5 Questions: Sean Sculley

Col. Sean Sculley, who lives in Beacon, is a history professor at West Point. He will discuss Beacon’s role in the American Revolution at 7 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 22) at Denning’s Point Distillery.

What was your route to West Point?
I’ve been in the Army for 30 years; after serving in Iraq as an armor officer, I got a doctorate in history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I’m an academy professor, which is someone on active duty. I teach in uniform. We account for 25 percent of the faculty. Half of the faculty earned master’s degrees. They teach for three years while on active duty, then return to their Army duties. The final 25 percent are civilians who provide scholarly depth.

What will be your focus on Saturday?
The Revolution in the Hudson River Valley and, in particular, Fishkill Landing [now Beacon], which was of vital importance to the war effort. My goal is to inspire the community to get excited as we come up to the 250th anniversary of the “shot heard ’round the world” at Lexington and Concord on April 19. Beacon had a major role in protecting the Hudson from the British. They named the city and the mountain for the signal fire system in 1913, but Mount Beacon used to be known as North Mountain, the northernmost signal point in a chain that stretched to New Jersey. The system would warn the entire area if the British made a move out of New York City.

Why was Fishkill Landing so important?
There were two prominent crossings of the Hudson River: King’s Ferry between Westchester County and Stony Point, and Fishkill Landing to Newburgh. Fishkill Landing was the main distribution point for the Fishkill Supply Depot [at the intersection of Route 9 and Interstate 84], which had 2,000 soldiers, a hospital, warehouses and goods and traffic coming from New England.

What has surprised you about the local history?
What blows my mind is that the American soldiers continued to fight and persevere despite everything they had to endure, especially in the last two years of the war, when they were barely paid, with money that had no real worth. But they didn’t go home. They stayed in their units in Newburgh and drilled to maintain our defenses and keep the British bottled up in New York City.

In 1976, the nation leaned into the bicentennial, perhaps as a balm for Vietnam. How do you think the 250th anniversary will be received?
I think it will be inspirational for a lot of people. There are many groups participating in the Hudson Valley, some of them focusing on their interests, like the birth of the Army, or the capture of Major Andre [with the plans for West Point given to him by Gen. Benedict Arnold]. Many people have no idea what happened right here around Beacon and Garrison and when I tell them, I don’t have to exaggerate. The story chronicles events, of course, but also a lot of dedication to the ideals of freedom, equality and breaking away from tyranny.