Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters

08/15/2026

The Irvington Historical society will have a display from August 29th through January, 2027 of life in Philipseburg during the revoltution. Curated by Board member Char Weigel, it will display many items from the Odell Rochambeau Museum. The themes of the exhibit echo the story of ORM, and the patriots, loyalists, women and enslaved who live in the house before during and after the Revolution. Details in the flyer below.

08/15/2026

Don't miss OHRH Board member Char Weigel's lecture September 10th. See details below.

07/30/2026

07/11/2026

Breaking news from July 11, 1780: Newport Harbor just got a lot more crowded.

When the fleet carrying the Comte de Rochambeau, 5,500 French soldiers, and 7,000 sailors dropped anchor at Newport, Rhode Island, the American Revolution and the Franco-American alliance entered a new chapter. The French spent nearly a year in Newport training, planning, and overcoming cultural differences—time well spent, according to General Washington, who called the French presence in Newport “a new proof of the magnanimity of the nations.”

This small pamphlet, printed by the press of the French fleet in January 1781 on Water Street in Newport, is a French Almanac so rare that the Institute’s copy is the only complete one known to exist. It lists the ships and officers of the French fleet and regiments and officers of the French army at Newport. It also includes a timeline of the war in America up to that point, from the closing of the port of Boston in 1774 to British major John André’s capture and hanging as a spy in September and October 1780.

07/08/2026

In the stifling summer heat of July 1781, American and French troops shared a camp for the first time during the Revolutionary War. The encampment at Philipsburg, New York—just about 15 miles north of British-held Manhattan—was a stop on the long march to Yorktown, where Washington’s and Rochambeau’s armies joined and their commanders finalized plans for an attack on the enemy that they hoped would end the war.

On July 8, the two armies marked the beginning of the joint encampment with a grand review of the troops. Washington, Rochambeau, and other senior officers watched as the American troops, then the French regiments, marched past them. Our collections include a watercolor-and-gouache painting of the review created by American illustrator Henry A. Ogden at the turn of the 20th century. Depicting the review of the French troops, the painting celebrates French participation in the American Revolution and the promise of French support, and focuses attention on one of the lesser-known events of the famous campaign to Yorktown.

Learn more about the painting at https://bit.ly/4fpQ9jT

07/06/2026

245 Years Ago Today
General Rochambeau and his army arrived in today's Hartsdale. They "suffered much from the heat. The roads were so bad ..the last division did not arrive in camp until an hour after midnight." Marching from North Castle, they had little water to drink and found "burned woodlands, destroyed houses and fallow fields" from the "horrors and cruelty of the English" while "more then 400 soldiers dropped from fatigue"
Here at the tenant farmhouse that became the Odell farm, Rochambeau began his six weeks stay, his 5,000 soldier camped in the fields around him. Washington had arrived the day before with his 4,000 soldier army. Together they created one of the largest cities on the continent. Here, in this still standing farmhouse, they planned the final victory of the American Revolution at Yorktown. Opening in 2027, the Odell Rochambeau Museum.

07/05/2026

07/04/2026

DEAR FRANCE, THANK YOU
On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the people of France, who fought alongside us in the darkest days of our struggle for freedom and whose support and sacrifices helped make victory possible. Vive la France!

French Embassy in the U.S. Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association - W3R Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York

Without the help of the great nation of France, the United States o...

07/03/2026

On July 3, 1781 the French army moved from Bedford (Camp 12) to North Castle, NY (Camp 13) where they would stay for three days. During that period, Rochambeau and Washington met again to plan their next movements.