Historic New York and Pennsylvania Sites Mark US 250th Independence Anniversary

Village Preservation has produced a Revolutionary War map that highlights dozens of historic sites in Greenwich Village, the East Village and NoHo. One featured location marks a July 16, 1804 land sale by former Vice President Aaron Burr near the present‑day intersection of Spring Street and Sixth Avenue, made five days after his duel with Alexander Hamilton while he faced murder charges. Burr’s property was part of the former Bayard estate and his Richmond Hill estate, later reshaped by the 1920s extension of Sixth Avenue, leaving only a small remnant of the original lot.

In Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, the West Overton Village and Museum is exhibiting a set of rare historic documents through July to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence. The display includes a 1754 letter from Duquesne, governor of New France; two 1787 land documents signed by Benjamin Franklin; an 1824 land deed signed by President James Monroe; an 1847 diplomatic appointment signed by President James Polk and Secretary of State James Buchanan; and an 1861 appointment of the Uniontown postmaster signed by President Abraham Lincoln.