Sybil Ludington

Sybil, daughter of Henry and Abigail Ludington, was born on 5 April 1761 in Fredericksburg, New York (in an area now part of Kent, N.Y.).

On the eve of April 26, 1777, news came to Henry Ludington who was Colonel in the 7th Regiment that the British were advancing on Danbury. The militia was scattered across the region and Henry sent Sybil to deliver the message to gather so that they might deter the advancing redcoats. Young Sybil rode through the night, 40 miles from her family home south through Carmel to Red Mills and then north to Kent Cliffs, Farmers Mills along to what is now Stormville and back south again home.

Sybil Ludington Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWgfOD5YWzc

The 2025 National Society Sons of the American Revolution Youth Video Contest featured a submission by Josephine Abbott of Washington State on Sybil Ludington. Joesphine garnered Honorable Mention for this tribute to Putnam County’s young American Revolutionary War hero.

About the Sybil Ludington Statue on Lake Gleneida, Carmel, N.Y.

The Sybil Ludington statue, located along the shore of Lake Gleneida in Carmel, was created by renowned American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973) to honor Sybil’s legendary on April 26, 1777. Huntington, a member of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), gifted the sculpture to the local Enoch Crosby Chapter of the DAR in 1961. The statue, cast in bronze and mounted on a field stone pedestal donated by Mr. and Mrs. D. Mallory Stephens and Mr. and Mrs. A. D. Townsend, was installed on the property owned by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and unveiled on June 3, 1961.

For many years, the local DAR chapter funded its care and insurance. However, by 1985, the financial burden led the chapter to transfer custodial care of the statue to Putnam County, which has since overseen its maintenance and annual inspections.

Restoration Campaign:

In 2025, on the eve of the 250th anniversary of American Independence, Putnam County volunteers have gathered to support the restoration of this iconic memorial to a local American Revolutionary War hero.