 The majestic, Stanford White-designed Prison Ship Martyrs Monument which stands in the heart of the Park is one of the most important and sacred memorials in our country. The monument honors over 11,500 Prisoners of War who perished for the cause of freedom aboard British prison ships during the American Revolutionary War of Independence. Remains of the Prison Ship Martyrs are interred in a crypt beneath the Monument. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1908 dedication of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument a grand Centennial Celebration will take place THIS WEEKEND in Fort Greene Park.
The Centennial Celebration begins Friday November 14th with a kick-off reception at MoCADA at 5:30 PM featuring an exhibit of prize-winning art works created by neighborhood high school students who were inspired by the experiences of the British Prison Ship Martyrs. MoCADA, (The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts) is located at 80 Hanson Place in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
On Saturday, November 15th, a full day of free family events begins in Fort Greene Park. Highlights include: the official return of the bronze eagles, Revolutionary War Re-enactors, a parade of flags, entertainment, genealogy workshops, and a 21-gun salute - leading up to the official re-lighting of the urn at the top of the monument - which has been dark for over 70 years.
Immediately following the re-lighting ceremony is a Reception and Benefit for the Fort Greene Park Conservancy in the lobby of nearby Brooklyn Tech High School, with food and entertainment, followed by the 7:30 PM premier performance of "Brooklyn Bones," a choral and orchestral piece written exclusively for this event. (Note: all events are free - with the exception of the Brooklyn Tech Reception and Benefit, which requires a $25 per person donation to the Conservancy). See below for additional information.
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| The Centennial Celebration Schedule of Events |
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Friday, Nov. 14, 2008 - Kick-Off Reception at MoCADA, 80 Hanson Place
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 - Full Day of Free Spectacular Activities in Fort Greene Park
10:00 AM- Sign up sheets will be made available for advance reservations for the limited space events. Location: the Visitor's Center.
Noon to 3:45 PM - Family Activities. Visitor's Center: Family Roots Project: free genealogical workshops conducted by the African Atlantic Genealogical Society; Entertainment stage: Jeff Newell's New Trad and Wade Barnes' Brooklyn Four plus One, Brooklyn High School of the Arts band, performers from Irondale Theater; * Guided bus tours of the Brooklyn Navy Yard; Revolutionary War re-enactors; meet Mr. Walt Whitman; Ranger-led tours of the park; * a horse and buggy will provide rides and transport for people in need of help to reach the Monument Plaza. * = These limited space events must be reserved in advance at the Visitor's Center.
3:15 PM - Fife and drum led procession and parade of flags from South Oxford Park to Fort Greene Park's Monument Plaza for the beginning of the formal tribute.
3:30 to 3:45 PM - Flag-posting ceremony on Monument stairs.
4:15 PM - Formal commemoration: National Anthem sung by Tony Award winner Cady Huffman; keynote address by Dr. Edwin G. Burrows, the 1999 Pulitzer Prize winner and author of "Forgotten Patriots: The Untold Story of American Prisoners During the Revolutionary War;" 21- gun salute; wreath-laying; color guards; solemn military pageantry and much more!
5:00 PM - Re-lighting of the Eternal Flame of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument.
5:30 to 7:30 PM - Reception and Benefit for the Fort Greene Park Conservancy at Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 South Elliott Place. Food by Akhtar Nawab, chef & owner of Eletteria, entertainment by cabaret singer, Victoria England. Note: there is a required $25 donation per person for this event, paid in advance. For online donation reservations, click here to go to our PayPal site, or call Ruth Goldstein at 718-596-0899.
7:30 PM - Free Concert at Brooklyn Technical High School Auditorium. The world premiere of "Brooklyn Bones: Requiem for the Prison Ship Martyrs" by composer Alvin Singleton, with text by Patricia Hampl. Commissioned by the Fort Greene Park Conservancy to commemorate the Centennial, "Brooklyn Bones" is a work for chorus, orchestra and solo tenor. Enter Brooklyn Tech at the main entrance at 29 South Elliott Place. Seating begins at 7:15 PM.
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| The World Premiere of "Brooklyn Bones" by Alvin Singleton |
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The Fort Greene Park Conservancy and American Opera Projects are proud to present the premiere performance of Brooklyn Bones: Requiem for the Prison Ship Martyrs, an original composition for tenor, chorus, and orchestra, on Saturday Nov. 15, 2008 at 7:30 PM at the Brooklyn Technical High School auditorium, located at 29 South Elliott Place. The free :40 minute performance will feature tenor soloist, Cameron Smith, backed by a 60-voice chorus with music by the 20-piece Monmouth Civic Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Mark Shapiro.
Enter Brooklyn Tech at the main entrance at 29 South Elliott Place. Seating begins at 7:15 PM Brooklyn Tech's principal, Randy J. Asher will welcome the crowd along with Brooklyn Bones' creators Alvin Singleton and Patricia Hampl. This event provides a rare chance to see inside one of the largest auditoriums in New York City.
Created by renowned composer Alvin Singleton, and based upon text by Patricia Hampl, Brooklyn Bones draws its inspiration from the story of the thousands of American Revolution victims who perished aboard the British prison ships between 1776 and 1783. Brooklyn Bones was commissioned for the Centennial Celebration by the Fort Greene Park Conservancy, with generous support from Partnerships for Parks, the Brooklyn Arts Council, the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Independence Community Foundation, and Meet the Composer, Inc. To learn more about Brooklyn Bones click here.
For more information on the the Centennial celebration go to the Centennial2008.org website.
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| Help Support the Fort Greene Park Conservancy |
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 The Prison Ships Martyrs Memorial Centennial Celebration is organized by the Centennial Committee of the Fort Greene Park Conservancy, a not-for-profit community-based organization dedicated to the restoration and upkeep of Brooklyn's historic Fort Greene Park. Since the Conservancy's inception in 1998 we have been instrumental in helping to renovate, restore and improve the park.
Some of our recent successes have included the restoration and reopening of the Visitors Center (which was closed for over 30 years), and the just-completed renovations of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument and Monument Plaza (which included landscaping, repairing, cleaning, and relighting the monument and urn (which have been dark for over 70 years). We also advocated for the return of the park's signature bronze eagles for many years, which we are proud to unveil at this weekend's grand Centennial Celebration.
The Conservancy also organizes and sponsors popular community events in the park including the Halloween Festival (now in its 10th year), the Summer film series, "It's My Park! Day," musical and theatrical performances, and educational programs. We recently completed the first phase of our "Sponsor a Bench in the Park" program, which oversees the purchasing and installation of 37 new park benches.
But we cannot do it alone. We need your support. There are a number of ways you can help - by volunteering your time, sponsoring one of our events, or by making a tax-deductible donation. You can either mail us a check at the address below or use our convenient PayPal link (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=1103711). Or consider sponsoring a new bench in the park.
Make your contribution to the future of historic Fort Greene Park - today. For more information on the Fort Greene Park Conservancy or Fort Greene Park go to our website, fortgreenepark.org.
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