NEWSLETTER
Yonkers, N.Y. (03/06/2023) — The Friends of Philipse Manor Hall are pleased to host an Old New Year’s Eve Celebration on Friday, March 23, 2023, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, 29 Warburton Ave., Yonkers, NY.
What, you may be wondering, is Old New Year’s Eve? Today, New Year’s Day is January 1, but it wasn’t always! From the 16th century to the 18th century, European nations were transitioning from the old Julian calendar to the new Gregorian calendar. Although the Dutch and most other European nations had adopted the new calendar in 1582, the English held onto the old ways much longer. They continued to celebrate Annunciation Day, or Lady Day, March 25 as the New Year until 1752. In the colony of New Netherland, founded in the 1620s, the New Year was January 1. But when the British took over in 1664, it changed to March 25!
Join us for an evening celebration featuring a short historical overview of the calendar history and traditions by Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site Manager Michael Lord, followed by live music by Carla and Keyes, dancing, and a faux New Year’s Eve countdown. Featuring hors d’oeuvres and 18th century-inspired punch.
Hosted by the Friends of Philipse Manor Hall, tickets for this event are $25 for Friends members, $35 for the general public. Tickets include refreshments. All proceeds benefit Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site educational programs. For tickets, visit www.friendsofphilipsemanorhall.org/events/old-new-years-eve-celebration.
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. General admission tickets are $6 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and kids 12 & under get in free.
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
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Contact: Sarah Wassberg Johnson, Education & Programs Manager, Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site | Sarah.Johnson@parks.ny.gov | (914) 965-4027
Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, 29 Warburton Ave., Yonkers, N.Y. 10701 Phone: (914) 965-4027