The Battle of Pelham turns 250 on Sunday, October 18. Most of the people restaging it will be standing on Orchard Beach in the Bronx. That's the right place for it. The National Park Service account of the engagement says the fighting "took place wholly in what was then Pelham," and much of that land was absorbed into the Bronx in the late 19th century.
So this week's events follow the town lines of 1776. Between Wednesday and Sunday, the commemoration moves from a waterfront restaurant in New Rochelle to a churchyard in Mount Vernon, then to a beach in Pelham Bay Park and a walking tour in Pelham Manor. If you stay inside today's village limits, you'll catch the fireworks and the walk, but you'll miss the ground where the battle was fought.
The Town Was Bigger Than the Zip Code
The NPS also explains why there are two names for this fight. "Battle of Pell's Point" refers to the southern tip of Rodman's Neck, which was part of the Manor of Pelham. British forces landed near there early on October 18, 1776. But they moved north fast, so none of the fighting actually happened at the point. The park service writes that "Battle of Pelham is perhaps a more appropriate description."
Here's how the day went. Col. John Glover, then 43, commanded about 750 Massachusetts soldiers camped on the west side of the Hutchinson River, along what is now Sandford Boulevard in Mount Vernon. They used St. Paul's Church as a hospital and supply barracks. That morning Glover climbed a hill with a spyglass and watched British troops land in Pelham Bay. Most of the Crown force marched north onto a road later called Split Rock Road.
Glover placed his regiments at staggered intervals behind the stone walls along that road. Each unit fired volleys at close range, then fell back to the next hidden line, and the pattern repeated. The fiercest fighting was around the Split Rock, near where the New England Thruway now meets the Hutchinson River Parkway. Around noon, Cornwallis's flanking column threatened the American left. Glover pulled his men back across the Hutchinson River, the two sides traded artillery fire over the water, and by nightfall the brigade had reached Tuckahoe.
The delay gave Washington's main army time to finish moving from northern Manhattan to White Plains. Every major site from that day sits within a few miles of Pelham Manor, and almost none of them are in the village today.
Five Days, Two Counties, One Old Town
The anniversary week is a joint effort. Revolutionary Westchester 250 runs the regional "Revolution on the Sound" program, and the Pelham Town Historian's Pelham250 page keeps the local calendar. Taken together, the events trace the battle's own geography.
| Date | Event | Location | Tie to 1776 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Oct. 14, 6–9 p.m. | "Toast 250! Tavern Night" welcoming the tall ship Lynx, with reenactors, music, and trivia | Kenny's on the Water, 2 Pelham Road, New Rochelle | The ship that fires the opening shot on Sunday |
| Wed., Oct. 14 | Pell's Point battlefield walking tour led by St. Paul's Church National Historic Site | Split Rock Golf Course, north end of Pelham Bay Park, Bronx | Where the heaviest fighting took place |
| Thu., Oct. 15 | District-wide Battle of Pelham day in Pelham Public Schools | Pelham schools | Local curriculum |
| Thu., Oct. 15, 6:30–8 p.m. | Author Eric Jay Dolin and Lynx captain Donald Peacock on privateers and Long Island Sound | Hommocks Middle School, 130 Hommocks Road, Larchmont | The war on the water |
| Fri., Oct. 16, 7 p.m. | Candlelight program with music inside the church, then a cemetery tour around 8 p.m. | St. Paul's Church, 897 S. Columbus Ave., Mount Vernon | Glover's hospital and supply base |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Public tours of the Lynx and living history | Hudson Park, 1 Hudson Park Road, New Rochelle | Shipboard view of the period |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Pelham250 gala and fireworks | NYAC Travers Island; fireworks over the Harbor at Pelham Manor | Eve of the anniversary |
| Sun., Oct. 18, 10 a.m.–noon | Battle reenactment | Orchard Beach, Pelham Bay Park, Bronx | The landing beach |
| Sun., Oct. 18, 4 p.m. | Town Historian's walking tour of Pelham Manor and the battle site | Pelham Manor, RSVP required | The Westchester side of the fight |
Friday's program at St. Paul's has the most direct family link to the town. The Historian's schedule says reenactors will tell the stories of Philip, David, and Samuel Pell, Revolutionary War soldiers buried in the St. Paul's cemetery. According to the NPS, British and Hessian troops took over the same church after the battle and used it as a field hospital, just as the Americans had a few days earlier.
Sunday Morning on the Landing Beach
The reenactment is the week's main event, and it comes from both sides of the county line. The Village of Pelham Manor's notice lists the lead organizers as Pelham Public Schools, the Town of Pelham, Revolutionary Westchester 250, the Bronx County Historical Society, the Kingsbridge Historical Society, SUNY Maritime College, St. Paul's Church National Historic Site, and From The Bronx.
The Lynx sails from New Rochelle into Pelham Bay and fires her cannon at 10 a.m. Several whaleboat replicas then carry British troops to a landing on the sand. After that comes a fully narrated battle, with fife and drums, drills, and appearances by George Washington, General Howe, Colonel Glover, and a member of the Marblehead Mariners. The Town Historian's schedule puts the British landing at 9:30. If you want to see the boats come in, plan to be on the beach before the cannon fires.
The Marblehead Mariners are the regiment author Patrick O'Donnell wrote about in The Indispensables. He spoke at the Pelham Picture House on September 17. The same men later rowed Washington and the Continental Army across the Delaware.
What Stays Inside the Manor
Inside today's Pelham, the week centers on the waterfront and the streets above it. The Historian's schedule lists an eve-of-anniversary fireworks display over the Harbor at Pelham Manor on Saturday. It names Glen Island Park, Shore Park, and the corner of Shore Road and Roosevelt Avenue as viewing spots. That same evening, the Junior League of Pelham and the Pelham Civic Association host "Stars, Stripes and a Revolutionary Night" at the New York Athletic Club's Travers Island. The Pelham Examiner reported that tickets were listed at $225 after the early-bird period ended on July 4.
On Sunday at 4 p.m., Town Historian Arthur Scinta leads a walk through Pelham Manor and the battle site. You can RSVP at [email protected]. His April 13 talk on the battle drew a standing-room-only crowd at the Town of Pelham Public Library, so it makes sense to reserve early.
Some markers of the battle will still be up after the reenactors leave:
- The library exhibit. "The Pells in the Revolution: A Family Divided" runs at the Town of Pelham Public Library through the end of 2026. It includes a cannonball fired during the Battle of Pelham.
- The Baldwin apple tree. On April 24, Prospect Hill Elementary students planted a Baldwin apple tree and installed a plaque honoring Col. Loammi Baldwin, who fought in the battle and later propagated the apple variety named for him.
- The Pelhamdale marker. A New York State marker about the pre-1776 house and patriot Col. David J. Pell stands on the grounds of Pelhamdale at 45 Iden Avenue. The Historic Pelham blog reported in 2017 that it had been moved there from the roadside along the Hutchinson River Parkway.
- The Liberty Trees. The Village of Pelham, the Village of Pelham Manor, the Town, the schools, the Pelham Preservation and Garden Society, and EcoPel are planting native, climate-resilient trees and shrubs in public spaces this month. The Pelham Examiner's announcement did not name the sites.
The Details That Aren't Settled Yet
Some details on the published schedules are incomplete or don't match. Check these before you head out:
- Wednesday's Split Rock tour has two different start times. The Revolutionary Westchester program says 1 p.m. A Patch calendar listing says 10 a.m. St. Paul's Church National Historic Site is running the tour and can confirm.
- Saturday's fireworks have no published time. The Historian's page gives viewing spots but not an hour.
- Lynx tickets are handed out at the dock. The Hudson Park tours use timed tickets distributed on site.
- Sunday's walking tour hasn't posted a starting point. It should come with your RSVP confirmation.
The River Glover Crossed, Four Days Later
On the afternoon of October 18, 1776, the Hutchinson River was Glover's escape route and the line where the artillery duel took place. On Thursday, October 22, the river gets its own program. The Picture House at 175 Wolfs Lane and the Hutchinson River Restoration Project are hosting a free screening of American River. Filmmaker Scott Morris, NOAA specialist Carl Alderson, and local environmental advocates will speak after the film, The Pelham Examiner reported.
The screening brings the anniversary back to the river where Glover's brigade ended its stand.
Martha Rubio works in Pelham Manor from Shore Road to Colonial Avenue, which was once the old Boston Post Road. Many of the houses there sit close to the route the battle took. If this week has you curious about the history of your own street, or of a home you've been watching, Martha would be glad to walk it with you. Schedule a complimentary consultation.
