Celebrating 276 Years of Bowling Green

NY Times ^ | March 12, 2009 | Sewell Chan

[Pharmboy]

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Bowling Green, a parade ground and cattle market in the Dutch era,
was laid out in 1733 during the period of British colonial rule.

Bowling Green, the uneven gated ellipse at the foot of Broadway, evokes history more than most spots in New York City. Legend has it — though historians give the legend almost no credence — that Indian tribal leaders used the land for meetings and to negotiate the sale of Manhattan to Peter Minuit in 1626. What is known is that the site was a parade ground and cattle market in the Dutch era, which essentially ended with the British conquest of 1664.

In 1686, the British declared the land public property, and on March 12, 1733, it was leased for one peppercorn a year to John Chambers, Peter Bayard and Peter Jay, who were responsible for improving the site with grass, trees and a wood fence “for the beauty and ornament of the said street as well as for the recreation and delight of the inhabitants of this city.”

snip...

Notwithstanding a name that connotes tranquil recreation, the green has not always been free of conflict. On July 9, 1776, after the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, angry residents pulled down a gilded statue of King George III that had been erected in 1770. (The iron fence surrounding the green, which was installed in 1771 and is now itself a city landmark, survived.) The equestrian statue was dragged up Broadway, taken to Connecticut, melted down and recast as ammunition, though portions survive at the Museum of the City of New York and the New-York Historical Society.

John C. McRae

[Pharmboy]

Couple of things to add: 1)in the picture on top, the thicker bars were topped with regal symbols such as orbs. These were knocked off by the Patriots on that July 9.

Most of the men who pulled the statue of George III down were slaves (NYC had a considerable number of slaves, and slavery was not illegal in NY State until 1821).

And finally, the second residence of President Washington in NYC was at 30 Broadway, just up a bit from Bowling Green.

[Pharmboy]

Flag and Seal of New York City

The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list

[aculeus]

And finally, the second residence of President Washington in NYC was at 30 Broadway, just up a bit from Bowling Green.

For decades the HQs of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil was at 26 Broadway.

(Sometimes I miss NYC.)

[Age of Reason]

the picture on top, the thicker bars were topped with regal symbols such as orbs. These were knocked off by the Patriots on that July 9.

That's something I didn't know. Very interesting.

[Pharmboy]

One other key issue that was not mentioned. It was on July 9, 1776 that General Washington had the Declaration of Independence read to the troops bivouacked on, what is today, City Hall Park. Fired up, they then marched downtown, past St Paul’s Chapel on Broadway (one of the few colonial-era buildings still standing in Manhattan) and had-at George III.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

the second residence of President Washington in NYC was at 30 Broadway, just up a bit from Bowling Green.

Does that building still exist?

[Pharmboy]

Not a chance...as far as I know, there are only three colonial era buildings still standing on Manhattan Island: 1) Fraunces Tavern; 2) St Paul's Chapel (Episcopal) and 3) The Morris Jumel Mansion.

The General spent significant time in all three.

And doc, allow me to take this opportunity to thank you for your most excellent interaction on these threads over the years. Appreciated and noted, kind sir.

Your Obdt. Svt.

P_____y

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Pharmboy.

[SunkenCiv]

Was this Britain’s first black queen?
Guardian | 12 Mar 2009 | Stuart Jeffries
Posted on 03/12/2009 10:00:05 AM PDT by BGHater
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2205172/posts

[SunkenCiv]

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[Clemenza]

Thanks again for the ping, Pharmboy. Have you ever been to Military Park in Newark?

[Clemenza]

You forgot the Dyckman Farmstead in upper Manhattan.

You still have several old Dutch churches in Brooklyn (the most famous one in Flatbush). St. Marks in the Bouwerie (oldest Church in NYC) is largely (though not entirely) a reconstruction, but so is Fraunces Tavern, if you know the history.

Lower Manhattan, largely built of wood in colonial times, was largely burned to the ground in the 1830s, which is why Manhattan lacks the "Olde City" charm of Society Hill, Philadelphia.

[Pharmboy]

No...I never have. Thanks for the tip...I will check it out.

[Pharmboy]

We're both right...I said "colonial" but should have been more precise and said "pre-RevWar" which would have taken the Dyckman Farm out since it was built in 1784. And though some of Fraunces was indeed rebuilt after the FALN bombing (which Clinton pardoned the perps), more original remains there than within the old Dutch church, but it was certainly built before the RevWar!

And as you likely know, half of NYC burned in 1776 (the original Trinity Church was lost at that time and Pres. Washington thus went to mass at St Paul's); The General watched the fire from the second floor of the Morris Jumel Mansion.

Thanks for your comments...always appreciated.