RSVP's begin on Tuesday, August 11th at 8pm. Note that this is a LONG tour so please be fit to walk a good 5-6 miles in potentially very warm weather.
To Bring: Lunch and/or snacks, water, a hat for the sun and sunscreen. We will have several breaks and one restroom stop,
The tour is free with welcome donations to your guide/organizer at the end by cash, venmo or zelle. You will need a ticket for the ferry to Manhattan towards the end of our tour which costs $4.75 (senior discount available), You can purchase it in advance - easiest through the NYC Ferry App on your phone.
https://www.ferry.nyc/ticketing-info/
Tour Purpose: This tour honors the 250th anniversary of The Battle of Brooklyn which took place from August 27th - 29th, 1776 during the early months of the American Revolution.
We visit several battle locations and follow the route taken by the Americans, who ended up being outnumbered by the morre experienced British forecs, This was the first major battle after the July 4th Declaration of Independence (and the largest battle of the entire war).
At 11:00 am we'll meet outside the entrance of the library
There are restrooms inside.
Neighborhoods: Park Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Fulton Ferry, Manhattan's Financial District.
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ITINERARY AND TOUR DESCRIPTION
11:00am - Meet in front of at the Main Brooklyn Library at Grand Army Plaza. Arrive early to use the restrooms inside the library.
*Note there is a farmer's market going on nearby with a variety of stalls.*
Check your travel route in advance as there are usually subway line changes on the weekends:
https://www.mta.info/tripplanner/results
Itinerary:
From the library we'll head into Prospect Park and walk through the Battle Pass area, noting the historic markers. Leaving the park we'll follow the escape route taken by the American troops down the Porte Road (today's 1st Street) and then will then head to "The Old Stone House," (pictured), originally a Dutch family farm built in 1699. This was the location of a critical delaying action and battle by a brave Maryland regiment that allowed the American army to retreat to the area we call Fulton Ferry (by the Brooklyn Bridge). We will take the NYC Ferry from there over to Wall Street as we recall the dramatic escape across the East River by 9,000 Americans led by Gen. George Washington, an event which preserved the revolution.
Lunch Break: The Old Stone House lies within a park with plenty of seating and a restroom.
To evade the British, thousands of American troops had to cross the Gowanus Creek (today's Gowanus Canal) and then traveled several more miles to the edge of the East River. We'll follow their route passing through Carroll Gardens, Cobble and Brooklyn Heights.
Arrriving at Fulton Ferry by the Brooklyn Bridge, we will visit the site of the dramatic and bold escape from the East River across to Manhattan. For the "grand finale" we'll ferry across the East River ourselves and have a toast at the historic Fraunces Tavern at 54 Pearl Street, the very building where General Washington held his celebratory dinner with his officers at the end of the successful revolution on December 4, 1783.
Recalling the Battle of Brooklyn gives us the opportunity to traverse some of Brooklyn's most beautiful historic neighborhoods and historic Lower Manhattan. At the tour's end, we will be convenient to the 1, 2,3,4,5,J, R subways.
Optional celebratory toast at the historic Fraunces Tavern along with the opportunity to visit the museum. George Washington celebrated the victorious American Revolution there and and served as an early headquarters of the American Government in formation.
https://www.frauncestavern.com/
https://www.frauncestavernmuseum.org/
Cheers!
Hank
646-596-3005
