Fort Delaware Museum

10/12/2026

10/11/2026

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10/11/2026

Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History in Narrowsburg, NY will be closed today, Sunday, October 11 due to the rain.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

This concludes our 2026 season. We expect to re-open in May, 2027.

THANK YOU to all who spent time with us celebrating America’s Semiquincentennial this year. It was great fun.

We live history!

10/04/2026

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(Rain or Shine)

10/04/2026

Rhythm of the Revolution

Look closely at this painting. The boy with the drum is the image most Americans picture when they think of 1776, but the real drummers of the Revolution were in many cases older, rougher and with a more important than most realize.
A study of Continental Army muster rolls found the average drummer was about 19 years old, and fifers about 17. A few really were as young as 10. The "drummer boy" image isn't pure legend, but most were young men. Even William Diamond, who beat the call to arms on Lexington Green, was likely closer to 20 than the 16 held by local memory.
Their job was for looks. The drum was the army's voice. It woke the camp at dawn, called the men to assemble, set the pace of the march, and sent them to their tents at night. In battle, over musket fire and cannon smoke, the drum carried orders that no officer's voice could. Baron von Steuben standardized those calls so every soldier knew exactly what each beat meant. Each company of roughly 40 men usually had one drummer and one fifer.
Late in the war, Continental musicians wore coats in reversed colors so officers could find them instantly in the chaos. That also made them easy for the enemy to find.
There was a side most people have never heard of. Drummers were often the men ordered to carry out floggings. The Continental Army first capped the punishment at 39 lashes, then raised the limit to 100, and some sentences ran far higher. The same hands that kept the army's rhythm sometimes held the whip.
Washington took the job seriously. In June 1777, he called the army's music "very bad" and warned the drum and fife majors that if they didn't improve it, they'd lose their rank and their extra pay.
And consider this: in April 1775, a drum called the militia to Lexington Green. On October 17, 1781, a lone British drummer climbed the parapet at Yorktown and beat a parley, the signal that Cornwallis was ready to talk surrender. The Revolution's first alarm and its decisive surrender both began with a drumbeat.
We come from people who kept the rhythm of a revolution, often before they were old enough to shave.
Does anyone in your family tree trace back to a drummer or fifer in the Revolution? Tell us their name and where they served.👇


*AI imagery was used in this photo

10/03/2026

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09/27/2026

Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History in Narrowsburg, NY will be closed today, Sunday, September 27 due to the rain.

We expect to reopen as usual at 10 AM on Saturday, October 3.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

09/26/2026

Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History in Narrowsburg, NY will be closed today, Saturday, September 26 due to the rain.

The weather tomorrow, Sunday, September 27 looks unsettled at this time, so check back here for updates about our schedule.

We apologize for any inconvenience.