Choosing Liberty: An Exhibition for the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Desmond-Fish Public Library presents an exhibition depicting that  conflict  as seen through the eyes of a young Patriot,  Major Nicholas Fish. The exhibit will open with a reception on Friday, May 1, at 5:30PM and be on display through June 15. Displayed on panels and including portraits and artifacts, the exhibit will be available for viewing during regular Library hours.

Please join us for the opening reception. As part of the opening celebration, storyteller Jonathan Kruk will be taking the role of an older Colonel Fish for a night to remember. Refreshments will be provided.

The exhibit tells the entire eight-year long story of the Revolution through the experiences of one young officer.  Born in 1758, Fish at the age of 17 chose to fight for the Patriot cause, a decision that cost him his home and family and led him into years of continuous combat – in Brooklyn and New York City, Saratoga, Monmouth, the Mohawk Valley, and Yorktown. He was a friend of Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette and worked closely with George Washington in the last years of the war. Fish struggled in the post-war period but later enjoyed a successful New York City career, married Elizabeth Stuyvesant, and fathered five children. He prevented Alexander Hamilton from fighting a duel in 1795 but failed to stop the tragic duel between Hamilton and Aaron Burr in 1804. In 1805, Fish named his firstborn son Hamilton, in memory of his friend. His great-grandson co-founded the Desmond-Fish Public Library in Garrison in 1980.

The exhibit is made possible by a generous grant from the Revolutionary Putnam County 250 Fund, with additional support from M&T Bank, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, Daughters of the US Army (DUSA), and the Trustees of the Desmond-Fish Public Library. The Putnam History Museum is  a valuable partner in the preparation of the exhibition.   The exhibit is in honor of Nicholas Stuyvesant Fish (September 30, 1958 – January 2, 2020), who was the inspiration for the project. Nick was a politician, lawyer, and lover of history who served as a Commissioner of Portland, Oregon from 2008 to 2020.