The Knickerbocker Greys is a youth cadet corps located in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. Founded in 1881, it is the oldest after school activity in the

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History

The Knickerbocker Greys was founded by Mrs. Augusta Lawler Stacey Curtis, the wife of Dr. Edward Curtis, a noted

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who served on the staff of the Surgeon General of the

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, and assisted in the autopsy on the body of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. She started the corps as a way to keep her boys out of trouble, since they had taken to hanging out at candy stores after school. At the time, there were no after school activities or organized sports. With a group of mothers, Mrs. Curtis asked Lieutenant Adolph W. Callison of the 22nd Regiment to be a Drill Master, and found a location at the 12th Regiment New York National Guard Armory. They chose a uniform similar to that of an English organization, consisting of a gray jacket, knickerbockers, and round cap, which were all trimmed with black braid. The group's name was derived from the common nickname for early Dutch settlers of New York who wore knee-length pants known as knickerbockers. This style was adopted as the original uniform. See " knickerbockers”, and the color of the dress uniform, “ Cadet Grey”."History.

2006. Retrieved March 23, 2009. In the winter 1886-1887 the 12th Regiment moved into their new armory, so the Greys obtained permission to drill in the armory of the 71st Regiment then at Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway and 35th Street. They followed the Regiment first to Broadway and 45th Street and later to their armory at

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Av ...

and 34th Street. During the construction of this armory on Park Avenue, the Greys used various halls about the city for one season. In 1902 the 71st Regiment Armory burned down and the Knickerbocker Greys were invited to drill in the 7th Regiment Armory (now known as the

Park Avenue Armory __NOTOC__ The Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, generally known as Park Avenue Armory, is a nonprofit cultural institution within the historic Seventh Regiment Armory building located at 643 Park Avenue on New York City's Upper East Side. The ins ...

) at Park Avenue and East 67th Street through the courtesy of Colonel Daniel Appleton. Over the years, many of New York's prominent families enrolled their sons in the Greys. Originally an all-male organization, the Greys first accepted girls in 1986.Konigsberg, Eric. "Manhattan's Littlest Soldiers.

2007. Retrieved March 23, 2009.

Notable former cadets

* Hugh D. Auchincloss, stockbroker and lawyer * Cortlandt F. Bishop, aviator, balloonist, autoist, book collector, and traveler * William Sloane Coffin Sr., businessman *

Henry Sloane Coffin Henry Sloane Coffin (January 5, 1877, in New York City – November 25, 1954, in Lakeville, Connecticut) was president of the Union Theological Seminary, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, and one of the mo ...

president of the Union Theological Seminary, Moderator of the

Presbyterian Church in the United States of America The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) was the first national Presbyterian denomination in the United States, existing from 1789 to 1958. In that year, the PCUSA merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North Americ ...

* William Bayard Cutting Jr., diplomat. * Douglas Fairbanks Jr., actor * Robert W. Goelet,

financier An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital most of the time the investor purchases some species of property. Type ...

and real estate developer in

* Hallett Johnson, diplomat and ambassador to Costa Rica *

John Lindsay John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, mayor of New York City, and candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regular ...

, congressman and mayor of New York * Austen Fox Riggs, psychiatrist and pioneering researcher in stress response * Edmund Maurice Burke Roche, British Conservative Party politician * John D Rockefeller III, philanthropist * Nelson Rockefeller, vice-president of the United States, governor of New York *

Cornelius Vanderbilt III Brigadier General Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III (September 5, 1873 – March 1, 1942) was an American military officer, inventor, engineer, and yachtsman. He was a member of the Vanderbilt family. Early life Born in New York City to Cornelius ...

, inventor and engineer

The Knickerbocker Greys today

The program is open to boys and girls ages 7 to 16, and meet on Tuesday afternoons from 4:45 - 6pm during the school year. The Greys meet at the Park Avenue Armory at East 67th Street, where they learn traditional marching, practice color guards, practice public speaking and learn about history. Other activities include field trips to NY Historical Society, historical sites, community events, Veterans events and CPR lessons. As cadets master new skills, they pass on their knowledge to the younger cadets. The Greys appear in public events in New York, performing color guards for historical and civic events, marching in the Veteran's Day and Flag Day Parades, taking part in George Washington's Inauguration reenactment, and wreath laying at The Soldier's and Sailor's Monument on Memorial Day. The Greys is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and offers financial assistance to families in need. In March 2022, the Armory moved to evict the Greys from their lifelong home in the 800 square foot space they use there. If the state of New York, which owns the Armory, does not give the Greys a direct lease, they will be left homeless.

References

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External links

Knickerbocker Greys website
New York Times article

NBA New York Knicks - What is a Knickerbocker Youth organizations based in New York City Organizations established in 1881 1881 establishments in New York (state)