“TALKING MONUMENTS AND TACTILE PROGRAMS IN NEW YORK CITY” will take place on Tuesday, November 9th, beginning at 10:00 am. Participants will meet at Federal Hall (located at the corner of Wall Street and Nassau Street in Lower Manhattan across the street from the New York Stock Exchange).

In the 18th century, Federal Hall was the vital center of New York’s greatest events: the First Congress met in Federal Hall and George Washington was sworn in here as President on April 30th, 1789. Federal Hall is the birthplace of the Bill of Rights and the first capitol of the United States. This building is an excellent example of Greek Revival architecture; the interior of the building is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome. On the steps is the Statue of Washington, sculpted in 1883 by John Quincy Adams Ward. Inside the rotunda are displays of New York City when the city was the nation’s capital in 1789, memorabilia from Washington’s inauguration (including the stone on which he took the oath of office) and exhibits related to the history of the building itself and this area of New York City. Our program will include a tour of the building (outside and inside) with special tactile experiences and audio presentations.

Following lunch (included with registration for the program), we will proceed to Trinity Church (at the head of Wall Street on Broadway) for our afternoon program. When the present Trinity Church was consecrated on Ascension Day 1846, its soaring Neo-Gothic spire (280 feet high), surmounted by a gilded cross, dominated the skyline of lower Manhattan and was a welcoming beacon for ships sailing into New York harbor. The Mayor of New York described the church as the “glory of our City.” Designed in the Gothic Revival style by Richard Upjohn (one of the most famous architect of his time), Trinity Church boasts a set of entrance doors, modeled after the famous Ghilberti doors on the Baptistery of the Cathedral of Florence. The Sanctuary of the Church, North and South Monument Rooms, and organ all have fascinating histories and important personages attached to them: John J. Astor, Benjamin T. Onderdonk, George Washington and Robert Fulton.

Churchyards provide unique excursions into the life and time of a society; the Trinity Churchyard is no exception. On our tactile tour of this cemetery, we will encounter some of the parish’s  distinguished luminaries: Alexander Hamilton (politician), Robert Fulton (inventor), Captain James (“Don’t Give Up The Ship”), William Bradford, founder of the city’s first newspaper, the Gazette, and John Watts, the earliest champion of the freedom of the press. The grave stones of this cemetery each have a story to tell — these are wonderful “talking monuments” who will share with us their unique and fascinating tales.

For Registration Forms and costs associated with the program, please contact:

Campanian Enterprises, Inc.
Box 167
Oxford, Ohio 45056
Telephone: (513) 524-4846
Fax: (513) 523-0276