Kingston Colonial Days

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Kingston Colonial Days presents a diverse range of topics and a broad spectrum of past voices to explore. Representing a time from first contact with Indigenous peoples and the establishment of New Netherland and Wiltwyck, to the Esopus Wars, the foundation of enslavement, the English takeover of the colony, the presence of religious plurality, French and German migration to the region, Kingston as the First State Capital and the drafting place of the State Constitution, the Revolutionary War, and young Republic - Kingston Colonial Days represents over 250 years of history to explore, and how that history shapes our world today.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2025

OLD DUTCH CHURCH SANCTUARY, 272 Wall Street

6:30pm

KINGSTON'S ENSLAVED WOMEN'S VOICES: What Do They Call Me?

  • Welcome: Taylor Bruck, Ulster County Clerk
  • Film Screening: Old Dutch Church Presents Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journey to Freedom by America’s Great Stories
  • Zoe Poller, Solo Cello
  • Enslaved Women’s Voices: Jazz Vespers feat. Kitt Potter – vocals, Paul Marienthal – flute, Joe Vincent Tranchina – piano, Steve Rust – bass, Harvey Sorgen – drums
  • Enslaved Women’s Voices: Poetizing the Truth feat. Ulster County Historian/former Poet Laureate Kate Hymes with live performance art by Nancy Ostrovsky
  • Enslaved Women’s Voices: Sermonizing the Truth featuring Evelyn Clarke
  • Steve Rust, Solo Bass - “Amazing Grace” by John Newton (1772)
  • We've Come Up from the Ashes Closing Remarks - Kitt Potter, City of Kingston Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2025

10:00am-5:00pm

MATTHEWIS PERSEN HOUSE MUSEUM AND CULTURAL HERITAGE CENTER, 74 John Street

EXHIBITS AND DEMONSTRATIONS OF LIFE DURING COLONIAL TIMES

Visit the encampment of the 1st Ulster Militia and meet with interpreters portraying the camp life and kit of a colonial militia regiment from the time of the American Revolution. Members of the 1st Ulster bring a unique knowledge of material culture, social customs, medicines, and military practices as would have been common among the inhabitants of Kingston in the 1770s. The public is encouraged to bring questions.

COLONIAL GAMES AND ARCHEOLOGY ACTIVITY hosted by the Senate House State Historic Site (Please note: the Senate House will be closed for renovations during this time.)

Visitors will have the opportunity to participate in a wide array of entertaining colonial games as well as an archeology activity. Participants can try their hand at popular 18th-century games, such as the Game of Graces, Jacob's Ladder, Nine Pins, Whirligigs, and many more. Discover the differences and similarities between play in the colonial period vs. today. All are also welcome to try their hand at Senate House’s archeology activity. Staff will provide gloves and a trowel, and participants can dig in our special dirt to look for their own artifacts. Visitors will also get a brief lesson in the basics of archeology, details of the different digs that have taken place at Senate House, and what the results can tell us about life in the past.

PINE STREET AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND EXHIBITION

Showcasing never-before-seen artifacts, samples, curated photographs, and displays related to the historic burial ground, to honor and preserve the legacy of the individuals buried at the site dating back to 1775 and to connect the public with the history of slavery in Kingston. The exhibit provides information on the archaeological discoveries at the site, revealing the mortuary practices of enslaved Africans and humanizing the historical figures buried there.


12:00-1:30pm

Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF KINGSTON, NY, by Dr. Joseph Diamond

Book Talk and Signing


Dr Joseph E. Diamond presents a comprehensive analysis of eighty-eight archaeological sites in and around the City of Kingston, New York. His new book - The Archaeology of Kingston, New York covers Kingston (and New York State and the Hudson Valley to a lesser extent) from Paleo-Indian times circa twelve thousand years ago through twelve thousand years of Native American occupations.

Senior Researcher Hali Cook will speak about the archaeological dig, led by Dr. Diamond, that was conducted at the Old Dutch Church cemetery in 2022 to locate the remains of the earliest ancestors of the DeWitt family in America, particularly Tjerck Claessen DeWitt. The project aimed to find and identify the remains of the first few generations of the family by translating 17th-century Dutch family records, cross-referencing historical documents, and using a 19th-century photograph to pinpoint a suspected family burial site marked by a headstone and cedar post.

2:00-3:00pm

Persen House, 74 John Street

PINE STREET AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND TALK


Learn about the Pine Street African Burial Ground's history & preservation efforts.


5:30pm-6:30pm

Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street

A SCREENING AND DISCUSSION OF STOCKBRIDGE-MUNSEE MOHICAN HISTORY from the PBS Tribal Histories series


This film screening and talk will introduce attendees to one of the federally recognized Lenape Nations, who are descended from the Native people of the Hudson Valley, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, presently of Shawano County, Wisconsin. Ulster County Historian, Eddie Moran, and Ulster County Archivist, Jon Palmer, will provide an introduction grounding guests in the history of the Native people who have called this valley home since time immemorial, the federally recognized communities in the United States and Canada which comprise their descendants today, and recent efforts of the Ulster County Clerk’s office to center these Nations’ guidance and perspectives in interpreting local Native history. Guests will view a film titled “Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican History” from the PBS Tribal Histories series, providing an important chance to learn more deeply about the history of one of the Lenape Nations who are Native to what’s now Ulster County, from the words of tribal members themselves. The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with Eddie Moran, Ulster County Historian and Jon Palmer, Ulster County Archivist.

7:00pm-8:30pm

Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street

PANEL DISCUSSION: Kingston Colonial Days: How the Revolution Shaped American Society and Ideals

One of the effects of the American Revolution was the constitutional framework of putting the power of the government into the hands of the people. The nation’s founders hoped to create a democratic system where its citizens would have a say in who would hold office, and where a system of checks and balances would ensure that no singular branch of government would become too powerful to where its people would again be subjected to tyrannical or monarchical rule. The United States Constitution contained a section that was considered groundbreaking at the time of its conception: the Bill of Rights. This framework granted U.S. citizens certain inalienable rights. This result of the American Revolution can be seen in America’s freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and others. How did such a system significantly depart from a monarchy, and how is this system working in today’s 21st-century America? The Revolution fostered a new national identity rooted in ideals of liberty, natural rights, and republican citizenship. How did/does the practical application of these ideals impact women, enslaved people, and Native Americans?

Top area historians discuss these topics and more in this interactive panel discussion.

Moderator: Taylor Bruck, Acting Ulster County Clerk

Panelists:

Anthony Dandridge, Visiting Lecturer in the Black Studies department at SUNY New Paltz

Kate Hymes, writer and poet living in New Paltz, New York

Eddie Moran, Historian for Ulster County, New York

Jonathan Palmer, Ulster County Archivist

Erin Von Holdt Gilbert, local historian and genealogist

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2025

CAPITAL-TO-CAPITAL RUN/WALK

The 4th annual Capital to Capital 5K run/walk is a commemoration of events from October of 1777 when citizens of Kingston became refugees of war, fleeing the marauding British who burned down of their fair town. Fleeing Kingston citizens were taken in and helped by the citizens of the neighboring towns of Hurley and Marbletown during this tragic event of the American Revolutionary War.

Schedule of events:

9:00 Check-in and late registration will begin at the O & W Trail Head parking lot at Washington Ave. in Kingston, opposite Ulster Savings Bank

10:00 Capital to Capital 5K begins.

11:00 Awards Ceremony at Hurley Heritage Museum

The Capital to Capital 5K is sponsored and organized by the Rotary Club of Kingston. This year’s beneficiary is the Ulster County SPCA. For more information visit: https://www.kingstonnyrotary.org/page/captocap

Our Partners

Special Thanks – Raleigh Greene, Erin Von Holt Gilbert, Harambee Kingston NY, Hurley Heritage Society, Kingston NY Rotary, Radio Kingston Community Tech Team, SUNY New Paltz Archeology Division



Kingston Colonial Days presents a diverse range of topics and a broad spectrum of past voices to explore. Representing a time from first contact with Indigenous peoples and the establishment of New Netherland and Wiltwyck, to the Esopus Wars, the foundation of enslavement, the English takeover of the colony, the presence of religious plurality, French and German migration to the region, Kingston as the First State Capital and the drafting place of the State Constitution, the Revolutionary War, and young Republic - Kingston Colonial Days represents over 250 years of history to explore, and how that history shapes our world today.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2025

OLD DUTCH CHURCH SANCTUARY, 272 Wall Street

6:30pm

KINGSTON'S ENSLAVED WOMEN'S VOICES: What Do They Call Me?

  • Welcome: Taylor Bruck, Ulster County Clerk
  • Film Screening: Old Dutch Church Presents Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journey to Freedom by America’s Great Stories
  • Zoe Poller, Solo Cello
  • Enslaved Women’s Voices: Jazz Vespers feat. Kitt Potter – vocals, Paul Marienthal – flute, Joe Vincent Tranchina – piano, Steve Rust – bass, Harvey Sorgen – drums
  • Enslaved Women’s Voices: Poetizing the Truth feat. Ulster County Historian/former Poet Laureate Kate Hymes with live performance art by Nancy Ostrovsky
  • Enslaved Women’s Voices: Sermonizing the Truth featuring Evelyn Clarke
  • Steve Rust, Solo Bass - “Amazing Grace” by John Newton (1772)
  • We've Come Up from the Ashes Closing Remarks - Kitt Potter, City of Kingston Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2025

10:00am-5:00pm

MATTHEWIS PERSEN HOUSE MUSEUM AND CULTURAL HERITAGE CENTER, 74 John Street

EXHIBITS AND DEMONSTRATIONS OF LIFE DURING COLONIAL TIMES

Visit the encampment of the 1st Ulster Militia and meet with interpreters portraying the camp life and kit of a colonial militia regiment from the time of the American Revolution. Members of the 1st Ulster bring a unique knowledge of material culture, social customs, medicines, and military practices as would have been common among the inhabitants of Kingston in the 1770s. The public is encouraged to bring questions.

COLONIAL GAMES AND ARCHEOLOGY ACTIVITY hosted by the Senate House State Historic Site (Please note: the Senate House will be closed for renovations during this time.)

Visitors will have the opportunity to participate in a wide array of entertaining colonial games as well as an archeology activity. Participants can try their hand at popular 18th-century games, such as the Game of Graces, Jacob's Ladder, Nine Pins, Whirligigs, and many more. Discover the differences and similarities between play in the colonial period vs. today. All are also welcome to try their hand at Senate House’s archeology activity. Staff will provide gloves and a trowel, and participants can dig in our special dirt to look for their own artifacts. Visitors will also get a brief lesson in the basics of archeology, details of the different digs that have taken place at Senate House, and what the results can tell us about life in the past.

PINE STREET AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND EXHIBITION

Showcasing never-before-seen artifacts, samples, curated photographs, and displays related to the historic burial ground, to honor and preserve the legacy of the individuals buried at the site dating back to 1775 and to connect the public with the history of slavery in Kingston. The exhibit provides information on the archaeological discoveries at the site, revealing the mortuary practices of enslaved Africans and humanizing the historical figures buried there.


12:00-1:30pm

Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF KINGSTON, NY, by Dr. Joseph Diamond

Book Talk and Signing


Dr Joseph E. Diamond presents a comprehensive analysis of eighty-eight archaeological sites in and around the City of Kingston, New York. His new book - The Archaeology of Kingston, New York covers Kingston (and New York State and the Hudson Valley to a lesser extent) from Paleo-Indian times circa twelve thousand years ago through twelve thousand years of Native American occupations.

Senior Researcher Hali Cook will speak about the archaeological dig, led by Dr. Diamond, that was conducted at the Old Dutch Church cemetery in 2022 to locate the remains of the earliest ancestors of the DeWitt family in America, particularly Tjerck Claessen DeWitt. The project aimed to find and identify the remains of the first few generations of the family by translating 17th-century Dutch family records, cross-referencing historical documents, and using a 19th-century photograph to pinpoint a suspected family burial site marked by a headstone and cedar post.

2:00-3:00pm

Persen House, 74 John Street

PINE STREET AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND TALK


Learn about the Pine Street African Burial Ground's history & preservation efforts.


5:30pm-6:30pm

Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street

A SCREENING AND DISCUSSION OF STOCKBRIDGE-MUNSEE MOHICAN HISTORY from the PBS Tribal Histories series


This film screening and talk will introduce attendees to one of the federally recognized Lenape Nations, who are descended from the Native people of the Hudson Valley, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, presently of Shawano County, Wisconsin. Ulster County Historian, Eddie Moran, and Ulster County Archivist, Jon Palmer, will provide an introduction grounding guests in the history of the Native people who have called this valley home since time immemorial, the federally recognized communities in the United States and Canada which comprise their descendants today, and recent efforts of the Ulster County Clerk’s office to center these Nations’ guidance and perspectives in interpreting local Native history. Guests will view a film titled “Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican History” from the PBS Tribal Histories series, providing an important chance to learn more deeply about the history of one of the Lenape Nations who are Native to what’s now Ulster County, from the words of tribal members themselves. The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with Eddie Moran, Ulster County Historian and Jon Palmer, Ulster County Archivist.

7:00pm-8:30pm

Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street

PANEL DISCUSSION: Kingston Colonial Days: How the Revolution Shaped American Society and Ideals

One of the effects of the American Revolution was the constitutional framework of putting the power of the government into the hands of the people. The nation’s founders hoped to create a democratic system where its citizens would have a say in who would hold office, and where a system of checks and balances would ensure that no singular branch of government would become too powerful to where its people would again be subjected to tyrannical or monarchical rule. The United States Constitution contained a section that was considered groundbreaking at the time of its conception: the Bill of Rights. This framework granted U.S. citizens certain inalienable rights. This result of the American Revolution can be seen in America’s freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and others. How did such a system significantly depart from a monarchy, and how is this system working in today’s 21st-century America? The Revolution fostered a new national identity rooted in ideals of liberty, natural rights, and republican citizenship. How did/does the practical application of these ideals impact women, enslaved people, and Native Americans?

Top area historians discuss these topics and more in this interactive panel discussion.

Moderator: Taylor Bruck, Acting Ulster County Clerk

Panelists:

Anthony Dandridge, Visiting Lecturer in the Black Studies department at SUNY New Paltz

Kate Hymes, writer and poet living in New Paltz, New York

Eddie Moran, Historian for Ulster County, New York

Jonathan Palmer, Ulster County Archivist

Erin Von Holdt Gilbert, local historian and genealogist

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2025

CAPITAL-TO-CAPITAL RUN/WALK

The 4th annual Capital to Capital 5K run/walk is a commemoration of events from October of 1777 when citizens of Kingston became refugees of war, fleeing the marauding British who burned down of their fair town. Fleeing Kingston citizens were taken in and helped by the citizens of the neighboring towns of Hurley and Marbletown during this tragic event of the American Revolutionary War.

Schedule of events:

9:00 Check-in and late registration will begin at the O & W Trail Head parking lot at Washington Ave. in Kingston, opposite Ulster Savings Bank

10:00 Capital to Capital 5K begins.

11:00 Awards Ceremony at Hurley Heritage Museum

The Capital to Capital 5K is sponsored and organized by the Rotary Club of Kingston. This year’s beneficiary is the Ulster County SPCA. For more information visit: https://www.kingstonnyrotary.org/page/captocap

Our Partners

Special Thanks – Raleigh Greene, Erin Von Holt Gilbert, Harambee Kingston NY, Hurley Heritage Society, Kingston NY Rotary, Radio Kingston Community Tech Team, SUNY New Paltz Archeology Division



Page last updated: 01 Oct 2025, 03:48 PM