If you’ve spent time in Red Hook, perhaps the name Fort Defiance has come up. If you are a history nerd, you might know it had something to do with the American Revolution, maybe even the Battle of Brooklyn, the largest of that war.
For the rest of us, Fort Defiance meant only one thing: the beloved Red Hook restaurant, which closed at the end of 2023 after 15 years on Van Brunt St. whose name we assumed had some historical significance, but we never knew for sure.
When Matias Kalwill moved from Argentina to Red Hook in 2018, he rented the restaurant’s upstairs apartment and knew nothing about Fort Defiance’s namesake. Intrigued, he began to ask around and remembers hearing vague references to the American Revolution, but mostly neighborhood lore, not many solid facts. “No one really knew where it [Fort Defiance] was, or what it looked like, or who was stationed there,” said Matias.
What started as a curious pursuit evolved into Friends of Fort Defiance, a Red Hook non-profit that Matias co-founded with Nico Kean and Timmy Khalifa five years later. Except for a few locals, notably the late John Burkard, it turned out that it wasn’t just Matias and his neighbors who didn’t know much about the real Fort Defiance. Throughout Red Hook and beyond, there seemed to be a lack of evidence-based work about this important historical site and and Red Hook’s contributions to the American Revolution.
This Saturday, as part of Brooklyn250, “a borough-wide initiative to bring Revolutionary history to life,” come learn about Fort Defiance and why General George Washington chose Red Hook to build this strategic waterfront fort to defend against British forces. Both the Friends of Fort Defiance and PortSide NewYork, another Red Hook, educational non-profit, have planned some cool public events for the whole family.
“...by inviting visitors of all ages to look again at the borough beneath their feet: a place where the Revolution nearly failed, where independence survived, and where the meaning of freedom is still unfolding.” (BK250 press release)
Check out the Friends of Fort Defiance’s sidewalk galleries (169 & 160 Coffey St.) featuring artifacts, including cannonballs, believed to be from the American Revolution, unearthed in the neighborhood; historical documents, including journals and letters of Army Generals; maps of the battle (did you know Red Hook used to be an island?), a sunset discussion (VFW 325 Van Brunt St.) moderated by the hosts of the NYC history podcast Bowery Boys (more on this later), and so much more.
( See the Friends of Fort Defiance for other chances to see the galleries).
Sidewalk gallery; cannonballs found in Red Hook (Photos by: Gaspar Perich & Matias Kalwill)
If you’ve been to any PortSide NewYork events I’ve recommended in Ward 6, you know they are always fantastic. This Brooklyn250 one will not disappoint. They are hosting Living History interpreters who, in costume, will share the critical role of Black and Native American mariners during the Battle of Brooklyn, who helped evacuate General Washington’s army during a nighttime retreat as they fled to Manhattan.
“They will be explaining a fifer, two soldiers, a Patriot Militia member, a Loyalist, women who traveled with them, and two Marbleheaders. The Marbleheaders were a regiment with many men of color ( predominantly, Black and Native American), who rescued Washington and his army, evacuating them by boat from Brooklyn to Manhattan. They later also got him across the Delaware.” Carolina Salguero, ED PortSide NewYork.
Before you come, check out the collection of American Revolution articles about Red Hook in PortSide’s vast archive, RedHookWaterstories.
“The water history of the small peninsula that is Red Hook, Brooklyn – and thus the history in RedHookWaterstories.org – connects to so many stories, both local and national: some small and amusing, and some culturally significant. The role Red Hook played in warding off the British HMS Roebuck at the start of the Battle of Brooklyn, thus allowing George Washington’s Army to live to fight another day, is one such important story.” Peter Rothenberg, PortSide Historian and Curator
“We suggest that kids bring water pistols to shoot the model of the British frigate HMS Roebuck we will build together at the event,” says Carolina Salguero.
(Events start at 4:00 PM at the VFW Post 5195, 325 Van Brunt, next to Red Hook Tavern. Pls check PortSide’s website for more details, including a special screening of Ken Burns’ The American Revolution - Episode 3, The Battle of Brooklyn.)
Later in the day, Living History Co. interpreters Kevin Chapman (as Samuel Sutphin) and Antoine Watts (Black militia member) will participate in a sunset panel discussion to share more about their work and the characters they portray. Other participants include: Carly Baker-Rice, RH Business Alliance; Kristen Rouse, US Army veteran and Founder, NYC Veterans Alliance; Beth Bingham, Pratt Institute; Matias Kalwill. See Friends of Fort Defiance for more starting times.
Bonus: Hear newly discovered information about how a character portrayed by Denzel Washington in a Hollywood blockbuster is connected to a general stationed at Fort Defiance.
Proposed Fort Defiance Park
Friends of Fort Defiance is not only about Red Hook’s past. They’ve proposed turning the empty lots by Valentino Pier into Fort Defiance Park, which combines Red Hook’s history with its present-day battle to protect against climate change and future flooding.
“We saw an opportunity to propose combining natural history, Revolutionary history, with a resiliency hub, with a historical park as an alternative to other types of development in the area,” Matias told Ward 6.
Ward 6 IG post exploring the area of the proposed Ft. Defiance Park; me last night biking to see the sunset and pointing to the spot where Ft. Defiance was believed to be located
More Brooklyn250 Event all-day Saturday at the Center for Brooklyn History; read State Senator Andrew Gounardes’ Op-Ed in the BK Paper, “The Battle of Brooklyn was 250 years ago, but it Still has Lessons to Teach us Today;” and this 2015 story from Brownstoner.
This post first appeared in Brooklyn Ward 6, a hyperlocal newsletter covering mostly Red Hook, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Columbia St. Waterfront neighborhoods. If a neighbor shared this newsletter, please subscribe and if you love it as much as I love writing it, please consider $6 a month to keep me in business. It will always be free. I’m also interested in sponsors, in addition to Five Acre Farms (a dairy company based in BK whose products are sold in local stores!), which has supported Ward 6 from the beginning.
Thank you for reading! jlh