The Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot

06/07/2026

Today we're sharing a column sent to us by our friend Duncan Crary whose great-great-great-great grandfather, Benjamin Gorton, was conductor of Military stores at Fishkill during the Revolution. This feature appeared in the Times Union Record on June 3rd. Huzzah!

Merchant Benjamin Gorton went from “Troy’s biggest beau” to “a peculiar man” after busted doomsday prophecy, but now a descendant is ready to celebrate his life.

06/06/2026

It felt great holding our first outreach event of the summer! Tonight our board of trustees collaborated with Fishkill residents on painting a canvass that, once completed, will depict Fishkill during the Revolutionary War. [Thanks go to our friends at the Atlanta-based Foundation for Hospital Art for supplying all of the materials!] Our information (and painting) table was located at the Town of Fishkill's "America 250" celebration held at Heritage Financial Park. Thank you to all who participated and thank you to the Town of Fishkill for allowing us to setup!

06/02/2026

Stumbled upon this historic marker while visiting family in the Hilton Head area; it reinforced just how many hostile actions occurred in South Carolina during the war. Apparently 2 British soldiers are buried not far from this site.

05/31/2026

Please visit our modernized website featuring the three (3) newly-identified soldiers who perished in Fishkill during the American Revolution. Click on www.fishkillsupplydepot.org for this new content and be sure to visit the Tribute page www.fishkillsupplydepot.org/Xtribute.html where you can learn the stories of over 90 patriots who also "Fell in Fishkill."

05/23/2026

This Memorial Day weekend, we are distraught at how the developer both disputes the existence of Fishkill's Revolutionary War burial ground (see video for signage) and prevents the public from being able to pay its respects (see video for privacy fence). We look forward to the day, however, that this site will be permanently protected and available for tributes and reflection.

05/20/2026

Today is your chance to be part of history by joining our group and helping save the Fishkill Supply Depot historic site!

We are participating in the annual "Hudson Valley Gives" charitable campaign and a donation of $25 or more earns you membership in our group where you'll receive exclusive news, learn about volunteer opportunities, and participate in annual elections. Follow this link and donate today!

I’m ready to support The Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot, Inc. on May 20, 2026 during Hudson Valley Gives. Learn more about The Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot, Inc. and all the other organizations participating in Hudson Valley Gives.

05/19/2026

Volunteer historic researchers have positively identified 3 additional patriots who perished in Fishkill during the American Revolution:

• Private Isaac Barbadoes: From Woburn/Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, Barbadoes enlisted for 3 years on April 10, 1777 in Captain Edmund Munroe's Company, Colonel Timothy Bigelow's 15th Massachusetts Continental Regiment. He was left sick at the Fishkill Hospital in the Fall and died on December 1, 1777

• Lieutenant Solomon Tarbox Jr.: An officer in the 3rd Connecticut Regiment. Historical service records and a pension affidavit from fellow soldier Asahel Phelps confirm Tarbox died in service at Fishkill on December 20, 1777.

• Wiliam Munson: Identified as a "Volunteer" in an April 2, 1781 Orderly Book entry by Lieutenant Pliny Moore of the 2nd Canadian Regiment (Hazen’s Regiment). The entry describes a full military funeral "with Arms and three rounds blind cartridges." Research is ongoing to determine if he is the same William Munson who also held a Lieutenant’s commission in the same regiment.

“With 91 soldiers now identified by name, we are only beginning to uncover the true scale of this site's importance to our nation’s founding,” said Lance Ashworth, Chairman of the Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot. “Each name we recover is a reminder that this is not just ‘vacant land’—it is a veterans' cemetery that deserves permanent protection.”

For the full list of names, please see:

Advocating the Preservation, Study, and Proper Interpretation of the Fishkill Supply Depot and Encampment

05/14/2026

Three cheers to the Town Board for unanimously declaring and dedicating the unmarked site located immediately north of Van Wyck Lake Road at U.S. Route 9 (in Fishkill, NY, pictured below) a Revolutionary War soldiers' burial ground! With the unanimous vote (5-0) cast last night, this official act puts to rest any claims that the parcel contains nothing more than a family plot or loose collection of human remains. Hip hip, huzzah!

05/13/2026

Newsflash! The commercial developer's last-ditch effort to halt tonight's special session has been thwarted! See below for a late-breaking news release by the Town of Fishkill Supervisor:

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Federal Judge affirms that the Town Board can Hold Special Board Meeting Tonight

Dear Fishkill Residents,

On May 11, 2026, the owners of property at the corner of Van Wyck Lake Road and State Route 9 filed an application in the federal court seeking to stop the Town from holding its special meeting tonight (May 13, 2026) concerning a commemorative Town Board resolution to recognize an American Revolutionary War burial ground in the Town of Fishkill. This morning, the Town's attorneys and the property owner's attorneys appeared in federal court in White Plains before the Honorable Vincent L. Briccetti regarding the property owner's application for an injunction.

I am pleased to report that the federal court has denied the property owner's motion on all grounds and tonight's meeting will proceed, as scheduled, at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Hall.