As part of the 250th commemoration of the American Revolution, Crailo State Historic Site and the Friends of Fort Crailo are sponsoring a presentation on the Dutch Republic's role in the struggle for American independence. Wim Klooster, Professor and Robert H. and Virginia N. Scotland Endowed Chair in History and International Relations at Clark University, will present "Dutch Smugglers and the American Revolution" at the New York State Museum's Huxley Theater from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2026.

The lecture is free and open to the public; no registration required.

The lecture will examine how Dutch financiers helped fund the American cause, how merchants and smugglers circumvented British trade restrictions to supply the Patriots with essential goods and military supplies, and how Dutch commercial networks challenged British authority.

Once a home of the Van Rensselaer family, Crailo State Historic Site is today the museum of the colonial Dutch in the Hudson River Valley. Through October 31, the museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment November through April.