The Kingsbridge Historical Society

Kingsbridge Remembers the American Revolution - Exhibit Open Hours
2025-07-21 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-07-22 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-08-03 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-08-04 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-08-05 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-08-18 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-08-19 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-09-07 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Halifax) and 3 more dates | Edgehill, 2570 Independence Ave, Bronx, NY, 10463
1775 Marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the most dramatic 8 years in the history of Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Spuyten Duyvil, Marble Hill and Inwood. George Washington, French nobility, enslaved people, a Lenape Chief, common farmers, and many more shaped the history of our nation right here. The Bronx streets of today were once a battlefield, but also the homeland of local residents who faced difficult choices and nearly impossible circumstances.
Kingsbridge Remembers the American Revolution is an exhibit and series of public programs that will shed light on local events of the Revolution and place them in a larger context. The exhibit features original period artifacts, artwork, maps, digital displays, and interpretive panels that will bring that period to life. It will change the way you look at the neighborhood and reveal its amazing past.
Artifacts from the archives of local institutions are pulled together for the first time–some of which have never been displayed before. Rarely seen commemorative artwork from the bicentennial compliments newly commissioned artwork by award-winning historical illustrator (and Bronx resident) Gary Zaboly. Interpretive panels featuring new research and findings tell an inclusive story about the people, places, and events that made Kingsbridge important during the Revolution. A digital interactive map display helps make sense of the area’s geographic importance. A translated guide to the exhibit will be available in Spanish.
The exhibit opens June 8, 2025 and remains open every Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in June thereafter from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Evening open hours and summer hours will be announced later in June.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
The Kingsbridge Historical Society’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Kingsbridge at the Dawn of the American Revolution
2025-08-27 18:00 - 19:00 | Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, 4881 Broadway @ W. 204th Street, New York City, NY, 10034
Register for the Zoom here.
Was the American Revolution made up of battles, soldiers, forts, and ships? Or was the real Revolution the change that occurred in the minds of the people: that they no longer wanted a king and parliament ruling them from thousands of miles away? John Adams and others thought it was the latter.
This presentation will focus on the local politics in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War in Kingsbridge, which was caught between New York City and Westchester. It will focus on the years of 1774 and 1775 when the Revolution in the minds of the people was taking shape. The events of those years, while not as well-celebrated as 1776, set the stage for the most dramatic and violent years in the history of historic Kingsbridge, which included the modern neighborhoods of Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Marble Hill, and Inwood.
Join local historian, Nick Dembowski, for an in-depth look at the social, political, and physical landscape that set the Revolution in motion in Kingsbridge and New York. The presentation is free and open to the public on the back porch of the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum at 4881 Broadway at W. 204th Street in upper Manhattan. The event starts at 6PM and should last an hour. A zoom link will be posted here as the event approaches.
More information about the venue can be found here.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
The Kingsbridge Historical Society’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Between Enemy Lines - Revolutionary War Walking Tour of Van Cortlandt
2025-09-13 11:00 - 14:30 | Van Cortlandt House Museum, 6036 Broadway, Bronx, NY, 10471
Learn more and get your free tickets here.

Van Cortlandt Park was a warzone . . . literally. During the American Revolution, the land that would become the park was caught between enemy lines as were the people that lived there. This walking tour and hike of the area in and around Van Cortlandt Park tells the story of the soldiers, generals, and battles but also the story of how local residents got through the most violent and dramatic 8 years in the history of The Bronx.
The first half of the tour is walk through the Van Cortlandt House Museum and surrounding park (about 1 mile). The second half is for anyone interested in continuing on a true hike: we will explore the area around the park to visit little-known places that played in a role in the Revolution (an additional 1.5 miles).The tour begins at the flag pole in front of Van Cortlandt House Museum. The first half ends at the Van Cortlandt family burial vault. You can decide from there if you would like to continue on the hike.
The tour will be led by Nick Dembowski (Kingsbridge Historical Society President) and Margaret Holmes (Van Cortlandt House Museum Director).
Admission is FREE. Registration is required. Walk-ups may not be accomodated due to space limitations.
This event is sponsored by Van Cortlandt House Museum and the Kingsbridge Historical Society.
The Kingsbridge Historical Society’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World
2025-09-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Edgehill, 2570 Independence Ave, Bronx, NY, 10463
Zoom Link for Event: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7916551954?omn=81128093948
Thant Myint-U, an award-winning writer, historian, and international public servant, will speak about his new book, Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World. U Thant was the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1961-1971, and, as the first non-Westerner in that role, led the world organization at the height of the Cold War. It was a time when the newly independent nations of Asia and Africa came to the fore at the UN, and when, for a while. a global peace seemed both urgent and possible. His grandson, Thant Myint-U, through research into newly declassified archives, tells in his book an entirely new story of the 1960s, including U Thant’s pivotal role in the Congo crisis, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the India-Pakistan War of 1965, his multi-year efforts to end the war in Vietnam, and his failed attempt to prevent the 1967 Six Day War.
Thant Myint-U lived with his grandfather as a young child at the Palisades Avenue estate, which was then the official residence of the UN Secretary-General and the scene of key moments in world history. His talk will include photographs, including family photographs, never before shown, as well as a discussion of his family’s life in Riverdale.
The presentation will take place at the Kingsbridge Historical Society (2570 Independence Ave) on Thursday, September 18th at 7 PM. Join us in person or on Zoom.
The Kingsbridge Historical Society’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Takings: A History of Land Disputes Along the Croton Aqueduct
2025-10-09 19:00 - 20:00 | Edgehill, 2570 Independence Ave, Bronx, NY, 10463
Meeting Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83126192172
The opening of the Old Croton Aqueduct in 1842 was one of New York State’s early great achievements. This reliable source of clean water transformed New York City forever—offering solutions to the problems of destructive fires and disease. A section of this engineering marvel survives in our neighborhood as the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail in Van Cortlandt Park.
When the Old Croton Aqueduct was built, it disrupted many long standing working farms and estates throughout Westchester, the Bronx, and Manhattan when the State used eminent domain to acquire land. Although local landowners were powerless to stop the project, they did win several concessions, including small route diversions, the creation of tunnels and ramps for access to the river, and even the design of the glorious Highbridge to allow for river navigation. In this special lecture, historian Keith Doherty will document how the Old Croton Aqueduct affected the local landscape and how property owners in turn shaped the Old Croton Aqueduct.
Join historian Keith Doherty for this FREE presentation on October 9th @ 7:00 PM at the Kingsbridge Historical Society (2570 Independence Avenue in The Bronx).
Speaker Bio:
Keith Doherty is a Westchester County native who grew up along the Old Croton Aqueduct. He was a Professor of Art History for twelve years at Boston University and has in recent years been researching the infrastructure and early history of Westchester and New York City.

Keskeskick and the First Land Deals
2025-11-20 18:00 - 19:00 | Van Cortlandt House Museum, 6036 Broadway, Bronx, NY, 10471
What do historical records reveal about local Lenape people and their dealings with colonists in the 17th and 18th centuries?
People have been living in our part of The Bronx for thousands of years but the oldest records we have about the area are from the 17th century, less than 400 years ago. For this reason, historic documents only reveal a limited amount of information about the history of local indigenous people. But despite this limitation, documents from the colonial period are one of the only sources of Lenape names for people and places in the neighborhood. And they also provide insights into the relationship between the colonists and the Native population even if they were written exclusively from a European perspective. Taking another look at these early records, we see that some of the stories often repeated by local historians are in need of revision.
Join us at Van Cortlandt House Museum for a presentation by local historian, Nick Dembowski, who will show and discuss the earliest written records related to Kingsbridge, Riverdale, and Spuyten Duyvil. The presentation will take place both in-person and on Zoom on November 20th at Van Cortlandt House Museum at 6:00 PM.
To attend over Zoom, please register on Eventbrite here.
The Kingsbridge Historical Society’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
