Fundraiser set for June 28
The Constitution Island Association will hold its signature fundraising event, the “Seafood Gala,” back on Constitution Island this summer from 4 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 28. Bringing this event back onto the Island heralds a new era of collaboration and cooperation with West Point.
The event will be catered by Mount Kisco Seafood, with a raw bar featuring oysters, clams, shrimp, and poached salmon. The dinner will include whole Maine lobsters, chicken, salad, desserts, and an open bar of wine, beer and soft drinks.
This year’s gala will feature a talk by Richard de Koster, the Association’s retiring Executive Director, on “The Women of Constitution Island,” celebrating the lives of Margaret Slocum Sage and Anna and Susan Warner.
In 1836, New York City attorney Henry Warner bought the island to build a luxury resort. In the panic of 1837, Warner lost all of his other properties and settled his family at Constitution Island. Anna and Susan Warner became prolific authors and music composers, publishing over 100 books. Susan Warner’s Wide, Wide World was the first American book to sell over one million copies worldwide. Anna Warner’s Jesus Loves Me is one of the best-loved hymns ever composed.
Later, the philanthropist Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage purchased Constitution Island and gave it to the United States of America for the use of the U.S. Military Academy and to form part of the military reservation at West Point.
The Constitution Island Association was formed in 1916 as a citizen group to care for the gardens, the furniture, and the Warner Sister archives, and to provide rewarding educational experiences for the U.S. Military Academy community and the general public.
The house in which the lives of the Constitution Island women unfolded is currently closed for renovations. The Chair of the Constitution Island Association, Frederick Osborn III of Garrison, the Military Academy’s superintendent, and the garrison commander at West Point have made the renovation of the Warner House and the construction of an Education Center a priority so that they may be enjoyed by the public once again.
Financial support through membership in the Association, and attendance at the Seafood Gala fundraiser, will help make this dream a reality.
Transportation will be by boat only, departing from West Point South Dock at 4 and 5 p.m. and from Garrison Landing at 4:15 and 5:15 p.m. (free parking available at both locations). The cost is $150 per person, with a discount for active duty military and their family members. Make reservations or purchase tickets by calling 845-265-2501, by visiting constitutionisland.org, or by emailing [email protected].
