Photos from 23rd Annual Colonial Day, Sept. 29th, 2007
(please click on the image to view the full size)
(please click on the image to view the full size)
Fifth New York Regiment demonstrating firing
drills.
drills.
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Nickel-O-Farms animals grazing and
contemplating their great escape.
contemplating their great escape.
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Sheep Shearer, Fred DePaul from Plymouth
Vermont, trimming one of his five sheep.
Vermont, trimming one of his five sheep.
Recent Events:
Native American exhibit of Lenape Lifeways.
2007 Colonial Day photos by Keith Walker.
| Annual Dinner and Achievement Awards 2009. "The Tapantown Historical Society begs leave to inform you that on Friday, February 27, 2009 commencing at six-thirty sharp in the evening there will be good fellowship and victuals at The Old '76 House" Click here for the Achievement Awards presentation |
Tappantown Historical Society - Events Calendar
- Prelude to the Evacuation of New York: The 225th Anniversary of the Meetings between General
George Washington and British General Guy Carleton to be Celebrated in Rockland County
May 3, 2008, DeWint House Grounds
(This event was organized by the Hudson River Valley Institute at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY)
On Saturday, May 3, 2008, the Village of Piermont and the George Washington Masonic Historic Site at Tappan will host a
special celebration to mark the 225th anniversary of the meetings between General George Washington and British General
Guy Carleton on May 6 and 7, 1783. From 10:00 am-4:30 pm, this free outdoor program will recapture the excitement
generated by the presence of the commander in chiefs of both armies and their entourages.
(please click here for more information and a detailed program of the Patriots Weekend in Tappan)
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| Tappantown Historical Society |
| Remembering Paul Melone Paul W. Melone, a founder of the Tappantown Historical and other civic organizations, died on August 12, 2008. He was 96. While there are many memories of Paul’s sixty years of tenacious, dedicated, and visionary activism that we could include in this memoriam, we are offering two: one a fond remembrance of Paul by his friend, neighbor, and fellow history maven, Jules Loh, author of Treason: The Arnold-Andre Plot; the other, a more formal tribute to Paul by former THS President Thomas LaValle on presenting Paul with the Tappantown Historical Society Fellowship Award at the Annual Awards Dinner in February, 2005. The Essential Paul Melone by Jules Loh Fellowship Award for Paul Melone presented by Thomas LaValle |
| Upcoming Events: |
Nov. 13, 2009 Annual Meeting of the Tappantown Historical Society
The Tappantown Historical Society exhibited our rare and recently restored copy of the Peter J. Haring 1704 Division Patent
Orangetown Town Historian Mary Cardenas explained the Patent's origins in the earlier 1686 Tappan Patent and trace its later history
and provenance.
Paper Conservator Edith Hart talked about the challenges in preserving the 305-year-old vellum document and the process used to
restore and reframe it according to archival standards.
The Tappantown Historical Society exhibited our rare and recently restored copy of the Peter J. Haring 1704 Division Patent
Orangetown Town Historian Mary Cardenas explained the Patent's origins in the earlier 1686 Tappan Patent and trace its later history
and provenance.
Paper Conservator Edith Hart talked about the challenges in preserving the 305-year-old vellum document and the process used to
restore and reframe it according to archival standards.
May 30, 2009 Our Hudson/Champlain Quadricentennial celebration featuring Rockland Camerata in concert at the historic
Tappan Reformed Church
Tappan Reformed Church
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Sept. 26, 2009 Colonial Day on the DeWint House grounds
Our 25th annual COLONIAL DAY on the grounds of the DeWint House (Oak Tree Rd & Livingston St.) in Tappan. Step back in time and
visit Colonial America.
(please see photos from the 2007 Colonial Day at the bottom of this page
Our 25th annual COLONIAL DAY on the grounds of the DeWint House (Oak Tree Rd & Livingston St.) in Tappan. Step back in time and
visit Colonial America.
(please see photos from the 2007 Colonial Day at the bottom of this page
Friday, October 2, 2009 Andre Walk - Area school children retrace the final hours of British spy Major John Andre. (special
note: this year marks the 130th anniversary of the unveiling of the Andre Monument on Andre Hill)
Children from Cottage Lane Elementary School, teachers and parents arrived around 11:00am at The ’76 House on Main Street and
were greeted by Mr. Keith Walker from the Tappantown Historical Society dressed as a Colonial Militiaman.
Tavern keeper Mr. Robert Norden had set Andre’s Prison Room up in theater style seating, so upon entering through the current main
entrance everyone was directed to take a seat for the proceedings to begin.
Mr. Norden gave a brief history of The ’76 House and its use and involvement before, during and after the American Revolution. He
stated that the room everyone was seated in was the exact room where British spy Major John Andre was held captive and that this
was even a tavern at that time not a prison. Mr. Walker told of Andre’s orders from his General Sir Henry Clinton and how by
disregarding these orders he would finally be hanged in Tappan. Everyone was then informed that when they left the restaurant they
were going to walk the exact same route that Major John Andre followed 229 years ago, approximately ¾ of a mile, to the monument
on Andre Hill. Mr. Norden asked everyone to walk past the bar and note the wall hangings, especially the photograph of Andre’s final
internment location and American traitor General Benedict Arnold’s portrait over the fireplace. Everyone left The ’76 House by the
same door Andre had left that fateful morning onto Main Street to retrace Andre’s walk.
Where today’s Andre story began
and the walk commenced.
During the walk Mr. Walker pointed out other historical areas and buildings en route.
Nearing the final destination –
At the monument Mr. Walker gave a brief description of the events that occurred that October 2nd morning in 1780. He told of how
Andre accepted his fate exactly 229 years to the day at 12:00 noon. As the proceedings were drawing to a close we were now
approaching that same time. Before leaving the children were able to walk around the monument to read the inscriptions. They had
previously been told that 2009 marked the 130th anniversary of the unveiling of the Andre Monument.
Just after the school bus left an anonymous
gentleman arrived and laid a wreath
on the monument!
note: this year marks the 130th anniversary of the unveiling of the Andre Monument on Andre Hill)
Children from Cottage Lane Elementary School, teachers and parents arrived around 11:00am at The ’76 House on Main Street and
were greeted by Mr. Keith Walker from the Tappantown Historical Society dressed as a Colonial Militiaman.
Tavern keeper Mr. Robert Norden had set Andre’s Prison Room up in theater style seating, so upon entering through the current main
entrance everyone was directed to take a seat for the proceedings to begin.
Mr. Norden gave a brief history of The ’76 House and its use and involvement before, during and after the American Revolution. He
stated that the room everyone was seated in was the exact room where British spy Major John Andre was held captive and that this
was even a tavern at that time not a prison. Mr. Walker told of Andre’s orders from his General Sir Henry Clinton and how by
disregarding these orders he would finally be hanged in Tappan. Everyone was then informed that when they left the restaurant they
were going to walk the exact same route that Major John Andre followed 229 years ago, approximately ¾ of a mile, to the monument
on Andre Hill. Mr. Norden asked everyone to walk past the bar and note the wall hangings, especially the photograph of Andre’s final
internment location and American traitor General Benedict Arnold’s portrait over the fireplace. Everyone left The ’76 House by the
same door Andre had left that fateful morning onto Main Street to retrace Andre’s walk.
Where today’s Andre story began
and the walk commenced.
During the walk Mr. Walker pointed out other historical areas and buildings en route.
Nearing the final destination –
- the beginning of Andre Hill and
a profound moment for Andre.
At the monument Mr. Walker gave a brief description of the events that occurred that October 2nd morning in 1780. He told of how
Andre accepted his fate exactly 229 years to the day at 12:00 noon. As the proceedings were drawing to a close we were now
approaching that same time. Before leaving the children were able to walk around the monument to read the inscriptions. They had
previously been told that 2009 marked the 130th anniversary of the unveiling of the Andre Monument.
Just after the school bus left an anonymous
gentleman arrived and laid a wreath
on the monument!
All Colonial Day 2009 photos copyright Stephen Melniszyn - MZ Photopgraphy.
(please click on the image to view full-size photo)
(please click on the image to view full-size photo)
Benjamin Franklin
Bagpipes
Members of the Fifth New York Regiment
saluting the Founder
saluting the Founder
Musket Fire
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February 26, 2010 Annual Dinner and Achievement Awards 2010
April 11, 2010 2:00pm at the Manse Barn
Educational Program: Stories of the "First People:" the Tappaans and their Neighbors.
Educational Program: Stories of the "First People:" the Tappaans and their Neighbors.
PRESS RELEASE
On April 11th, 2010, the Tappantown Historical Society and the Piermont Historical Society will
jointly offer a program about the Native American groups identified by early Dutch settlers as the
first inhabitants of the Lower Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey. In a presentation entitled
Stories of the "First People:" the Tappaans and their Neighbors, noted regional historian and
author Kevin W. Wright will provide a detailed portrait of tribal life and the relationship between
the natives and the newly-arrived Europeans during the seventeenth century in eastern Bergen
and Rockland counties.
Wright, a New Jersey native, is the author of the recently published 1609: A Country That Was
Never Lost - The 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson's Visit with North Americans of the Middle
Atlantic Coast. He began his career in historic interpretation at New Jersey’s Waterloo Village,
and served as curator of the Steuben House in River Edge, NJ. Wright was instrumental in the
preservation of the 1848 Sussex Courthouse in Newton, NJ, and prepared the National Register
nomination for the Newton Town Plot Historic District. In 1985, Wright’s research supported NJ’s
claims to Ellis and Liberty Islands, and in 2000 he became the first Resource Interpretive
Specialist for the Northern Region of New Jersey. Wright is a past president of the Sussex and
Bergen County Historical Societies, and has been a member of the Newton Preservation
Advisory Commission since 1987.
Stories of the "First People:" the Tappaans and their Neighbors is the first co-production by the
Piermont and Tappantown Historical Societies. It will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 11,
2010 at the Manse Barn, located at intersection of Old Tappan Road and Kings Highway in the
center of Tappan, NY.
Admission is free of charge.
On April 11th, 2010, the Tappantown Historical Society and the Piermont Historical Society will
jointly offer a program about the Native American groups identified by early Dutch settlers as the
first inhabitants of the Lower Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey. In a presentation entitled
Stories of the "First People:" the Tappaans and their Neighbors, noted regional historian and
author Kevin W. Wright will provide a detailed portrait of tribal life and the relationship between
the natives and the newly-arrived Europeans during the seventeenth century in eastern Bergen
and Rockland counties.
Wright, a New Jersey native, is the author of the recently published 1609: A Country That Was
Never Lost - The 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson's Visit with North Americans of the Middle
Atlantic Coast. He began his career in historic interpretation at New Jersey’s Waterloo Village,
and served as curator of the Steuben House in River Edge, NJ. Wright was instrumental in the
preservation of the 1848 Sussex Courthouse in Newton, NJ, and prepared the National Register
nomination for the Newton Town Plot Historic District. In 1985, Wright’s research supported NJ’s
claims to Ellis and Liberty Islands, and in 2000 he became the first Resource Interpretive
Specialist for the Northern Region of New Jersey. Wright is a past president of the Sussex and
Bergen County Historical Societies, and has been a member of the Newton Preservation
Advisory Commission since 1987.
Stories of the "First People:" the Tappaans and their Neighbors is the first co-production by the
Piermont and Tappantown Historical Societies. It will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 11,
2010 at the Manse Barn, located at intersection of Old Tappan Road and Kings Highway in the
center of Tappan, NY.
Admission is free of charge.