Revolutionary War Living History Saturday

Experience history up-close during a special one-day living history program at Historic Richmond Town.

Step back in time to Staten Island’s revolutionary past. Living Historians will be on-hand throughout the village to demonstrate military drills, weapons, and historic skills. Hear stories about soldiers and civilians, and learn about what life was like during the American Revolution in New York. Demonstrations of hearth cooking and blacksmithing will also be featured, and select buildings from the colonial period will be open for exploration. 

The year is 1777. Nearly a year has passed since the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, and the British have occupied Staten Island as a staging area for the invasions of Brooklyn and Manhattan. Though Staten Island has a population that is largely Loyalist and sympathetic to British rule, a growing group on the Island are energized for the cause of independence in the colonies.

From farm to farm, and neighbor to neighbor, divisions run deep in Staten Island. Spy networks gather intelligence on the movements of either side, and the local Committees of Safety convene in the homes of Staten Island patriots to relay information to the government in Philadelphia. Around the village of Richmond, British soldiers occupy homes and properties, and build a small earthen fort on a nearby hill, North of the Church of St. Andrew.

The day's program will feature musket demonstrations, skirmishes in the village, living history demonstrations of cooking and blacksmithing, and activities including writing with a quill and ink.

General Admission is $15 for the event. Children 5 and under years of age are free.

Parking is available at the Historic Richmond Town parking lot at 441 Clarke Avenue, Staten Island, 10306.