Philipse Manor Hall Blog

In looking for images to illustrate our last blog, “Christmas and New York,” we kept running across images of Twelfth Night by Dutch master Jan Steen. As we explained in “Christmas and New York,” prior to the 19th century Christmas itself was not a major social celebration. But in many ways, Twelfth

From quaint Hudson Valley winter wonderlands to the tree in Rockefeller Plaza, there is no place like New York in December. But have you ever considered the origin of Christmas and the traditions that surround it here in America? Why is "Miracle on 34th Street" set in New York and not Boston or...

Why was mahogany furniture so popular in the 18th and 19th centuries? Where does mahogany come from? And how is it connected to Yonkers? PMH museum interpreter David Lucas tackles these questions and more...

Issued on June 30, 1779, by General Sir Henry Clinton, the Philipsburg Proclamation, as it came to be known, offered freedom to any enslaved person who deserted rebel service and who made it to British lines. No military or service requirements were included. Although the Philipsburg Proclamation is

On June 30, 1779, General Sir Henry Clinton issued what is now known as the Philipsburg Proclamation. Designed to hamper the Patriot cause, the Proclamation promised freedom for any enslaved person who deserted a rebel enslaver and made it to British Lines.

For a site that dates back to the 1680s, it may be surprising to find a monument to the Civil War on the front lawn of Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, but from 1868 until 1911, the manor hall was first Yonkers Village and later City Hall. The Civil War, which lasted from 1860 to 1865, had

Bowling Green is one of New York City's oldest public spaces. The teardrop-shaped downtown park is a charmer, with a fountain ringed by park benches and flowerbeds, and leafy trees overhead. Its creation dates back to the 1730s, and Frederick Philipse II had a hand in its creation.

Pinkster was the Dutch celebration of Pentecost and spring, but in the Dutch New Netherland colony, especially in New York and New Jersey, enslaved Africans combined the Christian traditions of Pentecost with elements of African celebrations to create the unique festival known as Pinkster.

Today is the Ides of March, the date in which Julius Caesar was killed. Caesar shows up a lot in modern American culture, but if you’ve studied slavery in the Atlantic World, you’ve probably seen the name “Caesar” used to identify enslaved people. In fact, Greco-Roman names were quite common...

Black History is American History, and at Philipse Manor Hall we try to tell as complete a story as possible. To that end, we thought we’d mark Black History Month by highlighting the lives and contributions of some of New York’s earliest Black and African residents.