Grant Received by the Friends!
The Greater Hudson Heritage Network announced this month that the Friends of OHRH has been awarded a Collection Needs Assessment Grant. The grant is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. These funds will allow us to hire an expert to analyze and evaluate the contents of the house. The contents can then be sorted and packed for safe storage while the museum is under construction. The work will begin as soon as the shoring of the first floor is completed.
New Signs Now Installed at OHRH!
This week a great crew from the Town of Greenburgh DPW installed two new signs in front of the house. The signs were a joint effort between the National Park Service, the Hudson River Valley Greenway and the Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route. They created 15 signs throughout NY State that will be a trail for all to follow in the footsteps of the French and Continental Forces.These signs had been sent to the house in 2014 but not put into their proper place. They beautifully illustrate the story of the historic Rochambeau Washington Meetings in 1781. Stop by and have a look!
Here are the signs as installed, followed by close-up photos so you can read the text from home.
Colonial Day At Odell House Postponed to 2021
After careful thought and deliberation, the Town of Greenburgh and the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters have come to the reluctant decision to postpone Colonial Day until 2021. We want to take the most cautious approach to planning public events, because our priority remains doing everything we can to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to protect our community.
We are continuing our work to restore Odell House and to raise the funds for this important work. If you’d like to join our efforts, please click below.
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FREE Book about the Franco-American Philipsburg Encampment available now
We are proud to announce the release of a fascinating new book about the Franco-American Philipsburg Encampment from July 6, 1781 to August 18, 1781 in Greenburgh, NY. The book can be read online or downloaded free by clicking here.
Distinguished author and scholar, Dr. Robert Selig, has devoted years to researching this seminal event that changed the course of the Revolutionary War. Much of the book is based on primary sources, never published before. It includes new maps using current day roads and identifies many sites in Westchester and Greenburgh. The positions of the 9,000 Continental and French troops throughout the hills and valleys of Greenburgh are described in detail. Other information, such as where they marched, how they were supplied, and their everyday life in camp are included. Importantly, the decisions made by the two allied generals, Washington and Rochambeau, are told from their actual diaries and the words of officers who served under them in 1781.
The book was jointly funded by a grant from NYS Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, the Town of Greenburgh and the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters.
Westchester County Historical Society has an Auction Site
WCHS is partnering with The Benefit Shop Foundation to create a year round opportunity for the community to donate items and purchase items to raise funds for WCHS. If you are moving and/or have items to donate please consider using this service to find a new home for your treasures. Go to https://westchesterhistory.com/support-us/#benefit-foundation-shop for more information.
Westchester, Washington, and Rochambeau: The Path To Victory
Susan Seal, President and Founder, Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, discussed the historical significance of the old farmhouse on Ridge Road in Hartsdale in her talk at the Greenburgh Public Library on January 15, 2020. She told the story of the important role it played in American history and Greenburgh history and the need to preserve it.
$600,000 Grant from NY State Awarded for the Restoration of Odell House
We are very pleased to announce that the Town of Greenburgh was the recipient of a $600,000 grant from NY State for the restoration of Odell House. The state will contribute $600,000 towards the restoration work and the Town, along with the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, will raise a matching $600,000. We would like to thank Commissioner of Planning and Community Development Garrett Duquesne and the rest of the Town staff for all their work on this.
The NY State Attorney General and the NY State Supreme Court have approved the transfer of title to the Town pending a few filings from the Sons of the American Revolution. We anticipate this to happen in the next few weeks. Then the work will begin to restore the house and make it a source of pride and learning for our community.