A step back in time

Visitors at the Rochambeau Festival in Yorktown enjoyed a weekend of living history, where the past was not only remembered, but experienced.

It was especially relevant now that the country is approaching its 250th anniversary and that Yorktown is considered one of the most historically significant Westchester communities during the American Revolution.

Rochambeau Park, aka the Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds, is the exact location where the French general and his troops camped in 1781.

The event was presented by W3R-NY, an organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting the route traveled by the French and Continental forces led by the comte de Rochambeau and General George Washington.

Visitors also got to meet Martha Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and reenactors in period attire.

Troops were presented, tactical weapons explained, and skirmishes fought. Dignitaries were introduced and the Franco-American Alliance toasted.

Crafts such as spinning, horn work, and butter making were demonstrated. Games such as Jacob’s Ladder and spinning tops were played.  Oxen, goats, and chickens delighted grown-ups and little ones alike.

Songs were sung. Military music was played. Eighteenth-century women’s fashions were exhibited. Tours of Yorktown’s other historic sites were conducted.