The annual CelebrateHAMILTON program celebrates Alexander Hamilton’s life and legacy. Events scheduled include author talks, exhibits, and tours of iconic locations related to Alexander Hamilton. All events take place in the New York City region and Northern New Jersey – Elizabeth/Union, Paterson, and Weehawken. The celebration runs from July 7-12. Get out and visit Crossroads’ heritage partners and explore your state’s history!
CelebrateHAMILTON 2016 –
Thursday, July 7, 2016- Location: Boxwood Hall and Liberty Hall Museum
Friday, July 8, 2016- Location: Snyder Academy
Sunday, July 10, 2016- Location: Mary Ellen Kramer Park and Paterson Museum
Monday, July 11, 2016- Location: Weehawken, NJ
Thursday, July 7, 2016- Location: Boxwood Hall & Liberty Hall Museum-
10:00AM – The first stop of the tour is to Boxwood Hall, the residence of Elias Boudinot from 1772-1795. Elias Boudinot, who would later become President of the Confederation Congress, was one of Alexander Hamilton’s first acquaintances upon emigrating from the Caribbean. Hamilton spent a good amount of time at Boxwood Hall during the two semesters he studied at the Academy of Elizabethtown, and became close with the Boudinot family. The house tour will highlight the recent renovations to the house, including the installment of new period wallpaper and exhibits in the rooms.
1:00PM and 2:30PM – The second stop of the “Young Immigrant Hamilton’ tour is to Liberty Hall, the residence of William Livingston – future governor of New Jersey – and his family. While attending the Academy of Elizabethtown, Alexander Hamilton stayed with the Livingston family in Elizabeth. Liberty Hall was completed in 1774 and features an Alexander Hamilton room in the house, honoring the relationship between Hamilton and the Livingston family. Don’t miss an incredible presentation on new discoveries made about Hamilton, with original documents on-hand that have never been viewed by the public or yet catalogued in any public database. Come enjoy a tour of Liberty Hall as part of your visit.
Friday, July 8, 2016- Location: Snyder Academy-
Special Programming and Presentations
Presentation: Hamilton 101 in English 10 – 10:45 am A crash course about Hamilton’s life and legacy, led by Nicole Scholet de Villavicencio, Vice President of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society.
Presentation: Hamilton 101 in Spanish 11 – 11:45 am A crash course about Hamilton’s life and legacy, led by Sergio Villavicencio, South American Chapter President of the AHA Society
Talk: ‘Hamilton in Elizabethtown’ 12:15 – 1:30 pm Noted Hamilton scholar Michael E. Newton will discuss Hamilton’s time in Elizabethtown and the people and ideas that shaped his views.
Book Signing with Michael E. Newton 1:30 – 2 pm Michael E. Newton will be available to sign copies of his recent book: Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years.
A Conversation with Jon Rua 2:00-2:45pm. Born in Elizabeth and raised in Linden, Jon is a celebrated actor, dancer, choreographer and singer who plays Charles Lee, features in the ensemble and understudies Alexander Hamilton in the hit musical Hamilton. Jon will share his personal story, discuss his insights about his work as a member of the cast of the Broadway sensation and talk about how Alexander Hamilton inspires him.
Hamilton Portrait Unveiling: 3 – 3:15 pm A new portrait of Alexander Hamilton painted by The Snyder Academy’s artist-in-residence, Rafael Rodriguez. Inspired by his son’s account of Hamilton’s habit of studying early in the morning in the burial grounds of the adjacent churchyard of the First Presbyterian Church, this portrait offers a fresh perspective on Hamilton’s early life as a student and young immigrant in Elizabethtown in 1772.
Presentation: Washington’s Indispensable Partner 3:30 – 5 pm Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society President Rand Scholet will talk about Hamilton’s many roles as aide, advisor, confidant and cabinet member with George Washington.
Dine in Elizabeth 5 – 7:30 pm Recommendations and specials will be made available to dine at the many restaurants in Elizabeth.
Staged Reading, At Liberty Hall 7:30 – 9 pm The Snyder Academy’s theater company in residence, The Actors Shakespeare Company, will produce a staged reading of Jim Christy’s contemporary play, which features Hamilton as a young immigrant in 1772 and a teen in Elizabeth today, talking to each other across the centuries about their lives as immigrants.
Post-Show Cocktail Party 9 – 10 pm Enjoy refreshments and conversation as we conclude a full day exploring the many facets of Alexander Hamilton’s life and legacy.
Recurring Activities and Tours:
Historical Society Fair 10 am – 3 pm Representatives from local historical societies and sites in Union County will be available to share information about the many fascinating historical museums, resources and collections in the area. Also, stop by and visit our Crossroads of the American Revolution representative!
18th Century Games 10 am – 5 pm Children of all ages (including those over 18!) will have fun on The Snyder Academy’s lawn, The Front Yard of Midtown, playing colonial era games. Docents will be on hand to offer guidance on the games throughout the day.
Campus Tours 11 am – 12 pm; 3:30 – 4:30 pm; 5 – 6 pm Go on a guided tour of the historic First Presbyterian Church and Burial Grounds (located next door to the Snyder Academy), which will highlight the history of the prominent residents of Elizabethtown who influenced Hamilton, New Jersey and America.
Art Studio Tour 11 am – 5 pm Artist-in-residence Rafael Rodriguez will share his work and the work of his students, including a new Alexander Hamilton portrait, throughout the day.
Picnic with Washington and Hamilton at the Great Falls
On July 10, 1778, George Washington and his military entourage, which included Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette, stopped at the Great Falls for a picnic. This was the first time that Alexander Hamilton visited the falls, which he remembered years later when it came time to choose a location for the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (SUM) to develop.
Now, exactly 238 years later, the Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park, the Hamilton Partnership for Paterson, and the AHA Society are hosting a similar picnic. Join us to meet “George Washington,” “Alexander Hamilton.” and others as they revisit the Great Falls.
Starting at noon, bring your own picnic lunch (if you wish) to enjoy the newly-landscaped Mary Ellen Kramer Park overlooking the Great Falls – the largest waterfall east of the Mississippi after Niagara Falls. The formal programming begins at 1 pm, where you will be able to interact with historical interpreters and learn about the historic picnic of “cold ham, tongue, and biscuits” they enjoyed that would eventually lead to the founding of Paterson.
Time(s): 12 – 2 pm (Historical Interpreter programming 1 – 2 pm) Location: Mary Ellen Kramer Park, Paterson, New Jersey
Great Falls Walking Tour: Hamilton and the SUM
In honor of the 225th anniversary of the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (SUM), there will be a special walking tour of the Historic Falls District focused on Alexander Hamilton and the SUM. The tour will be led by a National Park Ranger, with stops to view the Great Falls, the SUM building, the Alexander Hamilton statue, and the raceway system. The tour will end at the Paterson Museum.
This is an easy walking tour, covering approximately one mile of walking on mostly paved surfaces.
Time(s): 2-3 pm, Sunday, July 10th Meeting location: Mary Ellen Kramer Park, Paterson, New Jersey
Visit to the Paterson Museum
Directly following the Hamilton and SUM Walking Tour, visitors will be welcomed into the Paterson Museum. The Paterson Museum preserves the industrial history of Paterson, which can trace its roots to the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (SUM) and Alexander Hamilton’s vision for the first planned industrial city in the United States. Come explore some of the incredible inventions and technological innovations that came out of Paterson that are on display in the museum.
Time(s): 3-4 pm, Sunday, July 10th Meeting location: Paterson Museum, 2 Market Street #102, Paterson, NJ
Monday, July 11, 2016- Location: Weehawken-
Duel Remembrance in Weehawken, NJ
Join the annual gathering at the Hamilton Memorial overlooking the Weehawken Dueling Grounds that commemorates the anniversary of the fatal duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. There also will be a thank you ceremony for many groups that provided support for Alexander Hamilton to remain prominent on the $10 bill, entitled, “Celebrating the New Generation of U.S. Currency. Following the remembrance gathering, don’t miss Thomas Fleming’s talk on the Hamilton-Burr duel that follows.
This event is co-sponsored by the Weehawken Historical Association and the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society.
Time: 6 pm, Monday, July 11th Location: Alexander Hamilton statue Hamilton Ave in Weehawken, New Jersey
Talk: Thomas Fleming on the Hamilton-Burr Duel
Thomas Fleming, nationally noted author of Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, And The Future Of America, will be the featured speaker on the 212th anniversary of the Hamilton-Burr duel in Weehawken.
This event is co-sponsored by the Weehawken Historical Association and the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society.
Time: 7:30 pm, Monday, July 11th Location: Elks Lodge, 2 50th St, Weehawken, NJ
More CelebrateHAMILTON 2016 details at www.celebratehamilton.com
Rand Scholet – [email protected]; website: www.theAHAsociety.org
