The Center for Brooklyn History holds the archive on the Battle of Brooklyn, and for the 250th it opens the doors: curator-led tours of its exhibition The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered, plus special access to Revolutionary War-era documents, artwork and artifacts. There is storytime and craft-making for kids, plus 18th-century music and dancing with Brooklyn Contra. If the reenactment is the spectacle, this is the evidence behind it.
What to expect
The landmark library building on Pierrepont Street runs on an open-house rhythm: drop into the exhibition, join a curator tour when one starts, and sit with archival material and artifacts pulled out for the day. Kids get storytime, crafts and hands-on activities on a loop. Brooklyn Contra brings 18th-century-style music and dancing, which is where the day stops feeling like a museum visit.
Good to know
- Register through the Brooklyn Public Library calendar link on the event page before you go.
- The 2, 3, 4 and 5 at Borough Hall and the R at Court Street all leave a short walk to Pierrepont Street.
- It is built for families — storytime, crafts and hands-on activities run alongside the curator tours.
- Curator-led tours are scheduled through the day rather than running continuously; check the listing for the order of events.
- The archival access is the rare part: Revolutionary War-era documents, artwork and artifacts are brought out specially.
- Pair it with Green-Wood's Battle of Brooklyn programming — both sit inside the same 250th anniversary weekend.
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Common questions
Is it free?
The Center for Brooklyn History is a division of Brooklyn Public Library and this is a free public programme, but registration is requested through the library's calendar. Confirm on the event page before you travel.
Is it good for kids?
Yes. The day is explicitly family-friendly, with storytime, craft-making and hands-on activities alongside the curator tours and the dancing.
What is the exhibition?
The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered, CBH's exhibition on the largest battle of the Revolutionary War and how Brooklyn has remembered it since.
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