NEW ROCHELLE, NY (November 10, 2025) — Tutti Bravi Productions, Inc., in collaboration with the New Rochelle Public Library and the New Rochelle Council on the Arts, will present “NEUTRAL GROUND OR BATTLEGROUND? How Westchester struggled during the American Revolution” on Saturday, November 15, at 2:00 p.m.
The performance features original monologues by Westchester writers about colonists who contended with protecting their homes and families during the countless raids, foraging expeditions and pillaging operations that were rampant throughout the so-called “neutral ground.”
The stories of these terrified colonists show how ordinary families fought to protect their homes amid nonstop violence in what was supposed to be “neutral” territory.
A Q&A session will follow the performance.
The event takes place at the New Rochelle Public Library – Library Plaza, corner of Lawton and Huguenot Streets, New Rochelle, NY 10801.
Admission is free. Donations to Tutti Bravi Productions are gratefully accepted.
What is the Neutral Ground?
The “Neutral Ground” refers to the roughly 30-mile-wide strip of land in Westchester County, New York, that lay between British-occupied New York City and Patriot-controlled territory to the north during the American Revolution (1776–1783).
Both sides agreed not to station regular troops there, but neither side actually controlled it. As a result, the area became a lawless no-man’s-land plagued by constant raids by British and Loyalist forces, foraging expeditions that stripped farms bare, attacks by Patriot militia and irregulars, and bands of outlaw “Cowboys” (Loyalist raiders) and “Skinners” (Patriot raiders) who pillaged civilians regardless of loyalty.
Families were caught in the middle: robbed, burned out, or killed no matter which side they supported. Westchester lost more homes to deliberate burning than any other county in the 13 colonies, earning it the nickname “the Debatable Ground” or “Neutral Ground.”
Where was the Neutral Ground?
The Neutral Ground spanned roughly from the modern Bronx border near Kingsbridge and Morrisania in the south to the Croton River in the north, with shifting northern lines around Dobbs Ferry, Mamaroneck and sometimes Peekskill. This devastated zone encompassed central and southern Westchester County, historically including what became the Bronx until its 1898 and 1914 annexations.
Modern municipalities fully or partially within the historical Neutral Ground include the cities of Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, White Plains, Peekskill and Rye.
Towns and villages include Eastchester (including Bronxville and Tuckahoe), Greenburgh (including Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson, Ardsley, Elmsford and Tarrytown), Harrison, Mamaroneck (including the village of Mamaroneck and Larchmont), Scarsdale, North Castle, Mount Pleasant (including Sleepy Hollow, Briarcliff Manor and Pleasantville), Ossining (including the village of Ossining), Pelham (including Pelham and Pelham Manor), and Rye (town, including Rye Brook and Port Chester).
Northern Westchester towns such as Cortlandt, Yorktown, Somers and Bedford were generally above the core Neutral Ground, though boundaries shifted during the war. Parts of southwest Connecticut were occasionally affected but not core to the Westchester Neutral Ground.
Today, this once-war-torn region is densely populated suburbia, a stark contrast to its raided “debatable ground” past.
Writers include Sande Chen, Michael Grillo, Melissa J. Higsley, Maureen Kelly, Donna L. Landi, Sharon L. Mosley, Meghan P. Nolan and Mia Shapiro.
Actors are Anthony Castellano, Michael Grillo, Michael Jacoby, Maurice Richard, Ryan Sett, Sharon Shahar, Jennie Steinhagen and Reggie Street.
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.
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