9th Annual Living History Cemetery Tours

KINGSTON – For their Fall 2023 “living history” presentation Theatre on the Road and the Old Dutch Church in Kingston will offer a new perspective on the Burning of Kingston. There will be five female characters and they’ll range from an enslaved person to the wife of a general. Each will deliver a message that is centered around the theme that war, even in victory, has consequences.

Tours will be conducted on Saturdays in October at 7 pm in the Old Dutch Church Cemetery, 272 Wall Street, Kingston, New York. The tour that will be conducted on Saturday, October 14th will be part of the city’s Burning of Kingston commemoration ceremonies.

Theatre on the Road producer, Frank Marquette, offers, “Our take on the Burning of Kingston is a uncommon and one established Kingston residents and newcomers should find fascinating. We will be giving our guests an opportunity to meet 5 18th century characters that bore the brunt of war. You’ll hear the position of both the patriots and the British loyalists.”

During the one-hour tour guests will meet Becky Low, a local farmer who took in a British spy. Visitors will also meet Cornelia Tappan Clinton, an advocate for building, and the wife of war hero General Clinton. Maria Dewitt, whose mill was responsible for the village’s food supply, will make an appearance, along with Elizabeth Wynkoop, a embittered resident who lost family members in a battle the patriots won. Dian, an enslaved woman in the home of the Van Gaasbecks will talk about what she overheard the members of the state senate discussing.

Tickets are $15 per adult, $10 students and seniors, 12 and under are free and must be purchased by visiting www.livinghistoryny.com. For information: 845-475-7973. A “Burning of Kingston” coloring book will be available for children 12 and under.

Theatre on the Road is the creation of actor, writer, and director Frank Marquette and his wife, Kristen. Theatre on the Road offers original scripts, professional actors, period styling, and handmade costumes. Original productions include, Poe’s Last Mystery, Voices from the Past, A Taste of Shakespeare, Whiskey Women, and seasonal “living history” tours at the Old Dutch Church in Kingston.