“Discovering the Frank Brothers” Virtual Talk on Black Revolutionary War Soldiers at Philipse Manor Hall | Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area

Events

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Events must be related to the themes of the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and be heritage, cultural, historical, and/or recreational/trail related.

“Discovering the Frank Brothers” Virtual Talk on Black Revolutionary War Soldiers at Philipse Manor Hall

Feb 12, 2025 7:00 PM Location: 29 Warburton Ave, Yonkers, NY 10701 Website: https://www.philipsemanorhall.com/programs-and-events/lecture-discovering-the-frank-brothers Email: Sarah.Johnson@parks.ny.gov Phone: (914) 965-4027

Follow the lives of William and Benjamin Frank, men of color who joined the Second Rhode Island Regiment during the American Revolution, as they navigate the challenges of war, ultimately ending up on opposite sides of the conflict. Join Dr. Shirley Green for this fascinating  talk based on her book, Revolutionary Blacks: Discovering the Frank Brothers, Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence.

The narrative follows the lives of William and Benjamin Frank during the American Revolution. In the book, Dr. Green takes the reader on a journey based on her family’s history, rooted in its oral tradition. Putting together the pieces of this puzzle through archival research, interviews, and DNA evidence, the author authenticates and expands the family’s oral history.

William and Benjamin Frank joined the Second Rhode Island Regiment in the spring of 1777, following the tradition of military service established by their father, a veteran of the French and Indian War. The brothers became part of a cohort of free Black soldiers serving in an integrated Continental Army. Following the brutal winter of 1777–1778 and the pivotal Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, in June 1778, veteran soldiers of color from the Second Rhode Island, including the Frank brothers, were transferred to the newly segregated First Rhode Island Regiment. This unit was composed of Black and Native American soldiers, including enslaved men who were promised their freedom in exchange for service.

Dr. Shirley Green is the Director of the Toledo Police Museum and Adjunct Professor of History at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH and the University of Toledo in Toledo, OH.

Tickets are for this virtual program are free, but registration is required. Register at: https://www.philipsemanorhall.com/programs-and-events/lecture-discovering-the-frank-brothers

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. Learn more at www.friendsofphilipsemanorhall.org.

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 as well as 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.

The New YorkState Officeof Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which saw a record 84 million visits in 2023. For more information on any of these recreation areas, visitparks.ny.gov, download the freeNY State Parks Explorer appor call 518.474.0456. Connect with us onFacebook,Instagram,X(formerly Twitter), and theOPRHP Blog.

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