The Great Fire of 1776: Who Burned New York?

Sometime late on September 20 or early in the morning of September 21, 1776, flames began to engulf Lower Manhattan. By the time the fire was extinguished, as much as 25% of the city was gone. Only days earlier, George Washington and the American troops had lost the city, retreating to the Heights of Harlem. Did Washington light the match so that the British would not be able to savor their victory? Was it an accident? Was it, in fact, the British themselves? On the 250th anniversary of the inferno, we will examine the facts--as we know them--look at potential suspects and try to solve one of the great mysteries of the American Revolution: Who burned New York?

Your registration includes a recording of the presentation. Please note that this recording is hosted on Vimeo, not Zoom, and will be emailed to you about 24 hours after the conclusion of the talk. 

Each ticket covers one (1) registered device. You do not need to watch the lecture as it is happening if that's inconvenient for you -- approxmately 24 hours after the talk, a link will be emailed to all registered participants so that you can watch the talk at your leisure on Vimeo. Your registration will appear on your credit card statement as “Michelle Nevius.”