Irvington to celebrate tavern’s day as state capitol

For one day this month, Irvington will relive one of the most extraordinary chapters in its history — when the oldest building in the village, the Odell Tavern, briefly served as New York State’s capitol. 

The story behind Irvington’s “Capitol for a Day” celebration begins with a desperate escape.

After the devastating Battle of Brooklyn, Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army began retreating north as British forces closed in. Members of New York’s Committee of Safety — the state’s temporary revolutionary government — also headed north from New York City. Their journey brought them to the Odell Tavern, in what is now Irvington, where they conducted official business before continuing their flight.