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Battle of Brooklyn To Be Spotlighted In Annual Commemoration The official ceremony to kick off this year’s tribute to Brooklyn’s pivotal role in the American Revolution will take place on August 17 as the Old Stone House and other Brooklyn history organizations hold their annual commemoration of "1776 Battle Week." The series of programs is devoted to honoring the memory of the patriots from the 13 colonies who fought to establish the United States of America. The activities begin with a Memorial Remembrance near one Revolutionary War heritage site, followed by a memorial procession to the Old Stone House, the 303-year-old building in nearby J.J. Byrne Park that is an interpretative center about Brooklyn’s role in the American Revolution. This year’s commemoration follows last year’s 225th Anniversary Re-Enactment of the Battle of Brooklyn, which reprised the encounter between the American Colonists under the leadership of General George Washington and units of the British Army, with an audience of more than 18,000 people. "Battle Week" begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 17 when the Memorial Remembrance takes place at Eighth Street and Third Avenue, a location believed to be a burial site for some of the fallen heroes of the First Maryland Regiment. The event is sponsored by the Michael A. Rawley Jr. American Legion Post No. 1636, located nearby, and the Brooklyn Irish American Parade Committee. Following the Memorial Remembrance ceremony, participants and visitors will travel in a procession, led by a fife and drum corps garbed in historic uniform, to the Old Stone House, located in Byrne Park at Fourth Avenue and Third Street, where the Open House will begin at 11:30 a.m. A preview "Battle Week" program will take place this Saturday when Evergreen Cemetery hosts a walking tour of Revolutionary War-related sites at the North Brooklyn cemetery. The August 17 program will include presentations by the organizations and sites that are presenting "1776 Battle Week" activities. They include: The Society of Old Brooklynites, American Merchant Marine Association and the Navy Armed Guard, Floating the Apple, Friends of Historic New Utrecht, the Liberty Pole Association, the Committee to Commemorate the Battle of Long Island and Green-Wood Cemetery. Many public officials and representative of the borough’s principal historical societies and organizations are scheduled to participate in the program. One highlight of the ceremony will be the dramatic reading of the General Orders of General George Washington, delivered to rally his new troops shortly before the Battle of Brooklyn. On display at the site of the Open House program is a new Betsy Ross flag, which was signed by donors at a June 20 ceremony. The Old Stone House, also known as the Vecht-Cortelyou House, was built by a Dutch settler in 1699. During the late 19th century, the house fell into disrepair and was demolished. It was reconstructed in its present location, several yards from its original site, and the area around the house was designated J.J. Byrne Park in the 1930s. In desperate need of repair by the end of the 1980s the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, and then-Borough President Howard Golden, helped spearhead its repair and restoration and its reopening as an interpretative center devoted to public education about the Battle of Brooklyn and Brooklyn’s Revolutionary War heritage. Ownership of the house was transferred in 1997 to the city’s Historic House Trust and the center is now operated by the First Battle Revival Alliance, a NY State non-profit, tax-exempt corporation established in 1990. Following is the roster of "1776 Battle Week" events: Saturday, August 11th, 12 Noon - Evergreen Cemetery Walking Tour, visiting Revolutionary War-related sties in the North Brooklyn Cemetery. Free. Meet at the Main Gate, Bushwick Avenue and Conway Street. For information call 718-455-5300. August 17, 10 am: Memorial Remembrance. (see above); 11:30 a.m.. - Battle Week Kick-Off Ceremony and Open House (details above). August 24, 10 am: Martyrs Memorial Ceremony, Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, Fort Greene Park. For information call 718-499-7600. August 24, 10:00 am: Reenactment of Washington’s Evacuation from Brooklyn, Fulton Ferry Landing, under the Brooklyn Bridge. Sponsored by Floating the Apple. Free. For information call 212-564-5412. August 24, afternoon - Dedication of Liberty Pole Boulevard and Open House at historic New Utrecht Reformed Church, 18th Avenue and 83rd Street. Sponsored by Friends of Historic New Utrecht and the Liberty Pole Association. Free. For information call 781-256-7173. August 25, 2:00 p.m. - Altar to Liberty Ceremony on Battle Hill, Green-Wood Cemetery, enter at 25th Street and Fifth Avenue. Free. For information call 718-852-8235 August 27, 6:00 p.m. - Old Stone House Neighborhood Walk, visiting local sites connected with the Old Stone House and Battle of Brooklyn on the eve of the 226th anniversary of the Battle, led by Herb Yellin, Acting Chairman, Old Stone House and 19-year veteran of Battle of Brooklyn tours. Meet at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. $12 per person charge includes light refreshments. For information call 718-768-3195.
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