Follow the French Tour
Washington Reviewing Our Ally—the French—1781 by Henry Alexander Ogden. The Society of the Cincinnati, Washington, DC.
Visit three historic Revolutionary War sites in Westchester, where French troops camped during the final year of the war.
Listen to the FREE AUDIO TOUR about the crucial French alliance with General George Washington and the Continental Army.
Come learn about the French role in winning our war for independence, see their encampment sites, visit a historic tavern, meet Generals Rochambeau and Washington, tour a pop- up museum, and pet animals from the colonial period.
The FREE family-friendly event will take place May 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can go at your own pace and visit the sites in any order.
The three sites are Smith’s Tavern in Armonk, Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters in Hartsdale, and Rochambeau Park/Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds—where there will be a re-creation of a French campsite. Each location will have family activities.
FREE AUDIO TOUR!
Download the free TravelStorys Follow the French audio tour and learn about the sites as you drive to each location. The audio launches automatically— hands-free—as you approach each site, without the need for cell service or Wi-Fi. Click here to download the free audio tour. (The tour will be available long after the event for tourists and history lovers to use.)
TOUR SITE LOCATIONS Audio tour works best in this order.
Smith’s Tavern Educational Complex
Smith’s Tavern Educational Complex
440 Bedford Road, Armonk, NY
Smith’s volunteers, in period costume, will welcome you with lots of fun for the whole family. There will be an optional self-guided tour of four ancient buildings: Historic Smith Tavern (a National Register of Historic Places site), a 1798 Quaker Meeting House, Brundage Blacksmith Shop and East Middle Patent One-Room School. Here you can see the correspondence between Washington, Rochambeau and Lauzun, pretend you are a soldier of Lauzun’s Legion or stand with Rochambeau. Learn about the Daughters of the American Revolution and all it does to promote American history.
Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters
Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters
425 Ridge Road, Hartsdale, NY
See artifacts from the museum-in-the-making, meet General Rochambeau and many of the camp followers. Costumed volunteers will offer children’s activities, a selfie booth and teach you how to make a model of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters. Learn about the nearby encampment of the French and American armies, the crucial decision that was made at the house by Washington and Rochambeau and the ongoing restoration of this National Register of Historic Places site.
Rochambeau Park/Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds
Rochambeau Park/Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds
99 Moseman Road, Yorktown Heights, NY
Meet French, Continental and British forces in uniform performing drills and firing muskets, participate in an encampment setup (for both adults and kids), learn to use a model musket, greet reenactors in period dress, and see farm animals from the period.
Tour organized by the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, (www.odellrochambeau.org), in collaboration with the North Castle Historical Society (www.northcastlehistoricalsociety.org) and the Yorktown Heritage Preservation Commission (www.yorktownny.org/hpc)
Funding for TravelStorys audio tour provided by the Scarsdale Historical Society.