Celebrating Evacuation Day 1783: A Day that Was and Should be A Holiday!

To bring: Proof of vaccination, snacks or lunch, and a mask. Tour length: about 4.5 miles, mostly level walking. Please be fit to walk at a decent pace.  This tour is free with a voluntary donation to your guide. Restrooms: At the beginning of the tour at the north end of Union Square or in Best Buy or Whole Foods on 14th Street across from the park. Later restroom stop inside the WTC transporation center/The Oculus prior to our extensive visit in the Financial District. WHAT IS EVACUATION DAY? Evacuation Day was an annual local holiday in New York City and was given equal, or even greater importance than the Fourth of July. Celebrating the departure, or evacuation of British troops from New York following the Revolutionary War, November 25th was observed from the late 18th century to the early 20th century until the WW1 era when The British became close allies. On November 25, 1783 the British military officially withdrew from New York City ending its occupation by British forces and marking the end of the American Revolution and a beginning for this fledgling country, the United States of America. The picture above is an artist's rendering of George Washington making his triumphant return to lower Manhattan. He is riding along Wall Street near the future first U.S. Capitol, Federal Hall, where he will eventually be sworn in as our first President. After the Revolutionary War, Evacuation Day was celebrated with military parades, patriotic oratories, fireworks and banquets. The tour route: We'll begin at Union Square, where George Washington was greeted by locals before heading all the way downtown. In tracing his route, we'll travel down Broadway, stopping at various locations, including the site of the Bull's Head Tavern on The Bowery, where the large procession gathered before heading down to Wall Street. This route will provide the opportunity to learn about and experience parts of the NOHO neighborhood, Chinatown, Civic Center/City Hall and finally the Financial District and some of the historic sites. During the course of this guided walk we'll stop at key locations associated with the American Revolution and our early history. The tour ends at Fraunces Tavern, at the corner of Broad and Pearl Streets, convenient to the #1, R, 2,3,4,5 subways.