SAMUEL CRAWFORD DAY COMMEMORATION
MARCH 16, 2025
We want to thank all who were able to participate in the events on Samuel Crawford Day, which began with a Mass at Immaculate Conception Church with Mr. and Mrs. Washington and honor guard in attendance. The Mass was followed by a wreath laying ceremony at the Crawford Monument by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2285, led by Westchester County Director of Veterans Services, Joshua Gaccione.
Special thanks for their contributions to this solemn tribute:
Westchester County Legislator -Judah Holstein
Veterans - Josh Gaccione, Vito Pinto, and Deacon Frank Orlando
DAR White Plains Regent - Maura Reilly
General and Mrs. George Washington and Lifeguard - Michael Grillo, Maria Grillo, and Michael Grillo, Jr.
The day concluded with a fun march through Eastchester, honoring our local history in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade!
Please support our mission by making a donation now!
3 Special Events:
Sunday, March 16, 2025
Samuel Crawford Day Commemoration
on the 248th Anniversary of his Death
Join the Friends of the Ward House, Inc. on Sunday, March 16, 2025 to commemorate the 248th anniversary of the heroic acts of Revolutionary War Hero, Captain Samuel Crawford.
The schedule for Sunday is as follows:
8:00 am: Commemorative Mass, Immaculate Conception Church, 53 Winter Hill Road, Tuckahoe
9:00 am: Wreath Laying at Crawford Monument, Route 22 and Winter Hill Road, Tuckahoe. Gather at southwest corner of ICC property across from the monument. The wreath laying by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2285 will be led by Westchester County Director of Veterans Services, Joshua Gaccione.
3:00 pm: St. Patrick's Day Parade, March with the Friends of the Ward House
Meet in ICC parking lot by 2:30. Please get dropped off or park your vehicle at Lake Isle Country Club and utilize the free shuttle buses that will take you to the formation zone at Immaculate Conception School parking lot (no parking in school lot). Shuttle buses start running at 12:45 pm and the last shuttle will depart Lake Isle CC at 2:45 pm sharp.
Please email us if you can join us for any events: wardhousefriends@gmail.com
CALL TO ACTION
CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION: Westchester County has allocated over $2.5 million in the 2025 capital budget for the purchase and restoration of the Ward House.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: It has come to light that an interior demolition permit was approved by the Tuckahoe Building Department in November, which circumvented the Tuckahoe Landmark Law. Biggest Fish Westchester, LLC has begun to dismantle the interior of the house, removing electrical panels, plumbing, and gas lines. The electric and gas has been turned off and meters removed.
The Friends of the Ward House have filed a lawsuit demanding an emergency injunction to revoke the permits and prevent further demolition.
Our elected leaders, who have given us so much support, need to hear your voices on this issue.
Please call, email, or write Tuckahoe Mayor Omayra Andino and the Board of Trustees to demand they enforce the landmark law by immediately revoking the building permits and that the house be protected as required by law.
Phone: 914-961-3100
Email: OAndino@tuckahoe-ny.com
Address: The Right Honorable Mayor Omayra Andino
65 Main Street
Tuckahoe, NY 10707
Please voice your appreciation to Westchester County for allocating over $2.5 million to purchase and restore the Ward House. Email or write Westchester County Legislator Judah Holstein and County Executive Ken Jenkins.
Emails: Judah Holstein - judh@westchestercountyny.gov
Ken Jenkins - kjenkins@westchestergov.com
Addresses: Judah Holstein, Westchester County Board of Legislators
800 Michaelian Office Building
148 Martine Avenue, 8th Floor
White Plains, NY 10601
Ken Jenkins, Westchester County Executive
148 Martine Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
Your past support is the reason why the Ward House still stands. We need your help NOW to show our community leaders that we are at a critical juncture– there is money in the budget for this, and there needs to be a meeting of the minds between Tuckahoe, the developer and Westchester County to make it happen. We are so close. With your visible and vocal support, we can celebrate this historic treasure for years to come.
With sincere appreciation,
The Friends of the Ward House
Westchester County Allocates 2.5 Million Dollars for Purchase and Restoration of Ward House.
Hear County Leaders praise the Ward House.
L-R: Judah Holstein, Maria Grillo, Michael Grillo, Jonathan Kruk, George Latimer, Sal Provenzano, Ken Jenkins, and Connie Kehoe
We want to thank former Westchester County Executive and newly appointed New York Congressman George Latimer, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, and Westchester County Legislator Judah Holstein for their efforts in securing $2,550,000 in funding to the Village of Tuckahoe in the 2025 Westchester County Capital Projects budget for the purchase and restoration of the Ward House.
We are grateful for your support! Now all parties can work together to bring this plan to fruition so Eastchester, Tuckahoe, and Bronxville can benefit from this treasured landmark as living history and the Ward House can take its rightful place in the 250th Revolutionary Westchester celebrations in 2026.
REMEMBER THE WARD HOUSE ON GIVING TUESDAY
We want to share some exciting highlights of 2024 made possible through your generous advocacy:
A heartfelt thank you for sharing your treasure to support our efforts to protect this historical treasure. In this season of giving, please consider an additional gift to help us continue our efforts to preserve and protect the Ward House.
Please support our fundraiser by making a donation or pledge now!
February 28, 2024 - The Tuckahoe Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) voted against demolition of the Ward House due to economic hardship.
March 16, 2024 - The Village of Tuckahoe recognized Patriot Hero Samuel Crawford Day.
June 3, 2024 - Tuckahoe Village Board of Trustees denied demolition and economic hardship appeals of the developer in a unanimous 5-0 vote, upholding the HPC’s findings and enforcing landmark law.
June 12, 2024 - The FOTWH were awarded a $2,000 discretionary grant by the Youth Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe for The ECHO Corridor Walking Tour project. The project offers students an opportunity to conduct research with local historians and create videos of historic sites on the Route 22 corridor.
July 11, 2024 - Kick-off of “One in a Million” Fundraising Campaign to raise $1,000,000 toward the acquisition, preservation, and renovation of the Ward House.
November 2024 - The FOTWH was awarded $5,000 in funding from Westchester County Legislators for a drone project, creating a virtual walking tour of the ECHO Corridor.
Why the Ward House Matters
At the top of a hill, where two prominent roads dating back to colonial times intersect, sits one of Westchester’s most important historic sites. The Ward House is in Tuckahoe on 230 White Plains Road, where Bronxville, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe meet. It is one of fewer than a dozen early farmhouses on the Post Road between Mount Vernon and White Plains which have survived to teach us about our local past. The Ward House was burnt by the British in 1778 and rebuilt in the 1790s.
We must not allow the Ward House to be destroyed again.
The Friends of the Ward House is raising funds to preserve and share our home to history.
Your donation will support our preservation efforts, ensuring long-term protection of this treasured historical landmark.
This brief video highlights the importance of saving the Ward House to protect our history.
Best Kept Secret
Few, if any, structures in Westchester preserve the story of the creation of our nation as does the Ward House. Its history recalls the armed conflict, civilian suffering, and political divisions in the County during the American Revolution. Samuel Crawford, Westchester’s most important patriot leader to die in the service of our country, was mortally wounded in a skirmish here.
Click here to view the March 16th, 2024 tribute, marking the 247th anniversary of the death of Captain Samuel Crawford.
Support Our Mission
Please support us in our mission by making a one-time donation or by becoming a member of the Friends of the Ward House. The Friends of the Ward House is a New York State non-profit organization and has full IRS 501(c)(3) status. All donations are tax deductible.
Please view our timeline to learn more about Ward House history. Together we can ensure that the Ward House remains in the same place it has been standing, witnessing history and sharing with us the related lessons, for almost 280 years.
The mission of the Friends of the Ward House is to serve as a charitable organization to conduct activities to preserve, maintain, and generally promote for the public good the historical integrity of the Ward House and its associated grounds and advance education related to same.
Contact Us
Phone: 917-650-5547
Friends of the Ward House, Inc. P.O.B. 62
Tuckahoe, NY 10707
Have a question about the Ward House? You may reach us by email, phone, or mail.