Wonderful (though minor) tourist destination. Thanks for telling us about this one. Regina Daly --- Walter Greenspan <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > The following was submitted to the List > Administrator on Friday afternoon, > November 24: > > > Now almost forgotten, Evacuation Day was celebrated > as a holiday long before > the Fourth of July: > > On November 25, 1783, the British Army boarded their > naval vessels and > evacuated New York City (then only coterminous with > New York County), their wartime > headquarters and their last military position in the > United States during the > Revolutionary War. > > As the British sailed away south in retreat through > the Narrows separating > Staten Island on the west and Long Island on the > east, the last thing they saw, > as their ships sunk below the horizon, was the Flag > of the United States of > America flying atop the Liberty Pole (an extended > flag pole) in the frontyard of > the Dutch Reformed Church in the Hamlet of New > Utrecht, Town of New Utrecht, > in the south-central part of of Kings County. Today > this location is at > Christopher Columbus Boulevard (18th Avenue) and > Liberty Pole Boulevard (84th > Street) in the Bensonhurst neighborhood in the > south-central part of the New York > City Borough of Brooklyn. (The NYC Borough of > Brooklyn is coterminous with the > NYS Kings County). > > Replaced six times over the years, the 106' Liberty > Pole is the last > remaining Liberty Pole in the original thirteen > United States. On top of the Pole is > the original eagle and weathervane. The eagle is > made of wood and has a 5' > wingspan. After two hundred and twenty-two years, > the weather has weakened it > considerably and it has been reinforced with iron > bands. > > The eagle has looked over the bay and seen many > sailing vessels, steamships > and war ships. It has been said that the eyes of > this golden eagle has looked > upon more change in the world’s history than > occurred from the days of > Nebuchadnezzar to the day when the eagle was raised. > > Here's the URL for the New Utrecht Liberty Pole > Association: > http://www.historicnewutrecht.org/LPA.html > > Here's the URL for the Dutch Reformed Church: > http://www.newutrechtchurch.org/ > > > I hope this information is useful or, at least, > interesting. > > Regards, > > Walter Greenspan > Great Falls, MT & Jericho, NY > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta. http://new.mail.yahoo.com