STONY POINT BATTLEFIELD STATE HISTORIC SITE

1897- 1997

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF PRESERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP

1897- New York State appropriates $25,000 for the acquisition of the historic Stony Point peninsula, under the trusteeship of Society for the Preservation of Scenic and Historic Places and Objects.

1898 - The Society purchases 33.7acres from Watson and Kitty N. Tomkins for $21,500. The remaining $3,500 is allocated for the site's maintenance.

1902 - Stony Point Battlefield Reservation, under the administration of the Society, now known as the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, opens to the public and is dedicated on July 16.

1908 - The construction of a memorial arch, designed by Henry K. Bush-Brown, a Newburgh sculptor, is begun by the Daughters of the Revolution on land donated by local citizens.

1909 - The completed arch is dedicated on October 2. Governor Hughes of New York arrives by boat; Frederick W. Seward, last surviving member of Lincoln's cabinet, presides over the ceremonies.

1929 - The sesquicentennial of the battle of Stony Point is observed.

1931 - Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt visits site in late July and enjoys a picnic luncheon.

1936- Site museum, built by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and the Works Progress Administration, is dedicated on July 16, the 157th anniversary of the Battle of Stony Point.

1941- 8.6 acres of federal land and the Stony Point Lighthouse are acquired by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.

1946 - The Palisades Interstate Park Commission becomes the administrative agency for Stony Point Battlefield, in place of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society.

1968 -The Palisades Interstate Park Commission purchases an additional 37.92 acres of battlefield land.

1973 - 3.75 acres of land are donated to the battlefield by Mrs. Edna M. Schumaker.

1976- Stony Point Battlefield is redesignated as a state historic site.

1978 - PIPC acquires the remainder(1.72 acres) of federal property on the peninsula, including the last keepers' house, built in 1935.

1979 - The 200th anniversary of the Battle of Stony Point is commemorated.

1986 - The exterior of the Stony Point Lighthouse is restored, including the repair of the masonry walls and the wrought-iron lantern, and the replacement of its copper roof.

1995- The lighthouse, with an exhibit, a restored interior, and a period fourth-order Fresnellens, is re-opened to the public and the light activated for the first time in 70 years.