Ahead of America’s 250th anniversary this July 4th, it seems a particularly appropriate time to introduce our forthcoming book by Timothy J. Duerden, Director of the Delaware County Historical Association (DCHA). While Tim is the author of several books, including A History of Delaware County (PMP, 2007), his new work focuses on the Revolutionary War and offers readers a local connection to the war through the story of Levi Hanford, a teenaged militiaman who survived a stint as a prisoner of war at the infamous Sugar House Prison and then spent his final years in the Catskills. It is here in “our” mountains that Hanford’s story lives on and where it captured Tim’s imagination.

Escape From The Sugar HousePMP: Can you tell us in just a sentence or two what this book is about?

TD: The book is set in the 1770s and the lead-up to the Revolutionary War and the war itself. A coming-of-age story, the narrative is inspired by the true experiences of 17-year-old Levi Hanford, a Patriot militiaman, who is captured and imprisoned by the British in the notorious Sugar House Prison in NYC. 

PMP: So it is historical fiction?

TD: Yes, it’s inspired by true events. However, I have added a great deal of my own imaginary dialogue, characters, etc. While I have stayed true to most of what is known of Levi’s capture and incarceration, I have added my own version of events in parts!

PMP: What inspired you to write it? Why now? 

TD: My youngest son was about 14 when I began the project. He’s really into history, and I thought I’d write a book about America’s fight for independence very much with him in mind. Of course, I was aware as I began that the 250th anniversary was just around the corner.

PMP: How does it harmonize with your work as the Director of the DCHA?

Sugar House CaneTD: The research and writing of the book dovetailed nicely with both my work as DCHA Director and as a part-time adjunct instructor of history at SUNY Oneonta. DCHA is the proud owner of “The Sugar House Cane,” a c. 4 ft.-long oak cane (pictured at left, courtesy of DCHA) that was fashioned from a heavy timber beam from the old prison and presented to Levi Hanford shortly before he died (in Walton, New York) in the mid-1850s. I often show the cane to our museum visitors/researchers and now I also work it into some of my class lectures.

PMP: Readers will be interested to know that you were born and raised in the UK before emigrating to the U.S., which must give you a different take on and insight into the American Revolution. Yes? Do you think the two countries teach the Revolution differently? 

TD: The American Revolution has of course far more historic resonance on this side of the Atlantic. In a sense, it’s the beginning of it all! 

In the UK, however, it does not feature particularly prominently in most education curriculums. Obviously, the UK lost the war, but also the country was busy fighting to maintain its growing empire all over the world in the late eighteenth century, all while they dealt with a hostile France just across the channel. So, in many ways, the American Revolution was more peripheral in the consciousness of Brits at the time. And so it has remained.

PMP: There are certainly many books out there about the American Revolution. What sets yours apart? What do you hope your book contributes to our understanding of that historical event?

TD: My book offers a personal and up-close look at the effects of the war within one family. The Hanfords are torn apart by their differing loyalties. In such a manner, I want to highlight that the revolution was very much also a civil war. 

Much of the action takes place in NYC. And you don’t hear this often, but I contend that NYC is underrepresented in the literature as a place of central importance in the war. After all, far more Americans died there, for instance, than in all other places combined.