BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Palaner//palaner Single Event//EN
METHOD:PUBLISH
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:meetup-862a165f5c@palaner.app
DTSTAMP:20260802T161517Z
DTSTART:20260823T140000Z
DTEND:20260823T153000Z
SUMMARY:Tour US Revolutionary War Conference House
LOCATION:Charging Bull
DESCRIPTION:Saved in Palaner as: saved\n\nPalaner match: 32% · why: lots of
  people going\n\nGetting There\nWe meet up at the corner of Broadway & Mor
 ris Street in Lower Manhattan\, just a short walk from the Staten Island F
 erry terminal. It's a quiet Sunday morning in the financial district\, so 
 the area is calm and easy to navigate. If you arrive early you can grab co
 ffee. At 10:23 AM\, we board the SIM1C express bus.\n\nthe route\n\nThe SI
 M1C runs from Manhattan across the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to Staten Isl
 and\, taking about 40 minutes depending on traffic. The ride gives us a ni
 ce view of the harbor and the bridge as we cross over to the island. In my
  experience traffic has been reasonable at this time.\n\nOnce we get off t
 he SIM1C\, we transfer to the S78\, a local bus that heads south along Hyl
 an Boulevard through neighborhoods like Great Kills and Bay Terrace before
  reaching Tottenville — the southernmost settlement in New York State. The
  ride is straightforward\, mostly residential streets and local shops. We 
 get off near the entrance to Conference House Park and walk a short distan
 ce through the grounds — a mix of open meadow\, marshland\, and trees — un
 til we reach the stone manor overlooking Raritan Bay. The house opens for 
 tours at noon\, so we should arrive with a little time to spare\,\n\nTouri
 ng the Conference House\nThe Conference House offers tours on Saturdays an
 d Sundays from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at $10 per person. We pay our admission
  and head inside for the guided tour\, which walks us through the house's 
 history room by room.\n\nThe Conference House — originally called the Bill
 opp House — was built around 1680 by Captain Christopher Billopp\, an Engl
 ish immigrant who established a wheat farm on the southern tip of Staten I
 sland. The building is a two-story stone masonry structure with a steep ga
 ble roof\, brick gable ends\, and parapets. A kitchen wing was added in th
 e 18th century. It stayed in the Billopp family for several generations.\n
 \nThe reason this house is historically significant is the peace conferenc
 e that occurred here on September 11\, 1776 — less than three months after
  the Declaration of Independence was signed. By this point\, the Revolutio
 nary War had begun but hadn't yet escalated into a prolonged conflict\, an
 d both sides were still exploring whether a negotiated settlement was poss
 ible.\n\nBritish Admiral Lord Richard Howe\, commander of British forces i
 n North America\, had been given limited authority by King George III to t
 ry to negotiate a reconciliation with the colonies. He invited delegates f
 rom the Continental Congress to meet at the Billopp house\, which was then
  owned by Colonel Christopher Billopp\, the captain's great-grandson and a
  Loyalist who commanded a Tory regiment.\n\nThree Continental Congress del
 egates accepted: Benjamin Franklin\, John Adams\, and Edward Rutledge. The
 y rowed across from patriot-held Perth Amboy\, New Jersey\, and were escor
 ted to the house through lines of grenadier guards with fixed bayonets. Jo
 hn Adams later described the guards as "looking as fierce as ten furies."\
 nThe meeting itself lasted a few hours and was described as cordial but ul
 timately unsuccessful. Lord Howe wanted the colonies to return to British 
 allegiance. The American delegates made it clear they would only negotiate
  as representatives of an independent nation\, not as British subjects. Ne
 ither side would compromise on that fundamental point\, and the conference
  ended without agreement.\n\nThis was the only formal face-to-face diploma
 tic meeting between the British government and the American revolutionarie
 s during the entire Revolutionary War. If the negotiations had succeeded\,
  American independence might not have happened — or at least not in the fo
 rm it did. The war continued for seven more years after this meeting.\nThe
  fact that the house still stands gives visitors a direct connection to th
 e room where Franklin\, Adams\, and Rutledge sat across from Lord Howe and
  effectively decided there was no going back.\n\nThe Conference House is b
 oth a New York City Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. It's locate
 d within the Ward's Point Conservation Area\, which was added to the Natio
 nal Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Conference House Association 
 operates the site in partnership with NYC Parks and the Historic House Tru
 st\, and hosts a reenactment of the peace conference every September.\n\nW
 rapping Up the Day\nAfter the tour\, we spend some time exploring Conferen
 ce House Park itself. The grounds include waterfront trails along Raritan 
 Bay\, open meadows\, and wooded areas. It's a pleasant spot to walk around
 \, especially on a late summer afternoon. There are benches with views of 
 the water and the New Jersey shoreline across the bay.\nWe catch the S78 b
 ack to connect with the SIM1C for the return trip to Manhattan\, wrapping 
 up what turns out to be a genuinely interesting and low-key day out — a bi
 t of transit\, a bit of history\, and a part of New York City that most pe
 ople never visit.\n\nPractical Notes:\n\nTours: Weekends\, 12–4 PM\, $10/p
 erson. More info at conferencehouse.org\nWear comfortable walking shoes fo
 r the park trails\nBring water — the grounds are fairly exposed to sun in 
 August\nCheck MTA schedules ahead of time for the SIM1C and S78\, as weeke
 nd service can vary.\nI will double check return options closer to the day
  but it seems there are buses and at least one train back at 3:30 and 4:00
  - ish.
URL:https://www.meetup.com/exploring-and-enjoying-nyc/events/315851525/
CATEGORIES:palaner,saved
STATUS:TENTATIVE
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR