Upcoming Events
Through Their Hands: Women's Work and Daily Life in Early New York
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 1 PM
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Join VCHM Director Margaret Holmes for a talk about the lives of women in New York from the 1600s to the 1800s. Using the museum’s collection and historic spaces, we’ll look at how women shaped both daily life and the larger social world around them.
This talk dives into the roles women played in their families, workplaces, and communities, along with the challenges they faced under legal and social restrictions. We’ll share stories of women from different backgrounds who lived, worked, or had ties to the historic house. By exploring household items and personal belongings, we’ll get a glimpse into their everyday lives, struggles, and successes. We’ll also discuss how race, class, and gender shaped their opportunities in a city that was constantly changing. Admission is FREE. This talk will be both in person at RSS and streamed online via Zoom. Registration is required. |
Pinkster: New York’s First African American Celebration
Saturday, May 3, 2025 12 PM - 4 PM
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Join us on our picturesque lawn on Saturday, May 3rd for
Pinkster: New York's First African American Celebration! Bring family and friends for a day filled with vibrant festivities, live music, engaging performances, and immersive experiences:
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Current Exhibitions
Unfolded Ornament: Fans from the Collection of the Van Cortlandt House Museum
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Now on view at Van Cortlandt House is a selection of 18th and 19th c. handheld fans - beautifully carved, painted and decorated. As a group they present a remarkably comprehensive survey of early folding fans. Whether used for fashion, flirtation, or formal ceremony, these objects have long been tools of communication and beauty.
Curated by collections specialist John Carini with design support from Assistant Director Michelle Macias. On view through July 2025. |
Previous Events
The Barbados-New York Connection: Enslavement and Exchange in the 17th and 18th Centuries
Thursday, April 10, 2025 6 PM
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This online presentation by Dr. Seth Kamil delved into the nature of the inter-colonial exchange and the shared places that define the Barbados-New York connection.
The historical connection between Barbados and New York is one of enslavement and exchange that shaped the colonial landscape in the 17th and 18th centuries. Barbadian planters were central to the establishment of provisioning plantations in mid-seventeenth century New York and New Jersey. These wealthy landholders, in the attempt to feed and supply their Barbados sugar plantations, brought with them the practice of matrilineal enslavement to the region. Previously regarded as migrants to the Middle Colonies these planters, along with merchants and traders, maintained family and property ties to Barbados and beyond. Understanding the bond with Barbados and the role of African slavery is crucial to comprehending the centuries-long ties between these colonial spaces. |
She-Merchants, Sachems, and Slaves: Women in Colonial New York
Thursday, March 27, 2025 6 PM
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New York was one of the most diverse of the thirteen colonies, thanks to its Dutch colonial roots. Religious and racial diversity meant that colliding cultures had different ideas of how to treat women. In this talk by historian Sarah Wassberg Johnson, you will learn about women’s rights (or lack thereof) in Munsee, Iroquois, African, Dutch, and English culture, and how enslaved women’s rights changed over time. Learn about women’s roles in everyday life, uprisings, and war. Meet individual women like Dutch she-merchant Margaret Hardenbroeck De Vries Philipse, Esopus sachem Mamanuchqua, Jewish merchant Rebecca Gomez, Revolutionary War soldier Deborah Sampson, and more.
Sarah Wassberg Johnson is the education and programs manager at Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site. She has an MA in public history from the University at Albany. This talk was offered both in-person and online. |
Through Their Hands: Three Centuries of Women's Work and Daily Life in New York
Saturday, March 22, 2025 1 PM
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Join VCHM Director Margaret Holmes for a special guided tour exploring the lives of women in New York from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries. Using objects from the museum’s collection and the historic domestic spaces of the house, this tour examines how women shaped both home life and the broader social fabric of their time.
Tour Highlights:
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Free Pop-Up Craft: Mimosa Flowers for International Women's Day
Saturday, March 8, 2025 11 AM - 4 PM
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Celebrate International Women’s Day with a special free craft activity on Saturday, March 8th! Stop by during museum hours and create your own beautiful mimosa flowers, a symbol of strength, resilience, and appreciation.
Drop in, get creative, and take home a handmade tribute to the amazing women in your life! 💛✨ No registration needed—just stop by between 11 AM - 4 PM and enjoy crafting! |
The Legacy of Former "Colored" School No. 4
Thursday, February 13, 2025 6 PM
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This illustrated talk by historian Eric K. Washington visits an unassuming building in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood that, in shedding light on 19th-century Gotham’s forgotten past, has excited wide media attention. Hidden in plain sight on West 17th Street is the former “Colored” School No. 4, the last of a network of racial-caste public schoolhouses that once were relegated to New York’s African American teachers and students. Built in 1849-50, the city-owned building’s decades-long use spanned the eras of the Antebellum Period, the Civil War, Reconstruction and the Gilded Age. Washington spearheaded the collaborative community preservation effort that culminated in 2023 with both the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designating the curiously idle building a historic landmark and the city’s mayor pledging $6 million towards its rehabilitation. His talk will highlight many of the notable teachers, students and events once associated with this remarkably surviving Black heritage site.
Eric K. Washington is an independent historian and author, and was the preeminent advocate of Manhattan's (Former) Colored School No. 4, where one of the school’s pupils in the 1880s-90s was the protagonist of his book, Boss of the Grips: The Life of James H. Williams and the Red Caps of Grand Central Terminal. His book won the Herbert H. Lehman Prize for Distinguished Scholarship of New York History, the Guides Association of New York City’s GANYC Apple Award and a special recognition from the Municipal Art Society’s Brendan Gill Prize selection committee. Washington was awarded the Historic District Council’s 2023 Grassroots Preservation Award, and the Victorian Society of New York's 2022 Preservation Award. In March he is to receive the 2025 GANYC Lifetime Achievement Award. |
Black Landowners in the Bronx in the Early 1800s
Tuesday, February 11th 4:30 PM
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Van Cortlandt House Museum is pleased to be co-sponsoring historian Keith Doherty's talk on Black Landowners in the Bronx in in the Early 1800s along with the Kingsbridge Historical Society and the RSS Center for Ageless Living on Tuesday, February 11th at 4:30 PM both in person and on Zoom.
This talk by historian Keith Doherty will focus on a number of early farms in the Bronx that were owned by free Black men during the era of Gradual Emancipation, when slavery was slowly being abolished (1799-1827). Though several Black-owned farms existed in the rural environs of the city at the time, nearly all have been forgotten by history. This talk is an attempt to shed light on a long-buried chapter in our local history when Black men—many of whom had been enslaved in their youth—rose to become successful businessmen. In addition to being one of the only ways of gaining genuine financial independence, land ownership was critical for Black men as the sole means of acquiring suffrage, due to a racist mandate in the state constitution that required them to possess at least $250 worth of property to vote. |
Heartfelt History: Valentine Card-Making Workshop
Saturday, February 8, 2025 10 AM
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Join us on Saturday, February 8, 2025 from 10- 11:30 am for a special historic Valentine-making workshop, where creativity meets tradition! Step back in time and explore the art of crafting hand-made Valentines, inspired by the intricate designs of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
You'll learn how to make your own historic-style cards using classic techniques such as paper folding, cutouts, and paper “scrap” decoration. Discover the history of Valentine's Day through the ages and how this beloved tradition has evolved. Whether you're a history enthusiast, crafter, or simply looking for a unique way to celebrate the season of love, this workshop promises a fun and educational experience for ages 5 and up. Don't miss this chance to create a timeless keepsake while celebrating the artistry of the past! |
Van Cortlandt Connections to the Caribbean and Latin America
Saturday, January 25, 2025 1 PM
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What does the Van Cortlandt House, built in rural New York in 1748, have to do with the Caribbean and Latin America? It turns out quite a lot. The people who lived there, the wealth of its inhabitants, and the wars that were fought here all had important ties to the southern hemisphere.
Join VCHM Site Historian Nick Dembowski for this special one-hour tour to learn about an often overlooked aspect of New York's history that was crucial to its development. Sign up for our newsletter to get updates on when this popular tour will be offered again! |
Black-Owned Farms in the Bronx in the Early 1800s
Thursday, January 9, 2025 6 PM
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This talk by historian Keith Doherty will focus on a number of early farms in the Bronx that were owned by free Black men during the era of Gradual Emancipation, when slavery was slowly being abolished (1799-1827). Though several Black-owned farms existed in the rural environs of the city at the time, nearly all have been forgotten by history. This talk is an attempt to shed light on a long-buried chapter in our local history when Black men—many of whom had been enslaved in their youth—rose to become successful businessmen. In addition to being one of the only ways of gaining genuine financial independence, land ownership was critical for Black men as the sole means of acquiring suffrage, due to a racist mandate in the state constitution that required them to possess at least $250 worth of property to vote.
J. Keith Doherty is a former Professor of History and Art History at Boston University, where he earned his doctorate and taught for 14 years. Since returning to his native New York in 2012, he has authored several articles and a short book on the early history of the Bronx and Westchester, with a special focus on Black-owned farms in the area at the turn of the nineteenth century (1799-1850). In addition to his academic work, he is a researcher and educator at the Philipse Manor Hall, the VCHM’s architectural “twin” in Yonkers, and leads tours of various parts of Manhattan for the Big Onion touring company. This talk was offered both in-person and online. |
Van Cortlandt by Candlelight
Saturday, December 14 & Saturday, December 21, 2024 4 - 7 PM
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Join us this December for self-guided tours of the museum by candlelight with games, crafts, light seasonally-inspired refreshments, and insight into the celebration of winter holidays past and present.
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How the Earth Answers: Poems about Bronx Slavery by David Mills
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 6 PM
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David Mills will read from a new, yet-to-be-published poetry collection, How the Earth Answers, focused on slavery in the Bronx. The reading will be held on the third floor of the Van Cortlandt House Museum (accessible via stairs only), adjacent to an area identified as the quarters inhabited by the enslaved people who toiled and lived on the plantation.
Van Cortlandt House Museum is co-sponsoring this event with the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance as both organizations work to educate the community about the Enslaved People of Van Cortlandt Plantation. |
The Allerton Coops: An Interracial Utopia?
Thursday, December 12, 2024 at 6 PM
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In this lecture, Director of The Bronx County Historical Society Dr. Steven Payne will discuss some little-known aspects of the history of the United Workers Cooperative Colony—better known as the Allerton Coops—in The Bronx. Along with Amalgamated Houses, Sholem Aleichem Houses, and the Farband Houses, the Allerton Coops are one of four co-operative housing complexes built in The Bronx in the late 1920s by working-class Eastern European Jews. The Coops was an outlier at the time for being one of the first interracial housing complexes in The Bronx, with evidence of African-American residents as early as 1930, almost four decades before this was the case in many other housing developments in The Bronx. (Parkchester, for instance, was almost entirely white in its tenancy until 1968, when New York State intervened.) Dr. Payne's talk will analyze the reasons for this unique yet complex history at the Allerton Coops while recovering the lives of some of the earliest African-American and multiracial residents during the 1930s–1960s, drawing on oral histories, documents, photographs, and other items from the collections of the Historical Society.
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Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" with Red Monkey Theater Group's Sean Coffey
Tuesday, December 3rd and Wednesday, December 4th, 2024 7PM
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Red Monkey Theater Group's Sean Coffey performs his one-person adaptation of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol.’ Experience Dickens’ classic story of love, compassion, and redemption in a whole new way. Ebenezer Scrooge and a whole host of characters discover what the spirit of Christmas is really about and delve into the magic of the holiday season. The show's running time is 70 minutes, and it is performed without an intermission.
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Van Cortlandt Connections to the Caribbean and Latin America
Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 1 PM
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What does the Van Cortlandt House, built in rural New York in 1748, have to do with the Caribbean and Latin America? It turns out quite a lot. The people who lived there, the wealth of its inhabitants, and the wars that were fought here all had important ties to the southern hemisphere.
Join VCHM Site Historian Nick Dembowski for this special one-hour tour to learn about an often overlooked aspect of New York's history that was crucial to its development. |
Halloween: Wags to Witches
Sunday, October 27th, 2024 from 12 PM - 4 PM
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Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and Van Cortlandt House Museum invite you to a FREE fang-tastic afternoon of family and doggy fun. Get ready for creepy crafts, face painting, spine-chilling stories and more!
This event included VCPA's Second Annual Canine Costume Contest. All proceeds benefitted Van Cortlandt Park's Canine Court dog run. |
Music and Muse: A Celebration of Phillis Wheatley Peters with Cornelius Eady and Charlie Rauh
Sunday, October 20th, 2024 at 3 PM
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Join us for an autumnal afternoon of music, poetry, and conversation on the lawn at Van Cortlandt House Museum for this debut collaboration of National Book Award-winning poet and musician Cornelius Eady and composer and musician Charlie Rauh as they celebrate the life and writing of Phillis Wheatley Peters.
"The subject of the Mercy poetry cycle is Phillis Wheatley Peters, the first enslaved person in the American Colonies to publish a full-length volume of poems. She was captured when she was 7 or 8 years old, and the poems seek to capture the feeling of a young girl. Losing her native language and slipping on the language and customs of her owners, the struggle, the joy of achievement, and the contradictions we all still float inside today as a culture." - Cornelius Eady "My lullaby cycle, A Hymn To The Morning (Destiny Records), seeks to translate the dynamic beauty of Phillis Wheatley Peters’ poetry into music. Taking note of the nuanced language, symbolism, tone, and layered messaging within the literature - the music attempts to interpret rather than merely react. In this program that includes both solo guitar performances as well as open discussion, the focus is meant to remain on the essence of Wheatley Peters’ writing and how music can assist in sharing her singular voice." - Charlie Rauh |
The Underground Railroad in New York City:
David Ruggles and the New York Committee of Vigilance
Thursday, October 10th, 2024 at 6 PM
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When many Americans think about antislavery activists, we think of a few famous heroes, like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and William Lloyd Garrison. But antislavery work was done by thousands of people who are now largely forgotten: enslaved people who freed themselves and the people who helped them in their journeys. This talk by Isaac Kolding focuses on the life of one extraordinary man, David Ruggles, the founder of the New York Committee of Vigilance, which helped ferry freedom seekers to safety. Audiences will learn about the gritty, dangerous world of antislavery activism in 1830s New York City through stories of Ruggles’ daring exploits.
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Outdoor Reading Adventures with LINC (Literacy in Community)
Friday, August 23rd & Friday, August 30th, 2024 at 11 AM
Friday, August 23rd & Friday, August 30th, 2024 at 11 AM
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It's time to celebrate nature with some of our favorite stories! We'll read together, share learning tips, and help your family continue the fun all season long. This program is designed for children ages 0-5, but all ages are welcome.
For more information, contact Araceli Farciert at [email protected] Registration is suggested for this event. Register here. |
Solo Acoustic Guitar Concert with Carlos Pavan
Friday, August 9th, 2024 at 6:30 PM
Friday, August 9th, 2024 at 6:30 PM
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Van Cortlandt House Museum is pleased to present a solo acoustic guitar performance with Carlos Pavan on Friday, August 9th at 6:30 PM.
Born in Argentina and living in New York since 2000, composer Carlos Pavan combines tango/folklore rhythms with jazz & classical concepts. He studied with maestros Jorge Morel, Dave Smey (Brooklyn Conservatory) and Pablo Ziegler (A. Piazzolla's pianist). Carlos has recorded four albums with his works including string quartet, chamber ensemble and trio concertante. |
Story Time & Art Activity with the New York Public Library (NYPL)
Friday, August 16th, 2024 from 10 AM - 12 PM
Friday, August 16th, 2024 from 10 AM - 12 PM
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Van Cortlandt House Museum has partnered with the New York Public Library (NYPL) for a free kids story time and art activity day! Join us on the museum lawn on Friday, August 16th from 10 AM - 12 PM to read a story, make some art to take home, and discover the many resources, programs, and services that the NYPL has to offer for New Yorkers of all ages.
This is a FREE walk-up event - registration is not required. |
Free Family Activity Days
Saturday, July 13th, Saturday, July 27th, and Saturday, August 10th, 2024 11 AM- 1 PM
Saturday, July 13th, Saturday, July 27th, and Saturday, August 10th, 2024 11 AM- 1 PM
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Join us for free family activity days at Van Cortlandt House Museum this summer!
Make corn husk dolls, beeswax candles, thaumatropes, or herb sachets to take home. Each participant can create two (2) crafts.
Dates:
Saturday July 20
Saturday July 27
Saturday Aug 10
Time:
11 AM - 1 PM
This is a walk-up event, registration is not required. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Make corn husk dolls, beeswax candles, thaumatropes, or herb sachets to take home. Each participant can create two (2) crafts.
Dates:
Saturday July 20
Saturday July 27
Saturday Aug 10
Time:
11 AM - 1 PM
This is a walk-up event, registration is not required. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Artist Talk: Edwin Pagán on his "Los Inocentes" photoessay
Thursday, July 11th, 2024 at 6:30 PM
Thursday, July 11th, 2024 at 6:30 PM
Join us for an artist talk with Edwin Pagán, who will be discussing Los Inocentes (The Innocents), his documentary photoessay that focuses on the resiliency of children who live in urban communities in less-than-ideal circumstances, but who prevail and thrive beyond their environments in the South Bronx, Spanish Harlem (El Barrio), and the Lower East Side (Loisaida).
The images compiled in this photographic showcase reveal the untainted splendor of children just being themselves in everyday situations. Individually they present fleeting tableaux of precise personal incidents. Taken together, they provide a wider understanding of how universal youth resiliency really is. If from the mouth of babes comes the truth, then this metaphoric photo album speaks to the will and tenacity of human beings.
The exhibit is installed in Van Cortlandt Park at the basketball court on Broadway until August 1, 2024. The exhibit's producer is Photoville, the project sponsor is The Bronx County Historical Society, and it is regionally supported by Van Cortlandt House Museum and the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance.
Juneteenth Celebration (Produced by Van Cortlandt Park Alliance)
Wednesday, June 19th, 2024 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
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Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and Bronx Arts Ensemble invite you to an evening celebration of Juneteenth at the Van Cortlandt House Museum.
The program will begin on the lawn of the Van Cortlandt House Museum with performances, including music and spoken word. Then join us for a procession with drums to the Enslaved African Burial Ground for a libation ceremony, honoring the memory of the enslaved people. Guest artists include renowned drummer Baba Don Babatunde, actress Ashley Hart Adams, violist Judith Insell, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford and the NYC All City High School Chorus, poet David Mills and West African drummer Yahaya Kamate. RSVP suggested: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/juneteenth-celebration-tickets-887716001457 This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council. |
Cornelius Eady Group:
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National Book Award winner and Pulitzer prize nominated poet Cornelius Eady has set his poetry to song with the Cornelius Eady Group. Eady's songs tell the story of passing time, the Black American experience, and the blues in the style of Folk & Americana music.
Guitarists Charlie Rauh & Lisa Liu join Eady to create layered and graceful arrangements to bolster Eady's adept craftsmanship as a songwriter, lyricist, & poet. Join us for a free evening of poetry and music on the lawn of Van Cortlandt House Museum on Friday, June 6th at 6:30 PM. |
Archaeology & History at Van Cortlandt Park
Saturday, October 28th, 2023 from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
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Van Cortlandt Park has a rich Indigenous, colonial, and Revolutionary history. Numerous archaeological excavations near the Van Cortlandt House Museum have turned up thousands of artifacts spanning the centuries. But some discoveries have raised more questions than answers. Come witness archaeology in action as we look for clues to understand Van Cortlandt Park’s complex historical timeline.
Tours will start from the museum’s welcome center at 2:00 and 2:30 and will last about 90 minutes. Van Cortlandt House Museum is located at 6036 Broadway, in Van Cortlandt Park. Free parking is available at the Van Cortlandt Park parking lot (near the golf course entrance) and the museum is a few minute walk from the 242nd Street stop on the #1 train. RSVP and tickets on Eventbrite. |
Delft Tile Tour
Saturday, October 14th, 2023 from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
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Led by longtime docent Paul Herther, take the chance to learn about the finely crafted Dutch tiles that graced early American fireplaces.
This tour includes an informational talk and a behind-the-scenes look at unseen tiles in the museum’s collection. Tickets are $10 and available for purchase on Eventbrite. |