Honor our nation’s fallen soldiers at the New Windsor Cantonment on Memorial Day
Events. May 25 program will feature historic interpreters showcasing life in the 18th century.
| 18 May 2026 | 10:23
The New Windsor Cantonment Memorial Day events will feature reenactments of 18th century events, such as a funeral for a fallen soldier. (
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New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site invites the public to join in honoring our nation’s veterans with special Memorial Day programs, including at the site’s historic veteran’s cemetery, on Monday, May 25 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Throughout the day, historic interpreters in 18th century dress will be available for blacksmithing demonstrations, musket drills, 18th century medical and surgical demonstrations, and more, performed at the original encampment. At 1:30 p.m. in the Temple Building, join staff for a talk on death and mourning in the 18th century, with special focus on the American Revolution and funeral practices in the Continental Army. This program will include a period mourning scene featuring a reproduction 18th century coffin for a fallen officer.
At 2 p.m., witness an 18th century military funeral parade and graveside service at the site’s Revolutionary War cemetery. The ceremony will be followed by a talk on the U.S. Civil War origins of Memorial Day by a Union officer.
At 2:30 p.m., an 18th century military drill and artillery demonstration will take place. The soldiers will fire their muskets and a cannon on the “Grand Parade,” the very field where George Washington’s announcement of impending peace was first read to the Army over 200 years ago. Afterward, staff will be available for questions and more in-depth history interpretation.
New Windsor Cantonment was an encampment of more than 7,000 Continental Army soldiers and 500 family members over the winter of 1782-83. Approximately 70 soldiers perished at New Windsor Cantonment during the American Revolution. On Memorial Day, 1932, one of the first public ceremonies to award the Purple Heart military decoration was held on the grounds of New Windsor Cantonment. Over 100 veterans of the First World War received the Medal that day.
In addition to the special programs and activities, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and the New Windsor Cantonment Visitor Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Cantonment Visitor Center features the exhibits “Behind Every Great Man: The Continental Army in Winter, 1782-83” and “The Last Argument of Kings: Revolutionary War Artillery.” A picnic area is available and there is plenty of free parking at 374 Temple Hill Road at the New Windsor Cantonment Visitor Center and National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
Admission to this Memorial Day program, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, and the New Windsor Cantonment Visitor Center is free and open to everyone. For more information, please call the site at (845) 562-7141 ext. 22. New Windsor Cantonment is located on Route 300 (374 Temple Hill Road) in the Town of New Windsor, two miles east of Stewart Airport. It is three miles from the intersection of I-87 and I-84 in Newburgh, N.Y.