Senate House State Historic Site

06/02/2026

05/25/2026

Have plans for Saturday, May 30? Now you do! Join us as we celebrate the grand re-opening of Senate House. Enjoy open house-style tours all day, as well as two new exhibits now on display.

Join us! https://parks.ny.gov/visit/events/250th-anniversary-kickoff-senate-house-grand-opening

05/24/2026

*IMPORTANT UPDATE*

For today's "Pinkster: Joy is an Act of Resistance" event, all programming has been moved to Old Dutch Church, Kingston, New York due to weather. We will be there with an information booth sharing historical information about Pinkster and its significance, as well as what is coming up at Senate House. We hope to see you there.

☔ Weather Update: ** All PINKSTER program performances will be inside Old Dutch Church. **

We look forward to celebrating with everyone, rain or shine! - We will see you tomorrow!

TRANSART Presents Pinkster: Joy is an Act TRANSART Presents Pinkster: Joy is an Act Resistance
for an afternoon of food, storytelling, music, historic information, interactive games and activities! Free and fun for all!

☔ Weather Update: In the event of rain, all festival activities will be moved indoors to Old Dutch Church. Programming will continue as scheduled. We look forward to celebrating with everyone, rain or shine! - We will see you tomorrow!

05/20/2026

Join us on May 30th from 10am - 4pm for our Grand Re-Opening!

There will be food trucks, open-house style tours of Senate House, colonial music, re-enactors, crafts, two brand new permanent exhibitions, and much much more. For more information see the press release below!

Kingston, NY – The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic (OPRHP) announced the reopening of the Senate State House Historic Site in Kingston after a $2.5 million restoration and the installation of two new permanent exhibits.

05/19/2026

Join us and Transart & Cultural Services this coming Sunday for Pinkster! There will be live music, dance, historical presentations, traditional food, and local artisans.

Be sure to visit our tent for information on the background of Pinkster, or take a tour of Senate House!

For more information visit https://www.transartinc.org/pinkster.

05/12/2026

We’re excited to announce the grand re-opening of Senate House! Join us on Saturday, May 30 for a day of fun with our friends, families, and community to celebrate two new exhibits and the kickoff to our 250th American Revolution commemoration.

Learn more: https://parks.ny.gov/visit/events/250th-anniversary-kickoff-senate-house-grand-opening

05/08/2026

Check out this great video featuring our agency’s Interpreter of African American History, Lavada Nahon, explaining the significance of the Pinkster holiday and its historical relationship to Black communities in New York.

Senate House will be commemorating Pinkster on May 24th with an event produced by Transart & Cultural Services in cooperation with the site. Visit https://www.transartinc.org/pinkster for more details.

Also, check out other Pinkster events at State Historic Sites, including at Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site on May 16th, and Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site on May 23rd.

05/07/2026

We love it when we are able to loan objects from our collection to other institutions to help them tell their stories!

If you happen to be visiting NYC, you can see our portrait of Margaret Beekman Livingston, painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1800, on display at the Museum of the City of New York's new exhibition, "The Occupied City: New York and the American Revolution".

This immersive exhibition transforms the Museum's third floor into a vivid journey through Revolutionary-era New York.

05/05/2026

Join us at Senate House State Historic Site on Saturday May 16th from 11:00am – 4:00pm to learn about what it was like to grow things and produce food in the 18th century!

Help us plant our 18th century inspired garden, learn about sheep shearing, see food demonstrations, take a guided tour of Senate House and more. This family friendly event is free and open to the public.

Kingston, NY – Spring is here and Senate House State Historic Site will be hosting its annual 18th Century Growing Season event on Saturday, May 16th from 11am - 4pm. This free event explores all things that grow, with hands on activities and demonstrations all day long.

02/06/2026

Black History Month serves as a reminder that we should always consider how those of African descent experienced the American Revolution. Check out this post from last year about those enslaved at Senate House at the time of the New York State Senate's first meeting.

Did you know that it is was very likely enslaved people were living and working under the same roof that the New York State Senate first met under in 1777?

That first Senate met in the home of the Van Gaasbeek family, who they rented a room from in the fall of 1777. The Van Gaasbeeks enslaved numerous individuals throughout their time in the house, and our research indicates that several of those people would have likely been living or working in the house when the first Senate met, including Dijaen (Deyan), Franseyn, and Dan, among others.

Despite discussions of the gradual abolition of slavery during debate on the NYS Constitution of 1777, it was purposefully left out of the final document, leaving the institution completely intact in New York when the Senate convened.