YONKERS, N.Y. (07/12/23) — Whose side are you on? During the American Revolution, the Philipse family were staunch Loyalists. The Hudson Valley was the site of fierce fighting between the Patriots and the British during the Revolutionary War, and Westchester County in particular was a contested “neutral zone.” How did people decide where their loyalties lay?
Step into the era of the American Revolution with “Loyalist or Patriot?” a one-of-a-kind colonial-style “talk show” on Saturday, July 29th, 2023, at Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, 29 Warburton Ave. in Yonkers, NY. Co-sponsored by the Friends of Philipse Manor Hall, this unique living history presentation introduces seven historical characters on both sides of the Revolutionary War conflict in a “talk show” style setting.
Meet Mary Philipse Morris, portrayed by Sarah Wassberg Johnson; Pekatawas MakataWai’U or “Black Corn,” portrayed by Drew Shuptar-Rayvis; Major John Andre, portrayed by Jim Keyes; Liss, portrayed by Carla Lynne Hall; Lucy Flucker Knox, portrayed by Tiffanie Downs; Captain Gershom Mott, portrayed by Chad Johnson; and David Williams, portrayed by Matt Thorenz, as they tell us who they are and explain why they chose to remain loyal to the Crown or revolt as Patriots. Our program “talk show” host and facilitator between the present and past is Benjamin Thayer, portrayed by Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site Manager Michael Lord. These characters are all based on real historical figures and the historians will be available for Q&A after each presentation.
The program lasts approximately 90 minutes and will take place twice in Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site’s air-conditioned Gothic Chamber, once at 11:00 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $16 per person, $10 for Friends of Philipse Manor Hall members. Tickets include museum admission. Museum is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Seating is limited, so advanced registration is recommended. Tickets are available online at www.friendsofphilipsemanorhall.org.
About the Friends of Philipse Manor Hall:
The Friends of Philipse Manor Hall, Inc. is dedicated to supporting and enhancing Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site. Friends of Philipse Manor Hall offers a variety of events and activities throughout the year, from family-friendly festivals to lectures, concerts, and movie nights. The organization’s goal is to foster public interest in and support for Philipse Manor Hall, to make PMH more accessible and inviting to the local community, and to provide funds and volunteers for programs and activities offered by the site staff. The FPMH marketing project was supported with funding from the New York State Park and Trail Partnership Grants and New York’s Environmental Protection Fund. The Park and Trail Partnership Grants are administered by Parks & Trails New York, in partnership with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
For more information on events and to book tickets, visit our website.
About Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site
Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, located at 29 Warburton Ave., Yonkers, NY, 10701, is open for tours Wednesdays through Sundays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Dating back to the 1680s, Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site sits near the confluence of the Nepperhan (Saw Mill) and Hudson Rivers, the site of a Munsee Lunaape village. Used by four generations of the Philipse family and worked by the people they enslaved and European tenant farmers, the Philipse Manor was once over 200,000 acres and helped make the Philipse family the richest in New York. Loyalists during the American Revolution, they fled to England and the Hall was owned by several individuals before becoming the Yonkers Village Hall and later Yonkers City Hall. When a new City Hall was built in the early 20th century, the house was preserved through the generosity of Eva Smith Cochran and donated to New York State to serve as a historic site. Today, Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site provides visitors with a balanced approach to interpreting the lives of Indigenous, European, and African people to understand the complex relationships that took place at the Manor from the earliest days of the Dutch Colony of New Netherland to the American Revolution and beyond. Learn more at Philipse Manor Hall's Virtual Wing at www.philipsemanorhall.com.
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual parks, historic sites, recreational trails, and boat launches, which were visited by a record 79.5 million people in 2022. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit parks.ny.gov, connect on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter
