For decades New Yorkers celebrated Evacuation Day every November 25, a holiday marking the 1783 departure of British forces from the city they had occupied for several years during the Revolutionary War.
The events of that departure -- that evacuation -- inspired annual celebrations of patriotism, unity, and a bit of rowdiness. Evacuation Day was honored well until the late 19th century. But then, gradually, the party sort of petered out.....
Of course, Americans may know late November for another historically themed holiday – Thanksgiving, a New England-oriented celebration that eventually took the place of Evacuation Day on the American calendar. But we are here to tell you listener – you should celebrate both!
Greg and Tom tell the story of the British's final years in their former colonies, now in victory known as the United States, and their final moments within New York City, their last remaining haven. The city was in shambles and the gradual handover was truly messy.
And then, on November 25, 1783, George Washington rode into town, basically traveling from tavern to tavern on his way down to the newly freed city. The Bowery Boys chart his course (down the Bowery of course) and make note of a few unusual events -- wild parties, angry women with brooms, and one very lucky tailor.
PLUS: Where and how you can celebrate Evacuation Day today.
Other Bowery Boys episodes to check out when you're done with this one:
-- New York City During the Revolutionary War
-- The Revolutionary Tavern of Samuel Fraunces
-- The Great Fire of 1776
-- The Brooklyn Navy Yard and Vinegar Hill
#379 How Chelsea Became a Neighborhood
#378 The Ansonia: Only Scandals In The Building
The Real Mrs. Astor: Ruler or Rebel?
Rewind: West Side Story and the Making of Lincoln Center
Gilded Age or Gilded Cage? (With The Bowery Boys)
#377 The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
Introducing: The Gilded Gentleman
#376 Skid Row: The Bowery of the Forgotten
Toxic Turkey Day: HISTORY This Week
#375 The Great Bank Robbery of 1878
#374 Gotham's Greatest Ghost Stories
#373 New York Underground: The Story of Cemeteries
#372 The Shuberts: The Brothers Who Built Broadway
Rewind: Revolutionary Fire/The End of Nathan Hale
#371 A Visit to Little Syria: An Immigrant Story
#370 Tragic Muse: The Life of Audrey Munson
#369 Last Dance at the Hotel Pennsylvania
#368 Henry Bergh's Fight for Animal Rights in Gilded Age New York
#367 The Ice Craze: How the Ice Business Transformed New York
#366 North Brother Island: New York's Forbidden Place
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra