Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum and the City of New York Parks & Recreation will celebrate the 420th anniversary of Anne Hutchinson’s birth with a festival at BPMM on Sunday, June 12 from 12 to 4 p.m. Hutchinson (1591-1643), a Puritan who eventually settled in what is now the Bronx, was an outspoken advocate for freedom of religion and equality of women in religious matters. She was eventually tried for heresy. The festival, which is free and open to the public, is one of a year-long calendar of Bronx events to honor her.
Games, crafts, storytelling, and more will be ongoing throughout the afternoon.
The Bronx Arts Ensemble, under the direction of Bill Scribner, will perform English madrigals of the 17th century, in costume. Quartet members are Kate Smith, soprano; Johanna Brom, mezzo; Joseph Rubinstein, tenor; and Robert Osborne, bass.
Shelley Volk will demonstrate colonial herbs and will discuss herbal medicine during the 17th century.
Visitors will have the opportunity to help plant an Anne Hutchinson herb garden at BPMM.
Maria and Michael Grillo will be performing as a 17th-century elementary school teacher and school master, respectively, and will discuss education and the role of women in Anne Hutchinson’s time. They will have period writing paper, quill pens, and hornbooks on display.
Native American storyteller Bobby Gonzalez will share tales celebrating Lenape Native American culture, including The Origin of Turtle Island, The Boy Who Lived with the Bears, and The First Corn.
Urban Park Rangers will demonstrate colonial games, such as hoops, and colonial crafts, such as corn husk dolls, and children will have the opportunity to participate.
The Festival culminates with a talk on Anne Hutchinson by Bronx resident Tom Vasti at 3:00 p.m.
The festival is free; There is a charge museum tours: $5 for adults; $3 for seniors and children 6-17; and free for children under six. Registration for the festival is requested. Email info@bpmm.org or call 718-885-1461.
895 Shore Road Bronx, NY 10464 | 718.885.1461 | www.bpmm.org | info@bpmm.org
To reach BPMM by public transportation, take the #6 Lexington Avenue Local subway to Pelham Bay Park station, followed by the Westchester Bee-Line #45 bus direct to the mansion gate. For driving directions, please visit www.bpmm.org.
The mansion and carriage house are open to the public for guided tours on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The gardens and grounds are open daily from 8:30 a.m. to dusk.