10/15/2026
The Burning of Kingston is here! We are excited to participate in this community-wide commemoration of such a significant event in Kingston's history. Programming runs from Thursday evening (10/15) through Sunday (10/18) this week at locations throughout Kingston. Follow the link below for a full schedule of events.
The programming hosted as Senate House is listed below. We hope to see you there!
FRIDAY, 10/16
10am - 5pm - Tours of Senate House - Explore new galleries, including the new, award winning, “Revolution Comes to Kingston”. Take a guided tour of the Senate House, learn about the Van Gaasbeek family who lived there, and about the first meeting of the first New York State Senate that happened here. Standard admission rates apply.
SATURDAY, 10/17
10am - 5pm - British Encampment - Crown forces will have an encampment on the grounds of Senate House as they take the city. Interact with them, ask them questions, and see them patrol throughout the afternoon.
10am - 5pm - Tours of Senate House - Explore new galleries, including the new, award winning exhibit, “Revolution Comes to Kingston”. Take a guided tour of the Senate House, learn about the Van Gaasbeek family who lived there, and about the first meeting of the first New York State Senate that happened here. Standard admission rates apply.
10am - 4pm - Burning of Kingston Interactive Activity - Put yourself in the role of various people who lived through the Burning of Kingston, learn about their story, and place them on period maps to trace where they might have traveled in its aftermath. Fun activity for children and parents.
12pm - Presentation - “Lenape History in Kingston” by Harv Hilowitz - The Esopus-Lenape and their ancestors lived and thrived in Lenapehoking for over 12,000 years, and locally along the Mahicannituck (Hudson River). Then in 1609, everything changed with the coming of Henry Hudson. By the Revolutionary War, most Esopus had fled the area in small bands due to warfare and forced migrations. Today the Lenape are a federally recognized tribe, living on three US reservations and three First Nation Canadian reserves. This talk is about their lifeways before contact, and how they persevere today, with many descendants living in the Hudson Valley. The talk also touches on the renaissance in Indian Country and how Native People are a thriving part of American society.
1pm - Presentation - “What Happened During the Burning of Kingston?” by Aaron Robinson - Get the ‘big picture’ of what really happened during the Burning of Kingston. Why was Kingston targeted, what the lead up to that fateful day, what happened when the British arrived, what was the aftermath? Hear insights about all this and more.
2pm - 2:30pm - “The Night Before the Burning”- A new 30-minute play written and directed by Lise Hopson, featuring twelve real-life historic Kingston characters dealing with the crisis facing them that tumultuous October of 1777. The play dramatizes the actual positions and actions of these historic figures, the conversations and controversies members of the Committee of Safety and certain community leaders may have voiced, as well as the inner thoughts and feelings of other affected individuals - wives and mothers, enslaved persons, a military captain, and the pastor of the Old Dutch Church
SUNDAY, 10/18
10am - 5pm - Tours of Senate House - Explore new galleries, including the new, award winning, “Revolution Comes to Kingston”. Take a guided tour of the Senate House, learn about the Van Gaasbeek family who lived there, and about the first meeting of the first New York State Senate that happened here. Standard admission rates apply.
Explore the 2026 Burning of Kingston event showcasing revolutionary history, diverse perspectives, performances, and reenactments in Kingston, NY. A historical cultural experience.
