemetery – Croton – grave of John Peterson, African American soldier 40. Sparta Cemetery – Ossining – graves of Revolutoinary War veterans. 41. Thomas family grave – Purchase. Judge John Thomas read the Declaration of Independence at White Plains on July 11, 1776; Thomas Thomas led Westchester militia. 42. Earth Redoubt marker, Church Street, Tarrytown 43. North Castle (Kensico, Valhalla) – Reuben Wright’s Mills – the captors first took Major Andre here to deliver him to Lt. Col. Jameson, but they found that the colonel had moved his HQ to Sand's Mill in Armonk (monument by the roadside, dangerous). 44. Gilbert House site, South Salem - André was sent from Sand’s Mills to Col. Sheldon's headquarters at John Gilbert’s house in South Salem; here André confided his true identity and was sent with an escort of a hundred for Robinson’s House over an direct route so at to prevent any enemy attempt to rescue André. 45. Heathcote Hill (Mamaroneck) – Colonel Haslet attacked British encampment consisting of Major Robert Rogers’ Rangers

Constance Messerly Kehoe President, RW250, Inc. Westchester County Special Liaison 250th Anniversary Commemoration of the American Revolution and the Founding of the Email [email protected] Website www.RW250.org Like us on Facebook!

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