The Battle of Edgars Lane was one of the most dramatic events in the Revolutionary War history of Westchester County and it occurred in the heart of what is now the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson.  On September 30, 1778, Continental soldiers successfully ambushed a patrol of British-allied Hessian soldiers along the stretch of road that is now Broadway near Edgars Lane. As many as 500 men fought that day, with some 15 Hessian dead, as well as possibly one Continental fatality. Despite the significance of this military success during a dark time in Westchester, the site of this battle in the center of our village is indicated only by two small markers created in the 1930s.

Revolutionary Hastings is a committee operating in collaboration with the Hastings Historical Society and dedicated to developing new awareness of the Battle of Edgar’s Lane and its context in the American Revolutionary War.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence and our fight against tyranny, this awareness of our historical heritage is more vital than ever.

We have proposed an enhanced monument plaza at the intersection of Broadway and Warburton, near the site of the battle. We envision six new display panels containing substantial historical context, including new scholarship driven by our historian Erik Weiselberg, PhD., and newly commissioned maps and illustration.  These panels are being produced in conjunction with a prominent graphic designer and will be fabricated in durable porcelainized steel supported by hardware hand-poured by a local artist and iron-caster.  They will be installed in an attractive ellipse, with new landscaping, centered on the existing Daughters of the American Revolution monument.

This new scholarship on the Battle of Edgars Lane and the sociopolitical environment in which it occurred, will also reach audiences through publication, both in print and on our website and the development of curriculum materials for the Hastings Union Free School District that will educate and inspire generations to come.

A dedication of the new plaza is slated for September, 2020, on the 242nd anniversary of the battle. The Village of Hastings-on-Hudson has voted to support us with a development grant, and we have been endorsed by Revolutionary Westchester 250, the Hudson River Patriots Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct.

We need donations and volunteers!  Please join our email list and consider a generous donation to the Hastings Historical Society, earmarked “Revolutionary Hastings.”

Supporters: Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, Hastings Historical Society, Daughters of the American Revolution - Hudson River Patriots Chapter, Revolutionary Westchester 250, Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, Inc.