Declaring America's Independence

On the morning of the Fourth of July in Fishkill, N.Y. (pop. 1,750), residents Jim Pagones and his wife, Joan, stand atop the steps of the community hall—Van Wyck Hall—to carry on the 104-year-old Fishkill tradition of reading aloud the Declaration of Independence. The event draws hundreds of patriotic spectators from the state's mid-Hudson Valley region who gather on the street and sidewalk to hear the words crafted by America's founding fathers in 1776.

"I feel honored," says Joan, 58, a town supervisor. "It's such a thrill and a privilege, and the children who are here today will carry on this tradition to the next generation."

"The Declaration of Independence is as alive today as the day (Thomas) Jefferson wrote it," adds Jim, 55, a Dutchess County surrogate court judge.

Before the reading takes place, the crowd sings a rousing version of "The Star-Spangled Banner," and the bell at the 1731 Dutch Reformed Church tolls once for each year since 1776. Last year, Toni Houston and Roy Carruthers, who regularly ring the bell for Sunday morning services, pulled the bell's rope 229 times.

The church is an appropriate part of the Fourth of July celebration. During the American Revolution in the fall of 1776, the New York Provincial Congress met there to conduct business and write a constitution for the new State of New York. Among the delegates were Hudson Valley natives Robert Livingston, who helped draft the Declaration of Independence; his cousin Philip Livingston, who signed it; and John Jay, who became the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The annual reading began in memory of Henry DuBois Van Wyck, a native son who ventured west, made a fortune in the California gold rush and returned home. Van Wyck served as the first mayor when Fishkill was incorporated in 1899. He also built Van Wyck Hall as a working theater with the intention of giving it to the town, but died before his wishes could be carried out. Later, his heirs fulfilled that wish and made an informal request that the Declaration of Independence be read aloud at the hall to honor their uncle's memory and his love of country.

"There is nothing in writing that says this should be done," says Fishkill historian Karen Hitt. "It's just a custom that has continued unbroken since the first reading in 1902."

The custom, however, hasn't always had such a great turnout. There was a time in the 1950s when two residents, businesswoman Mary Bogardus and Sarah Taylor, who served as mayor from 1965 to 1975, found themselves alone at Van Wyck Hall on a dreary, rainy July Fourth. Undaunted, they stood outside on the steps and recited the Declaration just to keep the tradition alive, with no one but Taylor's dog for an audience. In succeeding years, Bogardus served as the reader and helped spread the word as new families moved to the area.

Since Bogardus' death in 1983, people from all walks of life—teachers, homemakers, a Gulf War veteran and historians—have been chosen to read the Declaration. There is no set policy on choosing each year's new reader, according to Hitt, who arranges the annual festivities with a committee and the Fishkill Historical Society.

Once the Pagoneses conclude their 20-minute reading, spectators file inside Van Wyck Hall to sign a guest book and celebrate the nation's birthday with slices of red, white and blue birthday cake donated by local merchants.

"It's not the fanciest celebration," Mayor Jim Miccio says. "But it's one of the best. It lets us know the meaning of why we celebrate."

For more information, call the village of Fishkill at (845) 897-4430.

Willa Skinner is a freelance writer in Fishkill, N.Y.

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