On July 9th, 1776 after Washington had the Declaration of Independence read aloud, they marched down to Bowling Green, and the George III Statue was toppled, the ornaments at the tops of the fence were also cut off. Both were recast into musket balls. The William Pitt Statue was toppled by the British in retaliation in 1776, for the destruction of King George III's statue. In 1783, Evacuation Day officially ended the War.  As a departing gesture, the British greased the flagpole; John Van Arsdale went to a nearby hardware store and bought cleats so he could shimmy the pole, remove the British Flag and raise the new American one. The plaza near Bowling Green was renamed in 2016 to Evacuation Day Plaza.

Plaque Quote: "Near this spot in the presence of general George Washington the declaration of Independence was read and published to the American Army - July 9, 1776. Erected by Sons of the Revolution 1776-1782."