The Fort Greene Park Conservancy has been working hard to plan an exciting 100-year anniversary celebration for the famed Prison Ship Martyrs Monument.

The Prison Ships Martyrs Monument, which stands in the heart of Fort Greene Park, was dedicated in 1908 as a memorial to the 11,000 prisoners who died on the British Army's infamous prison ships during the Revolutionary War of Independence. These prison ships, the most notorious of which was called the Jersey, were anchored in nearby Wallabout Bay, where the Navy Yard now stands. The martyrs who perished on these vessels included soldiers, sailors and civilians, as well as unfortunate women and children who were caught up in the 6-year War of Independence.

The grand 1908 limestone Doric column, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was designed by the famed architect Stanford White. It is actually the third incarnation of this historic memorial to the martyrs. The importance of the monument and what it stands for is crucial to the history of the United States and cannot be overstated. Famed historian and author David McCullough has called Fort Greene Park "one of the most sacred historical sites in America." Mr. McCullough is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Centennial Celebration's main event.

The Fort Greene Park Conservancy will program free events all year leading up to the November 2008 Centennial Celebration. For example, check out this upcoming April event: "Walt Whitman's Fort Greene," on Sunday, April 27, 2 PM, Rain or Shine. This free walking tour is sponsored by Fort Greene Park Conservancy, Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership and Walt Whitman Project.

To find out more about the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument and the upcoming Centennial Celebration visit the new Centennial 2008 website at www.centennial2008.org. There you can learn more about the monument's rich history as well as view the schedule for the celebration (still a work-in-progress). For those interested in helping with this event please contact the committee's chairperson, Ruth Goldstein.

And be sure to attend the Fort Greene Association's meeting on Monday, February 25 at 7:30pm, at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, which will focus on the planning for the Centennial celebration. See the FGA website for more information on the meeting.

An outdoor adventure, DEATH BY WATER, is experienced from the cozy confines of a heated shed located in the heart of Fort Greene Park.

DEATH BY WATER is a performance installation, which occurs in continuous cycles over the course of three hours. This interdisciplinary performance of film, theatre, music and dance will take place outside under the blanket of a winter's sky with the viewer witnessing the piece from within the protection of a heated Plexiglas shed. The audience will be transported at intervals from a funeral home to the performance location.

DEATH BY WATER is the winter chapter of the 2005 award-winning trilogy "Something About a River," a five-hour site specific performance in three parts, with each component developed during a different season and at a different location along Toronto's buried Garrison Creek. Using the underground river as a metaphor for all that lays dormant in our exceedingly domesticated society; "Something About a River" explores various angles on the notion of ambivalence.

Performances are February 20th - March 8th
Wednesdays - Saturdays.
Viewing times are 7pm, 8pm and 9pm

Robert F. Cranford Funeral Home,
203 DeKalb Avenue, Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

For tickets call (917) 687-3415 or email us at info@bluemouthinc.com.
Seating is limited to 12 people at one time. Please dress warmly and wear comfortable shoes.

For more information about DEATH BY WATER please visit the website.

The holidays may be over but it is still the perfect time to give the gift of Fort Greene Park! Honor a loved one by leaving a lasting impression on the Park you cherish, like sponsoring a new park bench in a designated location.

The Conservancy is offering the opportunity for individuals or organizations to sponsor new park benches within the park. The Parks Department has identified seven locations in the interior of the park to place 37 new benches. (click here to see a map).

The park bench offered for sponsorship is a reproduction of the benches that graced the 1939 New York World's Fair, commonly called the World's Fair Bench. They are 8 feet long with hard wood slats and three metal arms. An engraved plaque identifying the bench's sponsor (or sponsors) will be installed on the top wood slat of the bench. A full bench can be sponsored for $3,000, or for $1650 you can have half a bench with an engraved plaque. The cost of sponsorship is 100% tax deductible.

Sponsoring a bench is a great way to remember a special person or to celebrate an anniversary or other important occasion. Since we only have room for 37 benches and the locations are limited, we anticipate they will go fast. For more information see the feature our website about this wonderful sponsorship opportunity. For more information contact Jim Barnes.