George Washington is having a birthday – his 285th – and Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site, in Newburgh, is marking the occasion with our annual George Washington’s Birthday Celebration on February 18th, 19th and 20th, from 12 PM until 4 PM. Join our George Washington reenactor as he cuts into his birthday cake, starting the festivities that will take place each day.

There will be music, military demonstrations, crafts, topical talks, and historical presentations, offering something for every family member. Admission for all three days will be free, though donations are requested. We hope you can join us in singing “Happy Birthday” to the General, eating a piece of his birthday cake, and enjoying what the day has to offer.

The General and Martha Washington will be greeting visitors in the historic headquarters with Balladeer Thad McGregor offering musical entertainment in the dining room. On the grounds, reenactors will be performing military drills culminating at the end of the day with a review of the troops by the General himself. Troops that will be present each day are: Saturday – the 5th Connecticut Regiment, Sunday – Lamb’s Artillery and Morgan’s Rifles, and Monday the 5th New York Regiment.

The museum building will host a craft for visitors of all ages and interesting historical presentations. For example, on Saturday, Geoff Benton will deliver a talk titled The Letters of George Washington and Robert R. Livingston, Sunday, Lynette Scherer will offer insights into 18th century medicine with the Bite the Bullet program, and on Monday, Luke Ives Pontifell of Thornwillow Press will speak about Making Books Familiar to George Washington in the Digital Age. These and other presentations are scheduled throughout the weekend.

On Saturday at 4 PM, as a special event, the site will hold a screening of Mansion on the Hill, a film about Washington’s Headquarters and its place in Newburgh’s history, directed by Newburgh’s own, Joe Santacroce.

Sponsorship for this program is provided by the Friends of the State Historic Sites of the Hudson Highlands, Palisades Interstate Park Commission, and the Palisades Parks Conservancy. Call 845-562-1195 for further details.