MONTICELLO — On Thursday, August 21, Sullivan County Historian John Conway gave the current Legislature a history lesson on what the previous Legislature promised him: funds to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence that were never distributed. At the end of Conway’s address, Legislative Chair Nadia Rajsz, District 3 Legislator Brian McPhillips, and District 1 Legislator Matt McPhillips all voiced support for Conway’s efforts and expressed interest in providing funding for programming that celebrated Sullivan County’s role in the Birth of our Nation. 

Conway set the table: “Back in October 2022, the Sullivan County Legislature passed a resolution appointing my wife Debra and I as the co-chairs of the commission to oversee the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. And at that point in time, we were told there would be significant funding coming to help facilitate those commemorative events. As of now, none of that funding has been forthcoming.” 

Through ZOOM meetings with other county commissions, Conway said he learned that New York State was also going to contribute to commemorative events by sending money directly to the county commissions. “At this point, none of that money has been forthcoming either,” he said. 

Rajsz asked, “So none of the commissions received money from the state, or just your commission?” to which Conway answered, “As far as I know, none of the commissions.”

After the previous legislature passed a resolution to provide Conway’s commission with up to ten members, Conway said he put together the commission in 2023 assuming there would be funding coming their way from the legislature, but “2023 passed and there was no money.”

Conway said 2025 marked the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the Revolutionary War, and that he has been hosting events to commemorate the historical marker. However, without funding from the legislature and the state, he has had to organize these celebrations on a “shoe-string” budget that the commission has raised itself. 

In April, the commission held an event called “The British are Coming” designed to celebrate the midnight ride of Paul Revere at Seminary Hill Cidery in Callicoon. Conway said it included a one-woman performance called “Rendezvous with Rachel Revere,” a play about Paul Revere’s ride from the viewpoint of his wife Rachel, and a dramatic reading of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” performed by local actor Oliver King. Conway said they were able to get sponsors to help fund the event, and the Delaware Company, a non-profit organization of which Conway serves as President, underwrote the rest of the expense.

In an effort to emphasize the anniversary, Conway said they’ve shifted the narrative at Fort Delaware to highlight the time period of the Revolutionary War. Conway said they’ve included stories about some of the settlers, including Nathaniel Tyler, who had ties to the Revolutionary War.

“Nathaniel Tyler was a drummer, his family tradition; we have no documentation to support this, but it is possible he became George Washington’s personal drummer during the war. The drummers were integral to the war effort because they were used to convey commands down the battlelines because verbal commands couldn’t carry over long distances, but drum beats could.”

To commemorate the 250th anniversary, Conway has also developed narratives at Fort Delaware about British spy Robert Land, Bezaleel Tyler, Joseph Ross, and Moses Thomas, who all had ties to this area during the Revolutionary War.

Conway said special programming at the Fort this season has been funded by Bold Gold Media to bring in speakers from around the country, including a program about county namesake General John Sullivan’s expedition, and three programs about infamous turncoat Benedict Arnold.

Conway said, “We have begun a special initiative to identify and clean up the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers, and the commission is working with the various town historians and the Daughters of the American Revolution in this effort to identify the Revolutionary War graves in the county, there are hundreds of them, and to clean them up—some of them are very much neglected.”

After outlining several highlights of his commission’s programming, and also the financial investment that it has accrued to bolster its efforts, Conway said, “We are not averse to raising money and to putting money towards these events, but if there’s any way the legislature could see to augment those funds, we’d be happy to plan and carry out more events to commemorate this worthy anniversary.”

Rajsz said, “I want to thank you for coming today and updating us on your plans and everything you’ve done… If you could provide us with a list [of funding needs] so that we can discuss it and support you in your initiative.”

District 1 Legislator Matt McPhillips also voiced support for Conway’s efforts, saying, “We should be a part of this.”