NEWSLETTER
Newburgh, NY (August 6, 2025) - On Saturday, August 9 at 2 pm Washington’s Headquarters welcomes Matthew Thorenz for a talk entitled: “Substitutes, Servants and Soldiers: The Black Presence at New Windsor Cantonment." The talk is free and open to the public.
During the winter of 1782-1783, among the 7,500 Continental Army soldiers encamped at New Windsor, were soldiers of African descent. These men had joined of their own free will or as substitutes for people who claimed ownership of them. This presentation will help you learn more about these soldiers and their contributions at the last encampment of the American Revolutionary War.
Matthew Thorenz, the Local History & Government Documents Librarian at the Newburgh Free Library, is also an independent historian who worked as a museum educator at New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site for seven years, when he conducted this research. He has published a book: Images of America: Blooming Grove & Washingtonville as well as several articles on the American Revolution and World War I.
The talk event is free and open to the public. Please note: guided tours of the historic house used by Gen. Washington are available before the talk (11am-1pm) with regular admission tickets. For more information email: whqshs@parks.ny.gov or call (845) 562-1195.
Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site is a registered National Historic Landmark. It is located at the corner of Liberty and Washington Streets within the city of Newburgh's East End Historic District. The site is one of 35 historic sites within the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and is one of 28 facilities administered by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in New York and New Jersey. For further information contact: (845) 562-1195. For more information about New York State Parks, please visit our website at www.parks.ny.gov. For more information call 845-562-1195 or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
The Palisades Parks Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves and protects the Palisades Interstate Parks and Historic Sites through raising funds, advocacy and supporting programming. Find us at: www.palisadesparks.org or call us at 845-202-3195. Palisades Parks Conservancy, P.O. Box 513, New York, NY.
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