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Limited access and winter/spring programs
Governors Island opens to the public for the 2013 season on Saturday, 25, 2013. See "Plan Your Visit" at left for details. More »
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Phone number change
Due to Hurricane Sandy, our phone service was disrupted. The temporary information number for the park is now via cell phone at 646-241-2670. Other contact information can be found at www.nps.gov/gois/contacts.htm More »
The U.S. Army Field Music School
Augustus Meyer, during his second enlistment Beginning sometime in the mid 1830s, the U.S. Army ran a school for army field musicians, here on Governors Island. The school was housed in the South battery for about 40 years. In 1878 it was moved out of the battery and into Fort Jay, where it slowly faded away, disappearing from the records by the beginning of the 20th century. Most of what we know of the school's routines and operation comes from the recollections of Augustus Meyer. Meyer entered the school in 1854 at the age of 12. He began his five year enlistment as a musician, learning to play fife on Governors Island. He would eventually serve out this first five years as a musician in the army, on the western frontier. In 1860, Meyer would sign up for another five year enlistment, as a regular soldier. He had been out of the service for a year trying to live life as a civilian. By 1860, he decided he was better off in the army. Ironically he would be sent back to Governors Island for basic training. He would record his ten years of service in a book, "Ten Years in the Ranks, U.S. army". The first chapter of this book records Meyer's life as a music boy (a name given to the students, regardless of age) on the island. Through him, we learn the names of the primary instructors, Sgts Moore & Henke, drum and fife respectively, and the day to day routine of the music boys as they train for service as field musicians in the U.S. Army. Field musicians, for decades, were the clock radio of the U.S. Army. Throughout the day, the soldier's routine was marked by sounding of calls on fife and drum, signaling the soldier that it was time to carry out the day's various activities. The army field musician's job was an important one, being among the army's first specialists with their own school.
From the Henke/Moore Manuscript
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Did You Know?
Janet Lambert (1893-1973) was a military wife for over 30 years, and an actress and author of 54 books of young adult fiction for girls in the 1940s and 50s. She wrote about the lives and the coming of age choices between career or family by daughters of U.S. Army families during World War II and the Korean War-era. She wrote many of her books while living on Governors Island.