Old Stone House of Brooklyn

New Yorkers have cooled off at the city’s many beaches for decades, just like these families at Coney Island in the early 1900s. Want to stay closer to home to unwind during this hot weather? The Old Stone House and our playground fountains provide a neighborhood oasis away from the beach!

TODAY!

Come spend the day shopping at the largest ceramics event in New York City!

The Pottery Fair is outside Old Stone House: Saturday, May 30, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Attend The Pottery Fair, a free community based event showcasing over 100 talented ceramic artists from across NYC.

TONIGHT! May 29, 6:30 PM at the Old Stone House:

Join Broken China (Tao Leigh Goffe & Cecile Chong) for an artist talk in conversation with curator Dominique Jean-Louis as part of the exhibition Albums of Inclusion. Opening in the lead-up to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and the Battle of Brooklyn, the exhibition reconsiders the material culture of the early republic through the intimate and often violent histories embedded in porcelain, teeth, tea, and sugar.

The Brooklyn Bridge officially opened on May 24, 1883! At the time of its construction, the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world, and was the first to connect Manhattan and Brooklyn. The bridge’s opening was marked with massive celebration, including a parade led by U.S. President Chester Arthur, a salute by ships in the harbor, and a large fireworks display.

Image credit: “Brooklyn Bridge opening celebration,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History

Welcome to Reading Resistance, a series of staged readings at the Old Stone House that explore theater as a form of resistance.
Spend the day with us as we hear SIX NEW PLAYS from emerging Brooklyn playwrights!

Join us Saturday, May 30, beginning at 1pm, with the final presentation starting at 8pm. One ticket is good for entry to the whole day of readings! Tickets on Eventbrite (link in bio).

Explore themes ranging from necessary secrets, to Homeric rescues. From the troubles of Dirt, to severe weather in the conscience of the Midwest.

Whimsy, dark edges, and busted stereotypes are on display back to back with silly solutions and stubborn ghosts.

Refreshments and puppets will be served!

Tuesday, June 9, you’re invited to Rock the House! Join us for our annual Old Stone House fundraiser.

Tickets are still available on Eventbrite (link in bio.)

Enjoy a gorgeous buffet meal by luna la mer, plus an open bar including drinks by Fort Hamilton and local favorite: The Gate.

Plus live music by Brooklyn Music Lab. From the creators of Kids Rock for Kids, Brooklyn Music Lab is a non-profit offering young musicians performance opportunities, mentorship, and a community where they grow and connect with other musicians.

The party, presentation, music, and dancing all happen outdoors in the playground surrounded by the beautiful gardens. Funds raised go to the gardens and beautification of Old Stone House & Washington Park.

On May 10, 1775, a small group of rebels achieved the first offensive victory for the Americans during the Revolution. Along the shores of Lake Champlain in upstate New York, they captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British, and the munitions taken from the fort led to further American victories the next year!

In March of 1776, the Americans used the artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to take Dorchester Heights, which overlooks Boston and Boston Harbor. Not only did this end the stalemate between patriot and loyalist forces in the city, but due to the Americans’ new strategic position (they had literally gained the higher ground), the British evacuated Boston on March 17, 1776. Their next stop? New York City, where the Battle of Brooklyn would take place at the Old Stone House just five months later.

Image sources: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. “Ruines du Fort Ticonderoga.” New York Public Library Digital Collections; Fort Ticonderoga, New York State Council On the Arts.

Suzi Shelton returns to Old Stone House!

Outdoor, free, family-friendly fun Thursdays, at 10 AM!

Do you love cycling in Prospect Park? You're not alone! This 1896 image shows that biking in the park has been a favorite pastime of Brooklynites for over a century.

Cycle over to the Old Stone House on Saturday, May 16th for the Brooklyn Bike Jumble for all of your biking needs!

Credit to the Edgar S. Thomson photograph collection, Brooklyn Museum/Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.

Before the Old Stone House was reconstructed in 1934, the original 1699 Dutch farmhouse was buried 12 feet underground. Emergency relief workers started digging on April 17, and finally uncovered the historic site just "100 feet from Fifth ave. toward the bay, and between Third and Fourth sts" on May 4, 1933.
These emergency relief workers reconstructed the house using the original stones, creating a living memorial to the Maryland soldiers who fought and died here during the Battle of Brooklyn.

Times Union, May 4, 1933, Page 1. via Newspapers.com