East Bronx History Forum will be holding its 198th meeting this Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 7:30 pm

 

Dear East Bronx History Forum Member,

With the fast approaching 250th anniversary of the United States, semi quincentennial (half of five hundred years) or if you prefer bisesquicentennial (two sesquicentenaries, meaning two, one-hundred and twenty-five years) either way you would not be wrong. In another manner of speaking, a bisesquicentennial, is a century and a half, by adding bi makes it two and half. However, pardon the math class, the East Bronx History Forum we will be holding its 198th meeting this October 15, 2025 at 7:30 pm in Msgr. Joseph Raimondo Hall located in the lower level of St. Clare of Assisi Church at 1027 Rhinelander Avenue.

Our speaker this month will be a familiar friend, Mr. Stephen Paul DeVillo. Stephen is a local historian and author of The Bronx River in History and Folklore; The Bowery: The Strange History of New York’s Oldest Street and The Battle of White Plains: Washington and Howe in Westchester. He is a longtime walking tour guide of the Bronx River Rambles and has given numerous talks and webinars on topics of the Bronx River, the Revolutionary War and local history. Stephen is firm believer in “research by walking around,” he has explored (on foot or on water) every mile of the Bronx River and the places in The Bronx and Westchester where history has happened.

For this October lecture, he will be focusing on the Neutral Ground, the area in the Bronx and Westchester after the battle of White Plains in 1776, which became a no-man’s land riven by bandits, vigilantes, spies, and clashing military patrols led by some of the most colorful (and lethal) commanders of the day. Termed the “Neutral Ground,” it was a place where nobody was allowed to actually remain neutral, and many people, driven from their homes and farms, became uprooted refugees. So please, join Stephen Paul DeVillo for an illustrated presentation based on his forthcoming book, Westchester in the Revolution: Neutral Ground. We’ll explore the dramatic events of this time, the folklore the conflict engendered, and the legacy that endures to this day.

There is ample free parking just north of the main entrance on Paulding Avenue. Additionally, remember to follow us at BronxNYC.com, and on our Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo and Youtube account pages for the most current updates or information. We look forward to seeing you.

Dorothy A. Krynicki 

Secretary