First Stepping Stone in Historic Monument to be Unveiled in Yorktown

The first stepping stone for the Battle at Pines Bridge monument will be set, literally, this Saturday, May 18 when the first lot of sponsorship bricks will be unveiled at the monument's site at Downing Park.

The planned monument – the brain child of Yorktown police officer and history buff Michael Kahn – will be comprised of three bronze statues depicting the diversity of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending the Pines Bridge Pass over the Croton River on May 14, 1781. 

The statues would be life-sized (approximately 8 feet tall) and made of bronze. It will be the first Revolutionary War memorial showing together in combat all three races: African Americans, Native Americans, and European-American settlers, who all fought in The 1st Rhode Island Regiment under the command of Colonel Christopher Greene.

The memorial will be situated across from the Presbyterian Church where Colonel Greene was buried.

Kahn, members of the Pines Bridge Monument Fundraising Committee and the Yorktown Historical Society have been working together to raise money for the project. A fundraising thermometer, with a goal of $300,000, has been erected at Downing Park to track the fundraising efforts progress. 

One of the biggest fundraising efforts has been through the Bricks Are Us program – committee members were selling bricks which individuals or organizations could have engraved and placed on a pathway leading up to the monument. 

During the unveiling of the first set of bricks on May 18, the 5th New York Regiment re-enactors will be on hand for a Living History program, demonstrating the every day life of the Continental Soldiers who served during the American Revolution and War for Independence. 

Current serving members of the US Armed Forces and representatives of United For the Troops will also be present during the ceremony. 

Anyone interested in sponsoring a brick or paving stone that day will have the opportunity to speak with Donna Corti, the Brick Sales Manager for the Yorktown Historical Society. For more information call 914-282-6564.