Powder House Day in New Haven Date in the current year: April 22, 2026

The American Revolutionary War officially began on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Two days later, when news of the battles reached New Haven, the newly formed Second Company of the Governor’s Foot Guard, led by Captain Benedict Arnold, decided to assist their fellow patriots. However, the town meeting voted against sending any aid to Massachusetts.

On April 22, the company prepared to march to Boston, but the town council refused to give them gunpowder. With Rev. Jonathan Edwards’s blessing, Arnold confronted David Wooster, the militia commander in New Haven, and demanded that he open the magazine for Arnold’s men. Wooster initially refused, but Arnold threatened to take the gunpowder by force, and Wooster opened the magazine.

Powder House Day has been a memorial event in New Haven since 1904. It is usually celebrated on the Saturday closest to April 22. The celebration's central event is a historical reenactment by the Second Company of the Governor’s Foot Guard. In the morning, the Foot Guards, wearing bright red coats, white pants, and tall bearskin hats, gather at Center Church on the Green for a memorial service. Afterwards, they march to City Hall to the sound of fifes and drums, where the reenactment begins.

Two Foot Guards portraying Captain Arnold and his lieutenant discuss the need to stock their company with “powder and ball and flint” so they can join the rebels in Massachusetts. Arnold then sends his lieutenant to retrieve the keys to the powder house from the town selectmen. Upon his return, the lieutenant informs Arnold that the selectmen refused, choosing to wait and see which way the wind blows.

Following several increasingly tense exchanges, the first selectman, often portrayed by the mayor of New Haven, appears in the doorway. He states that the powder “belongs to the Colony, and we cannot give it up without a regular order,” to which Arnold replies, “Regular order be damned, give it to me or I’ll take it.” The selectman relents and hands over the keys to the powder house, prompting cheers from the Foot Guard. A cannon is fired, signaling New Haven’s entry into the war.

It should be noted that Benedict Arnold was a controversial figure. Originally a British officer, he initially supported the Revolution and fought in the Continental Army, earning George Washington trust and rising to the rank of major. However, he began plotting to switch sides in 1779 and ultimately defected to the British in 1780 after his plot was exposed. When the Americans won, he returned to England.

Due to his betrayal, there are no memorials to Arnold in the United States. However, he is regarded as something of an unnamed hero in Connecticut despite his later deeds, and Powder House Day in New Haven reflects that by celebrating his initial involvement with the revolutionary cause.