In 1756 Captain Roger Morris arrived in the colonies to fight the French and Indian Wars. He served with George Washington, who had become his friend, under the command of General Braddock in Virginia. During the course of the French and Indian War, Morris was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel.

Mary Philipse had come from an extremely wealthy and powerful Tory family that owned vast estates along the Hudson River in what is now Westchester County. Mary had been courted by many young men including Washington and Morris. Mary's choice for a husband was Roger Morris.

In 1763 Colonel Morris retired from military life and bought a house in lower Manhattan on the corner of Whitehall and Stone Streets. He had become a member of the Executive Council of the Province of New York.

Morris engaged a contractor, John Edward Pryor, to build a summer house in northern Manhattan. The estate was originally 130 acres and was purchased from the Dyckman family. His wife's dowry contributed to the cost of the estate. The mansion was completed in 1765 and was called Mount Morris.

It was constructed in the classical Georgian style with a wide board façade, wooden corner quoins and a hipped roof. The mansion featured an octagonal wing which was the first to be built in America. The front portico with its balcony was later added in 1810 by a future owner, and is supported by columns, adding majesty to the house.

The mansion faced south with a spectacular view of both the Harlem and Hudson Rivers. New York and the harbor could be seen as well from the vantage point of the colonial suburbs. Now apartment buildings block the view.

When the hostilities of the American Revolution commenced, Colonel Morris, who was a Tory and a Royalist sympathizer, left for England, leaving his wife and their four children to move in with relatives in Yonkers. The Philipses were also Tories and left for England.

The vacant house was used by General Washington and his senior officers to make plans for the Battle of Harlem Heights, which became a significant victory for the American cause. The house was occupied between September 14 and October 18, 1776. Lower Manhattan was put to the flame, and smoke could be seen from the front of the mansion.

On November 16, 1776, Fort Washington was defeated by an overpowering force of British and Hessian troops. The mansion had been used as the eastern bastion for the third line of defense for Fort Washington, manned by the Americans. The mansion was captured by an advance column of the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment (known as the Black Watch) that was ferried across the Harlem River by the British advance from the south under the command of Earl Percy.

After the loss of Fort Washington, the British had firm control of New York and the Hudson Valley. The Mansion was used as a command center by British General Sir Henry Clinton and then by Hessian commander Baron von Knyphausen. The mansion was used for Court Martials, which took place in the Octagonal Room. A barn on the grounds was used as a jail for prisoners of those trials. One of the American prisoners was Captain Alexander Graydon, who was captured by the Highlanders a few blocks north of the mansion on what is now Saint Nicholas Avenue.

In 1783 the war ended and New York City was free of British rule. The mansion was confiscated by the Commission of Forfeiture and was put up for sale. The money from the sale was assigned to John Jacob Astor in account for Mrs. Morris by the government of the United States.

Following the Revolution the mansion and the lands surrounding it exchanged hands several times. The land was used for farming while the mansion became a tavern called Calumet Hall. It became the first stop for the coaches on the Albany Post Road. One of the specialties served there was turtle soup. On July 10, 1790, President Washington returned to the mansion with members of his cabinet for dinner and a visit to the one-time headquarters he used during the war.

In 1799 William Kenyon, a New York merchant, sold the house and property to an Anglo-West Indian investor by the name of Leonard Parkinson. Parkinson resurveyed and divided the property into smaller lots.

Stephen Jumel, a French wine merchant from San Domingo, bought lot number 8, which was the mansion and the immediate area surrounding it, in April 1810. Jumel arrived in New York with his vast fortune and redecorated the house to the Federal style. Four years later, Jumel purchased more property to include the area from what is now 160th Street to 174th Street east of Saint Nicholas Avenue.

Eliza Bowen was to become best remembered for being Jumel's wife and living in the mansion. She met Jumel, who was 20 years her senior, and became his mistress. Eliza managed to force Jumel into marrying by feigning deathbed illness.

Eliza was born into poverty in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1775. She had become an avid story teller to convince people that she wanted to become a social climber and may have encouraged the propagation of these stories. She claimed she was born at sea of mysterious and unknown parentage. She also claimed to be the daughter of either Napoleon or George Washington. Unfortunately, her manipulating and scheming created an unsavory past which was to be checked by New York's High Society.

The Jumels left for Paris in 1815. Eliza had become a Bonapartist even though Napoleon was in exile. The following year, Eliza returned to New York without her husband. She brought with her some new furniture for the mansion. One piece was Napoleon's bed, which is now exhibited in the master bedroom on the second floor. Eliza was given power of attorney by her husband, whom she managed to leave a marginal pauper. Being a shrewd business woman, Eliza increased the value of the property from $1 million to $3 million in a matter of three years.

In May 1832, while supervising work on the estate, Stephen Jumel was injured in an accident when he fell from the top of a hay load and onto a pitchfork. Jumel was immediately brought to a second floor bedroom, where bandages were tightly bound on the wounds. His body was eventually found on the third floor with the bandages loosened. Rumors and stories abounded implicating Madame Jumel's involvement in the hastening of her husband's death, but there has been no proof to the accusations.

Jumel was buried at Old Saint Patrick's Cathedral, located on what is now Mott Street between Prince and Houston Streets, in the area now know as Nolita (North of Little Italy). Being he was French and Roman Catholic, Eliza may have been ostracized given the anti-Catholic sentiment of the era.

A year after Jumel's death, Madame Jumel married Aaron Burr, a lawyer and third Vice President of the United States. At 78 years of age, Burr used the marriage for financial gain, whereas for Madam Jumel it was purely for status.

The marriage went sour due to the tempestuous relationship between Burr and Madame Jumel. She wanted to divorce Burr because of his financial carelessness and the fact that she accused him of adultery (which was considered an acceptable reason for divorce). Burr passed away in 1836, finally relenting to Madame Jumel's wishes by granting her the divorce on his deathbed. In his book "Burr," Gore Vidal gives an excellent description of the interior of the mansion and the room where Madame Jumel and Aaron Burr were married.

In 1854 Madame Jumel went to Europe with her two grandchildren, Eliza Jumel Chase and William Inglis Chase. Madame Jumel was nearly 80 years old at the time. The three toured England, France and Italy. While in France, Madame Jumel presented her 17-year-old granddaughter to the court of Louis Philippe. A painting was made of the three of them by Alcide Ercole and was a gift to the mansion by Louis V. Bell. According to pictures from the 19th century, the painting was originally hung in the front hall. The painting was moved from the first floor to its present location on the second floor in the 1940s.

After Burr's death, Madame Jumel became reclusive and demented. She was known for doing strange things such as maintaining an armed garrison in the house and riding about the grounds daily at the head of 15 or 20 men. The only people to see her were the immediate family. In 1865 Madame Jumel died at the age of 91 and was buried in the western division of Trinity Cemetery at 155th and Broadway. Her heirs inherited the house and property and fell into litigation. Portions of the property were sold off during this period.

In the early 1880s, the portion of the land that was the driveway for the mansion was sold, and two-story frame row houses were built in 1882 by developer James E. Ray. This became known as Sylvan Terrace, which is now part of the Jumel Terrace Historic District that now surrounds it. The area was designated a historic district in 1970.

The buildings of Sylvan Terrace were renovated between 1979 and 1981. With the exception of Number 16, all of the buildings were restored to their original appearance. As a result of inadequate renovations, most of the buildings were suffering from poor drainage and rotting wood. The stoops were not properly weatherproofed as were the original supports for the stairways during the renovation. In time the renovations were corrected, and Number 16 was placed for sale and renovated to fit in with the rest of the buildings.

Other houses in the district, totaling about 50 row houses, were erected between 1890 and 1902 and were designed in the Queen Anne, Romanesque Revival, and Classical Revival styles of architecture. The only apartment building in the district, constructed in 1909, is a brick and limestone Federalist Revival design. The district is unique in the respect that it owes its existence to its brief period of construction and use of contemporary materials in many of the structures. One of the houses on Jumel Terrace was once owned by entertainer and actor Paul Robeson.

In 1882 William Inglis Chase, grandson and one of the heirs to Madam Jumel, purchased the mansion and lived in it until its sale on May 17, 1894, to General Ferdinand Pinney Earle and his wife Lillie. The mansion was renamed Earle Cliff and was taken care of during the period of street openings and apartment house developments, which proved disastrous to the historic district.

In 1903 General Earle passed away, and the following year the city took title of the mansion at a cost of $235,000. Four chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution took over the mansion to be used as a Revolutionary War museum, and at least $12,000 was raised for renovation and restoration.

The mansion has been reported to be haunted by various ghosts, of whom Madam Jumel's ghost is the most prevalent and feisty of all. It has been said that Madam Jumel wanders through the house in a purple dress rapping on walls and windows. Other hauntings include the ghosts of Stephen Jumel, one of the housemaids who committed suicide as a result of a jilted lover, a Hessian soldier who, while going downstairs, tripped and fell on his bayonet. Because of the numerous ghost sightings, the mansion has been listed on the National Register of Historic Haunted Places.

One of the most interesting and widely publicized cases of Madame Jumel's hauntings took place on January 4, 1964, when students from Public School (now Intermediate School) 164, located at Edgecombe Avenue and 164th Street, were playing in front of the mansion. These students were accompanied by their teacher, Mrs. Betty Fitzgerald. The story that was given to Mrs. Emma Bingay Campbell, the curator of the mansion, by the students was that they were told by a woman on the balcony to "Shut up." The problem was that the building was locked and empty at the time of the incident. Both Mrs. Fitzgerald and Mrs. Campbell questioned the students, and every story coincided. The Students recognized Madam Jumel as the woman they had seen from a painting of her on the second floor of the mansion.

The museum staff has not encountered any ghosts and dismisses all of the stories on the hauntings. The official point of view of the management is that the mansion is considered a museum and educational institution and is to be treated as such.

The grounds of the mansion has a colonial-style rose and herb garden with a working sundial. There is also a well-worn milestone with a bronze plaque bearing the inscription "11 miles from New York on the Kingsbridge Road, the City History Club, 1912."

The mansion was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1935 and was also designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on June 12, 1967. The interior of the mansion was given landmark status on May 27, 1975. During the Bicentennial Celebrations in July 1976, Queen Elizabeth II of England visited the mansion. The mansion celebrated its centennial as a museum in 2004.

The Morris-Jumel Mansion is managed by the Washington Headquarters Association, and the Roger Morris Park is managed by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The Mansion is also member of the Historic House Trust managed by the Parks Department. In 1990 the mansion began extensive renovations to the exterior of the building and to the grounds of the park. The interior of the house was restored in 2004.

The Morris-Jumel Mansion is located in Roger Morris Park at 65 Jumel Terrace, which is one block east of Saint Nicholas Avenue. Roger Morris Park is bounded by 160th and 162nd Streets, Edgecombe Avenue to Jumel Terrace, which is all that remains of the former estate. The mansion is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For general information, tours and events of the mansion, please call 212-923-8008.

There are various websites relating to the Morris-Jumel Mansion. The website for the mansion is www.morrisjumel.org. Other information pertaining to the mansion can be accessed at the Parks Department website at www.nyc.gov/parks. Online photographs of the gravesites of George Washington, Aaron Burr and Madame Jumel can be found at www.findagrave.com.

New York City has always been a haven for immigrants. It started thousands of years ago when Native Americans settled the area for fishing and hunting. In the 1600s, the Dutch arrived and farms were started. In 1654, the first Jews came to New York from Brazil. Peter Stuyvesant was under direct orders to accept them.

Most of the land in northern Manhattan was owned by Jan Dyckman and Jan Nagel. Both men realized that in the future there would be a real estate boom. Over the next 200 years, farms and estates were bought and enlarged by landowners such as Billings, Morris, Jumel, Straus and the Lords (of Lord and Taylor), who made their mark on the community.

There was a northward migration of the Jewish population of New York City from the Lower East Side to Harlem. There were several reasons. First, there were better and newer apartments in Harlem. Second, there was the relocation of the City College of New York (CCNY), where they could get an excellent education.

Between 1933 and 1941, at least 20,000 displaced refugees from Germany and Austria came to Washington Heights because of the Nazi rise to power. Antisemitism was on the rise in these two countries and had created negative effects among the populace. Emigration was legal from Germany and Austria until 1941, when war was declared.

In November 1938 was Kristalnacht in Germany. Many Jewish businesses and synagogues were destroyed or burned. Many Jews were mistreated and arrested. That evening had an effect on those who fled Europe, and many who came were already traumatized by the incident. In some cases, many of the Jews were forced to live in ghettos. A small percentage of the immigrants underwent the horrors of the death camps and survived. Many came to America after the war.

There have been many books and a film that have been released in the media regarding the Jewish immigration to Washington Heights. Manfred Kirschheimer came to the Heights with his family to escape the Nazi persecution. In the 1980s he produced a film called "We Were so Beloved," in which he recorded the memories of his family, friends and other members of the community of their flight from Germany during the 1930s. This movie was eventually made into book form.

"Frankfort on the Hudson: The German-Jewish Community of Washington Heights, 1933-1983, its Structure and Culture" by Steven Lowenstein is a book that goes into historical detail about the migration and settlement in the community. Lowenstein talks about the social structure and other facts about these immigrants and how they became accepted by the rest of the community and became an integral part of Washington Heights. The book is profusely illustrated with photographs, maps and graphs that enhance the story. I understand that there is a copy of this book in the Synagogue's library.

Justin Martin's biography, "Greenspan: The Man behind the Money," tells of the life of Alan Greenspan, whose family came to New York City in the 1920s. Martin went into detail of what it was like to grow up in lower Washington Heights and how it influenced Greenspan as an adult. Greenspan lived with his mother and grandparents at 600 West 163rd Street. As a child, he was good with numbers and calculated up to 3-digit numbers in his head. He played sandlot baseball and was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan in New York Yankees territory. The Audubon Theater had been one of his favorite places to go. He may have even known Henry Kissinger at George Washington High School, who was two years his senior.

The History Channel had a book review for "The Conquerors: Roosevelt and Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945" by Michael Beschloss. It was about the implementation of the reconstruction of Germany after the War. Part of the book examines why Roosevelt planned but decided against the bombing of Auschwitz.

Those who were allowed to leave in the beginning were fortunate. Others were not. To some, the word "refugee" was a word that they initially did not want to hear or acknowledge in the community. The integration process took on a more relaxed attitude in the United States than in other countries. This adaptation was especially recognized in Washington Heights. There had been situations where some rough edges had existed but had been smoothed out in time.

After the war, things settled down. A good majority of the Jewish immigrants lived initially in the lower Heights. Many of those started businesses here in New York City. Many synagogues flourished. Services started punctually, members had assigned seats, and there was the traditional practice of male officers on the executive committees until recently, when women were allowed to serve on the boards. Sisterhoods and ladies' auxiliaries also played an important role in the affairs of the synagogues.

Yeshivas for elementary school students opened in Washington Heights. Yeshiva Soloveitchek (1937) and Yeshiva Samson Raphael Hirsch (1944) catered to regular educational and theological instruction. Yeshiva Soloveitchek closed in the 1980s. Some of the students who attend Yeshiva Samson Raphael Hirsch come in from Monsey, New York, where some of the former residents of Washington Heights live. Hirsch is connected with the Kahal Adath Jeshurun Synagogue. Yeshiva University was also instrumental in higher education and theological studies.

As time passed, many moved northward, especially to live along Fort Washington and Bennett Avenues. The synagogues moved to accommodate the northern migration. Kahal Adath Jeshurun, the most influential synagogue in the community, was under the leadership of Rabbi Joseph Breuer. This influence dominated the community for years.

Over the years, there was a decline in the original Jewish community. Most of this was due to the fact that those who had arrived in the 1930s were getting older, and their children moved out of the community to such places as Monsey, New York. This forced many of the synagogues to close or merge with others, such as is the case with Hebrew Tabernacle and Beth Am. There has been an influx of a younger generation of Jews who have wanted to be a part and have a sense of community.

Two synagogues that over the years have seen a decline in their congregations are the Inwood Hebrew Congregation and Congregation Ohav Sholaum. Congregation Beth Hillel was another synagogue that was forced to merge because of declining membership. Congregation Shaare Hatikvah and the Fort Tryon Jewish Center are still strong and viable synagogues.

The Audubon Ballroom was home to another synagogue that closed. It was Congregation Emez Wozedek and had services from 1939 to 1983, when it was forced to close for lack of membership and the fact that the Audubon was to be torn down for the Lasker Medical Research Center, which is operated by the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Two other synagogues that had to reorganize were Congregation Nodah Bi Yehuda, located at 392 Fort Washington, and Congregation Kellilath Yaacov, at 390 Fort Washington. Many of the older members had died, and some had moved to Monsey, New York, with their children. These were in two identical three-storied buildings built in the first decade of the 20th Century and were purchased and refurbished into houses of worship. Congregation Nodah Bi Yehuda merged with Congregation Shaare Hatikvah at 711 West 179th Street.

These houses were recently torn down to make way for a residence for students and faculty of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. The building that was 392 Fort Washington was the former home of the McNally family. One of the sons, Richard J., was killed in action during the First World War on September 29, 1918. This information was confirmed in the historical signs section of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation website for the McNally Plaza. The McNally Post for Veterans of Foreign Wars is located at 584 West 183rd Street, just east of Saint Nicholas Avenue.

Some of the more influential people who moved to and lived in Washington Heights and Inwood were former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan, Max Frankel of the New York Times, psychologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, broadcaster Edwin Newman, and Hansi Pollock, who was a local Democratic Party leader.

There is a small park on Cabrini Boulevard and 177th Street that is owned and operated by the Port Authority. Within this park is a plaque honoring a man by the name of Louis Stern. This gentleman was a member of the Washington Heights Chamber of Commerce and was listed on their letterhead in the 1940s. The plaque reads as follows: "This plaque is in memory of the significant civic achievements made by Louis Stern on behalf of the Washington Heights Community. November 1969, Port of New York Authority, Chamber of Commerce of Washington Heights."

Washington Heights and Inwood are presently experiencing a revival. New Jewish families are moving here from other parts of New York City. This is due to the fact that the rents and real estate in the area is much more reasonable than in our sister communities downtown. There is a rising cost of rent and prices for co-ops and condominiums, but comparing them to other parts of the city, they are much lower. These new people coming to the area bring a sense of stronger community ties and spirit that had been lacking over the years and is needed to make it the vibrant community that it once was.

The foundry was established in 1853 by Elias Johnson and got its start to become a driving force in the railroad industry. The foundry was also known for other industries that needed iron forging for the New York area. Elias Johnson was originally a member of a stove foundry company in Troy, New York, called Johnson, Cox and Fuller. With funds from the liquidation of his interests in the firm, Johnson started a new business with his son Isaac, a graduate of Rensselear Polytechnic Institute as a civil engineer, in 1848.

The Johnsons came to New York City to find a suitable location for the foundry. Three locations were under consideration: Central Park, Mott Haven and a peninsula near Spuyten Duyvil. Each was in the range of $1,000 per acre. The Spuyten Duyvil location was the site decided on for the foundry. Johnson would share the 13.5-acre peninsula with the Spuyten Duyvil Rolling Mill.

Isaac G. Johnson's five sons -- Isaac Mattison, Isaac Bradley, Gilbert Henry, Arthur Gale and James Wagner -- entered the business in their youth after the plant was opened. These sons were to be known by their initials -- I.B., I.M., and so on. In spite of the differences in age, all of the brothers got along harmoniously. They lived near each other on Spuyten Duyvil Hill. When the first automobiles came along, the entire clan went out for Sunday afternoon drives.

With the onset of the Civil War, the Johnson Foundry entered the field of munitions. Cannon and shot were made in conjunction with Parrott Foundry in Cold Spring, New York. Both foundries produced a cannon with the designs made by Major Joseph Delafield. As a result of this effort, 64 cannon and munitions were produced to go with him for the war effort. The war was creating new demands on the foundry. The stove factory had to be rebuilt as an iron mill.

In the 1870s, with the arrival of Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone, Westchester County and the Bronx saw the installation of lines to connect residents with other parts of the area. In 1874, the Johnson Foundry had pioneered the use of the telephone in the Bronx. Much of Isaac Johnson's telephoning was done to New York City. In 1892, the Foundry had its own telephone number, which was "Harlem 731." This line was equipped with a long-distance circuit. When the Spanish American War started in 1898, it was necessary to improve the communication link because of the war effort, and the employees had to handle the extra load.

The Johnson Foundry was able to prosper as a peacetime production corporation. In 1871 and 1880, malleable iron works companies that Isaac had a major interest in were established in Hoosac Falls, New York, and Indianapolis, Indiana. During the 1880s, the efficiency of the Spuyten Duyvil plant casting malleable steam and gas fittings was such that they could be marketed abroad at prices that defied competition. The plant gained rank among the nation's largest manufacturers in the field. At the time, the plant maintained a coal reserve of 3,000 tons for the furnaces.

During this period, the Johnson Foundry branched out into the manufacturing and casting of steel. Steel is made from pig iron in a furnace where the carbon in the iron is reduced and most of the other impurities are removed and certain substances may be added in the process. Several new furnaces were built in 1881 to improve production and the quality of the steel.

Over a period of time, several steel rolling mills were established on the site and an iron bar mill was added in 1872. Between 1874 and 1883, the mill operated with an annual capacity of twenty thousand net tons. In 1893, Johnson bought out the Langdon-Spuyten Duyvil rolling mill that shared the peninsula and remodeled to suit his needs for the foundry. The property consisted of two steel factories, three malleable factories and factories and foundries for military uses.

During peak operations, the annual capacity of the foundry was 2,500 tons of open-hearth steel and 5,000 tons of converter castings. During the Civil War, most of the foundry's output was for munitions and parts for locomotives. In the 1890s, there was a new innovation and breakthrough in the neck-in-neck contest between shot and armor piercing capped projectiles. This increased the workload at the factory.

Between 1903 and 1915, the Johnson Foundry constructed two additional furnaces and practically supplied 90 percent of all the rough steel castings used in the United States for the manufacture of automobile engines. These included cylinder blocks, pistons, piston rods, and crankshafts.

During the First World War, there were 1,600 employees that worked on the day and night shifts. This allowed for more employment and housing in the area, which was at a premium for the area surrounding the factory. At this time, most of the pig iron was coming in from New Jersey.

With the opening of the foundry, Johnson brought cultural diversity to the area. The Irish, Welsh and Germans were hired as middle management and as engineers. They lived on top of the hill above the foundry. This site was to become known as Puddler's Row, the present site of 555 Kappock Street. The Hungarians, Poles and Russians were the workers and lived at the bottom of the hill, which was closer to the plant.

Both sides managed to have disagreements which wound up throwing rocks, auto tires and railroad track equipment at each other. Despite these disputes, the Johnsons ran the foundry and lived in the Spuyten Duyvil for about 75 years. Much of the foundry work was backbreaking, and many of the employees came to find work. The result of the influx of foreigners needed a place to go to after work and relax. Drinking establishments like Weigel's and Kilcullen's opened their doors, where the employees could speak in their native languages. These places did a roaring business among the mill workers.

Despite its prosperity, the days were numbered for the Johnson Foundry. The handwriting was on the wall when the ship canal was cut through the southern end of Marble Hill in the early 1890s. Ever since then, the possibility of condemnation of the property was a prelude to the straightening of the hazardous channel where the plant had been for so many years.

The New York State Legislature enacted laws in May of 1919. Chapter 586 was enacted to create a Board of Conference in regard to the straightening, widening and deepening of the Harlem River and the Spuyten Duyvil Creek. This board was created in the hope of determining how to go about rearranging the course of the Harlem River to its present state.

The board also made note of the fact of the possible reconstruction of the bridges along the river to conform to the needs and standards of navigation. The members of the Board were: Franklin M. Williams, state engineer and surveyor who was chairman of the board; Edward S. Walsh, superintendent of public works; and Murray Hulbert, commissioner of docks. Anna Skoog was the secretary of the board, who wrote down what was said at the proceedings.

During the course of the proceedings, the board met in the Bronx and Queens to discuss with municipal and local civic groups the various positions of the proposed river changes. For example, a Captain McAllister who represented the Maritime Association of the Port of New York, was quoted as saying that the bend at the peninsula where the Johnson Factory was located was "the greatest menace from the North (Hudson) River, you cannot see anyone going into or coming from the North River, would have to take a great chance at navigating and vice versa. It is almost impossible to properly manipulate there."

It was also mentioned in the report that by 1898 the Harlem River Ship Canal was only 58-percent complete. And in the twenty years since, nothing else had been done. Various other business groups, especially in the Bronx, advocated the demolition of the Johnson Foundry and its peninsula because it had created a hardship in getting goods downriver. As a result of this, the Johnson Foundry started to suffer much indignation because of political wrangling so that other businesses could flourish.

On April 30, 1923, the New York State Supreme Court ordered the release of the property to the state by July 1 of that year. This left little time to relocate the foundry, which was the only steel casting plant to do business with the City of New York within a 50-mile radius. On June 9, the final heat of steel and the last castings were turned out by the foundry. Patterns were being returned to many of the companies that had been doing business with the plant for almost 50 years. The plant equipment was sold at public auction on December 5, 1923.

Within a short period of time, the high chimneys and other landmarks associated with the Johnson Foundry began to disappear. Three generations of Johnsons had presided over the destiny of the company, which had for 75 years been on the Spuyten Duyvil. All the buildings, homes, taverns and other local sites affiliated with the foundry gave way to new apartments now so familiar to the community.

The peninsula had not been touched until the early 1940s, when it was dredged to allow for larger ships to pass for the war effort. A now familiar site, the Columbia University "C" was painted on the rock outcropping after the war. The outcropping and an island, which is now part of Inwood Hill Park, where the Inwood Hill Nature Center is located, are the only remains of the Johnson Ironworks Factory and the peninsula that it was on, that had done work for the federal government. It was this same government that through political backstabbing for the sake of the War Department (now Department of Defense) improvements had caused lost jobs for the community.

Inwood Hill Park was known as "shorakapkok," which is translated as "the sitting down place. The Mohican "showaukuppock" translated as "cove." The Delaware Indians called it "w'shakuppek" which was "smooth still water" when interpreted from their language. According to Reginald Pelham Bolton, the noted historian and archaeologist of the area, another term used by local Native Americans was "saperewack," which meant "the glistening place." One of the tribal groups that lived in the area, the Rechgawawanc, had made their homes here in the sheltering hillsides and close proximity to the fishing and hunting spots.

At the point where the Spuyten Duyvil Creek and the Hudson River meet is an area known as Papparimamim. It was an island that the Rechgawawanc Indians used as a landing spot to trade. There are several meanings to "Papparimamim." Some of its meanings are "to parcel out," "divide and divert," and "turning aside." The site had become known as Berrian's Neck and was used as a fortification during the American Revolution.

The Dutch settlers have various spellings for Spuyten Duyvil. One version was "spegkindiple," another was "Spitton Devil." According to "Father Knickerbocker's History of New York" by Washington Irving, two other terms are shown: "spijt den duyvil" and "spiking devil." Another expression that was used in 1693 was "spiten devil." During the American Revolution, another version of the site had appeared: this was "speight-den-duyvil" and it was used by Johan Karl Philip von Krafft, a 2nd Lieutenant in the Hessian army under the command of General Knyphausen. The present-day term is a variation that is still used today.

During the colonial period, the Dutch and the English had different uses for the Spuyten Duyvil Creek. In 1667, a resolution in favor of building a road from Harlem to New York was proposed. Two years later the resolution was rescinded in favor of a route to the north which finally came about on December 7, 1676. On December 9th a lane was opened and was called the King's Way which in time became the Kingsbridge Road. In 1769, milestones were erected on the western side of the roadway from lower Manhattan.

Johannes Verveelen, a Dutch landowner in the town of New Harlem, had a ferry at 125th Street and the East River that took passengers and cargo to the Bronx. After a period of time, Verveelen realized that people were going to the northern end of Manhattan and wading across the Spuyten Duyvil, thus avoiding the fare. He petitioned the authorities for an additional ferry charter for the new location and was granted one on February 27, 1669.

Frederick Phillipse was issued a royal grant confirming manorial rights from the crown and enlarging them to the manor of Phillipsburg in 1693. As part of the grant, the ferry was replaced by Phillipse and was named the King's Bridge to honor King William III. Phillipse was allowed to collect tolls from a patent signed by Governor Richard Nicholls. This toll applied to people, cattle or anything else that crossed it.

In 1702 the property was willed to Phillipse's grandson of the same name By act of the General Assembly of the Colony of New York on July 1, 1713, Phillipse was allowed to dismantle the bridge and rebuild it as a draw bridge. The present location of the bridge, if it were in operation today would be on Broadway near 231st Street.

On New Years Day of 1759 Jacobus Dyckman erected a toll-free bridge with the help of his fellow farmers to avoid paying the toll and allow for access over the river. This bridge, known as the Free Bridge, was located on 225th Street between Broadway and the intersection of Bailey Avenue and West Kingsbridge Road. It connected Manhattan with the Fordham section of the Bronx. A tavern was established by the Dyckmans on the Manhattan side of the bridge and was sold in 1772 to Caleb Hyatt.

During the American Revolution Hyatt's Tavern became a guard house used by the Hessians after the fall of Fort Washington in November 1776. They had taken over the eight forts that paralleled the Harlem River.

In December 1777, troops under the command of General Heath attacked the Kingsbridge area with the objective of ensuring that the Farmer's Bridge and the King's Bridge were rendered practically useless, thus diverting traffic to a pontoon bridge which connected the Bronx with the northern end of Seaman Avenue. At the end of the war, the Free Bridge was reconstructed to continue normal traffic of goods and services.

In 1807 Jacob Hyatt leased the tavern to James DeVoe. The tavern's more recent successor had become the Kingsbridge Hotel which had become a favorite for anglers and sportsman. The hotel was noted for its turtle soup. The premises was located on Muscoota (now 225th) Street.

In 1904, under authorization of the New York State legislature, the part of the creek that was filled in from dredging at what is now 225th street was filled in at 230th and lots were sold for housing. Broadway was widened in 1917 and the Kingsbridge Hotel, which was in disrepair, was razed.

One of the older and more colorful tales to come out of the area was that of Anthony van Corlear's crossing of the Spuyten Duyvil. Van Corlear was a messenger of Peter Stuyvesant who sent him to warn the Dutch settlers and the Indians in what is now Westchester and the Bronx of the pending takeover of Nieuw Amsterdam by the British. According to a story revived by Washington Irving, van Corlear had jumped into the creek from a high promonotory in Manhattan in "spite of the devil" into high tide, and heavy winds subsequently drowned him trying to cross the creek.

In reality van Corlear waded across the creek. This story had been told and possibly exaggerated in a soldier's journal in 1776. The journal was discovered by W. H. Shelton, curator of the Morris-Jumel Mansion.

The Johnson Ironworks foundry was a familiar sight on the peninsula of the canal from 1853 until 1923. While in operation the foundry manufactured everything from iron bars to automobile engines. In 1924 the buildings were razed, and the peninsula was empty until the end of the Second World War, when it was dredged and the channel was straightened. Part of the peninsula that was separated had been incorporated into Inwood Hill Park.

Chapter 586 of the New York Legislature was enacted on May 12, 1919, to create a Board of Conference to discuss how to straighten, widen and dredge the Spuyten Duyvil Creek. This legislation sounded the death knell of the Johnson Foundry. Work on the creek was started in 1898 and had to be completed.

Marble Hill was the name of the community at the northernmost tip of Manhattan, which was severed by the construction and rerouting of the Harlem River Ship Canal. In 1895, Marble Hill was separated from Manhattan and for a time was an island until the landfill from the dredging had connected this bucolic part of Manhattan to the Bronx.

After World War II, students from Columbia University established a boat club and other facilities at Baker Field in Inwood Hill Park. The group became interested in a rocky outcropping that needed some livening up. A large white "C" was painted on the on the wall facing the creek. Since then, the "C" has become a fixture for the area as well as a tourist attraction for the Circle Line Boat Tours.

The Spuyten Duyvil Creek has bridges crossing its banks. The railroad trestle has served the trains going to Albany from New York City since the 1840s. The Henry Hudson Bridge, built by Robert Moses in 1938, has offered a view of the canal and the Hudson River since its opening. The Broadway Bridge has been rebuilt three times to meet the needs of automotive and subway traffic.

Reginald Pelham Bolton, the noted civil engineer and historian for northern Manhattan, had a fondness for the Spuyten Duyvil. In his book, "Washington Heights, Manhattan, Its Eventful Past," he describes it thus: "The crooked course of the Spuyten Duyvil Creek wound around the north side of Inwood Hill and bent sharply south around a marshy promonotory which seems to have been known to the native as Gowahasuasing. Through this point, the ship canal has been cut, leaving only its tip end as a small marshy islet, which serves to preserve the contour of part of the old creek."

The term "pub" as we know it today is a term that had its origins in colonial days as a "Publick House." These buildings were the mainstay of those who needed a place to go to for information or for travelers who wished to stay the night. Board games such as backgammon and chess were made available. Card games of all types were played as well. Newspapers were made available by the tavern owners for the public to read.

Taverns were used by farmers and landowners alike. They stayed at these establishments until their farms or estates were ready to move into. Farmers who brought produce or cattle for other areas for sale lodged at the taverns.

Many of these taverns that were in the country had gardens that were frequently used in good weather. Puppet shows, concerts and musical entertainment were staged for the benefit of guests and community residents alike.

These taverns also served for meetings and auctions and played an important role in local politics. Local merchants came to conduct business at these establishments over a drink or meal. Many of the owners of these taverns had other positions in the community and helped to foment the American Revolution by raising opposition to the officials of the Crown.

Drinks of all types were served at the taverns. Beer and ale were the most common. The drink known as the "flip" came from the glasses they were served in. It consisted of sweetened rum, beer or ale heated by inserting a hot poker into it. The modern interpretation of the flip is a rich, frothy drink that can be enjoyed all year round and does not require to be heated at all. The modern recipe calls for eggs, sugar, half-and-half, whiskey and grated nutmeg. Other drinks that may have been served were Possets and Syllabubs.

Unfortunately there were those who overindulged themselves and became very drunk. Drunkenness was considered very serious. There were many who were prosecuted but few were convicted, and no one was brought before magistrates with enough evidence. Most of these cases were informal proceedings. Most New Yorkers in the 1700s maintained that this problem was due to the lack of potable drinking water.

Many of the first taverns were constructed along the waterfront to serve seamen and locals alike. Ferry landings had them too. In time, as other taverns were built inland, the older taverns catered to laborers, whereas the newer taverns served the middle and upper classes.

During this period, many of the taverns and inns had sleeping accommodations. Unfortunately, due to limited space, there were as many as 4 to 5 people per bed. If the beds were full, burlap bags filled with goose or chicken feathers were used as mattresses. There were separate rooms for men and women. Depending on the tavern, women stayed at the homes of local clergy or with friends of the owner while the men lodged at the tavern. As people gathered into the beds, they would introduce themselves to the others. Bed bugs were a common problem, leading to the phrase, "Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite."

Politicians who traveled between their constituencies and their offices, in either the State Capital or in Washington, DC, often stayed overnight at taverns, thus contributing to the phrase, "Politics makes strange bedfellows."

One of the earliest inns in this part of northern Manhattan was the Blue Bell Tavern. It was built between 1725 and 1730 on what is now the northwest corner of 181st Street and Broadway. In 1753, Lieutenant-Governor Cadwalader Colden made reference to the Blue Bell, saying that the food and lodgings were comfortable.

During the American Revolution, the Blue Bell Tavern was used at various times by the Americans, British and Hessians. Courts-martial were conducted at the Blue Bell. After the war local citizens returned to the tavern. On June 10, 1784, the proprietor of the tavern tried to revive business by advertising in the New York Packet.

The Blue Bell passed through various hands and was rebuilt on various occasions. The building was dismantled in 1915 to make way for the RKO Coliseum Theater. During the construction of the theater, remnants of the Blue Bell could be seen, such as the Dutch tiles that could have graced the fireplace.

The property on which the Morris-Jumel Mansion is located at 160th Street and Edgecombe Avenue was erected in 1755 as a summer villa for Colonel Roger Morris and his wife. At the outbreak of hostilities of the American Revolution, Colonel Morris and his family left New York for England. The house was confiscated by the Commission of Forfeiture. After the war the building was sold and became a tavern.

Between 1784 and 1799, the mansion was known as Calumet Hall. One of the dinner specialties was turtle soup. Parties were held in the Octagonal Room on the main floor. On July 10, 1790, President Washington returned to the building that was his former headquarters during the American Revolution. With him were members of his cabinet.

The Arrowhead Inn on 178th Street and Haven Avenue opened in 1908. Ben Riley, the proprietor of the establishment, came from Saratoga, New York, to start a business in New York City. One of the delicacies of the Inn was frog's legs, which had been introduced to the patrons who frequented the restaurant. Such notables as "Diamond" Jim Brady and W.C. Fields were regulars.

The Arrowhead Inn was at a strategic location. Originally known as Depot Lane, 177th Street was a thoroughfare to the New York and Hudson River Railroad Company, which was organized in 1847 to connect New York City with upstate New York. A train station was located on the Hudson River at 177th Street, thus giving the street its name. Near the station was the West End Hotel in what is now Fort Washington Park.

Riley sold the structure and property to real estate developers in 1923 and relocated the restaurant to Riverdale Avenue and 246th Street in the Bronx and then moved to Yonkers. Riley died in 1944 after a fire destroyed the restaurant.

In the 1960s, the apartment buildings on the original site of the Arrowhead Inn were razed and a parking lot took its place. The site was purchased by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to become a park with the off-ramp from the George Washington Bridge connecting to the West Side Highway and 178th Street. On Cabrini Boulevard and 177th Street is a small playground with seating that is used by local residents.

The Black Horse Inn on Broadway and Dyckman Street was a quaint roadside tavern built in 1805 by Henry Norman. It was designed in the Dutch motif with double doors. In the front of the tavern were two floors and in the back one. The building was part stone and part wood frame with five bedroom chambers, fireplace and bake oven. During the construction of the tavern, many of the building supplies were taken from the ruins of neighborhood houses. Prior to its being dismantled, the Drennan family owned the building. Their daughter, Charlotte, made a scale model of the building showing its charm and appearance.

One of the local visiting spots during this period was a tavern operated by the Dyckman family. They owned a tavern called the Black Horse Inn located near McGown's Pass in what is now Central Park. The Dyckman's sold the Black Horse to finance a new operation on the west side of Broadway and 226th Street in Marble Hill, and was to be managed by Benjamin Palmer who owned property on City Island. It was situated to cater to the traffic from both the Kingsbridge and the Dyckman Free Bridge. In 1772, the Dyckmans sold the tavern to Caleb Hyatt and was known by the new owner's name as Hyatt's Tavern at the Free Bridge.

After the American Revolution ended, the tavern remained in the Hyatt family until 1807 when it was leased to James Devoe. The building was eventually razed and its successor was the Kingsbridge Hotel, which was located on the east side of Broadway and 226th Street.

The hotel had a mansard roof and a central turret. It catered to the anglers and sportsman who came to the area either by the Hudson River Railroad Company or boat service up the Harlem River. One of the meals served at the hotel was turtle dinner, which became a favorite of the guests. The hotel's business declined when Broadway was widened and interest was lost in the community. The hotel fell into disrepair and was torn down in 1917.

Unfortunately all of these old taverns and inns have disappeared, but their memory is still in the minds and hearts of those who wish to keep them alive. One such organization is the Blue Bell Lumber Company. In the office is an old photograph of the Blue Bell Tavern which reminds the community of what was once a thriving enterprise.

Over the years the population of Manhattan has moved northward and the Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill communities have changed from farms and estates to a residential area. New restaurants have opened to accommodate the ethnic backgrounds of the newer residents. Some have remained for decades; others have come and gone due to the ever-changing demographics.

The American army was an assemblage of state militias that had an enlistment period for 90 days. Each state had sent militias to fight in other states. Many of the foot soldiers had little, if any, training in the art of war. The officers had some experience from the French and Indian Wars a decade earlier.

On the other hand the Royalist army (British, Scots, Irish, Welsh, Hessians and Loyalists) had been trained over a period of years and were a force to be reckoned with. Loyalists assisted in occupational duties. Such groups as Robinson's Provincials and the Associated Refugees were active in the New York and New Jersey area.

After the Declaration of Independence was ratified and accepted on July 4, 1776, and after Washington had succeeded in forcing the British to withdraw from Boston, the next military campaign was New York. The Declaration was read in New York on July 9th and was widely accepted by the American army.

In September 1776, 10,000 Continental soldiers were garrisoned in northern Manhattan. Most of them were redeployed to Westchester for the Battle of White Plains on October 28th.

Fort Washington in Manhattan and Fort Lee in New Jersey were constructed by General Nathaniel Greene in July 1776 to create a cross-fire effect over the Hudson River. This was created to prevent British Warships from sailing up the river, thus dividing New England from the rest of the colonies. In November, Fort Washington was forced to surrender because of overwhelming odds. The Rebel forces were outnumbered 3 to 1. Heavy tolls were taken on both sides. The American prisoners were marched to lower Manhattan to be transferred to Prison Ships, most of which were located at Wallabout Bay.

A few days after the fall of Fort Washington, Fort Lee was captured by the British. Equipment and food were left but the Continental army had managed to escape. One of the Loyalist units under the command of Colonel Edward Fanning was used as a diversion in the attack on Fort Lee. Fanning was the son-in-law to William Tryon, the last British governor of the province of New York, who ruled New York from the HMS Asia, which was one of the warships stationed in New York harbor.

The Hessians, under the command of Lieutenant General Philip von Heister and Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, occupied northern Manhattan after the fall of Fort Washington. Of the two Hessian divisions, each had two brigades. Von Knyphausen had additional cavalry and artillery units. Von Knyphausen and his troops were to become famous for the occupation of Fort Washington and the rest of northern Manhattan.

During the war, the Morris-Jumel Mansion and the Dyckman Farmhouse were used as command centers by both Rebel and Royalist armies. Court-martials were common occurrences during this period. Most of the charges were for treason, desertion, insubordination and espionage.

Neighborhood taverns were constant meeting spots for officers and enlisted men. Such taverns as the Blue Bell at what is now Broadway and 181st Street and the White House at 159th Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue were used as drinking establishments and in certain instances for courts-martial.

After the Battle of Harlem Heights on September 16, 1776, a badly wounded Colonel Knowlton of the Patriots was carried to the White House Tavern to be treated. Unfortunately, he did not live long after. During the occupation of the Royalist Forces, the White House was either dismantled or burned. This was confirmed by a captured American officer, Captain Alexander Graydon, who was a prisoner of war at the Morris-Jumel Mansion. According to the British maps of 1782, there was no mention of the White House Tavern.

Hessian officers occupied the homes of landowners after the battle of Fort Washington. The British officers, such as General Howe, lived in comfort in lower Manhattan. The Scots, Irish and Welsh joined the Hessians and were stationed in Northern Manhattan too.

The non-commissioned soldiers lived in poorly constructed cabins. These were log cabins that were approximately 12 by 15 feet with eight men per cabin. The men consisted of one sergeant, a corporal and six private soldiers. The duty roster was 12-hour shifts for four of the men who were on duty, while the other four were off duty.

Several hundred of these cabins were constructed to house the occupying soldiers in New York and in Fort Lee, New Jersey. These were used for the duration of the war and were razed in 1783. Replicas of these cabins are at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, located on 204th Street and Broadway, and at the Fort Lee Historic Park in New Jersey.

When the Royalist forces occupied New York City, they took over and improved the fortifications that the Rebel army had constructed in the summer of 1776 and then abandoned. Many were earthworks, enclosed canon and rifle batteries, and redoubts.

In Inwood Hill Park there are faint remains of oven pits and foundations of the huts. The most noticeable is at Payson Street near Beak Street. Reginald Pelham Bolton, the noted historian and archaeologist of Washington Heights and Inwood, along with Bashford Dean, the curator of Arms and Armament at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, excavated the remains of these sites in the early part of the 20th century.

Johann Karl Philip von Krafft, a 2nd Lieutenant under Knyphausen, was stationed for three years in northern Manhattan. Von Krafft was to become famous for the diary he wrote on the military camp life of the area. During the winters of 1778-79 and 1779-80, according to von Krafft, both the Harlem and Hudson Rivers were frozen over. The snows were deep, and frostbite was a common occurrence. He reported that the temperature had reached an exaggerated 35 degrees below zero. Von Krafft also reported shortages of munitions for the Royalist occupational forces in northern Manhattan.

During the summer of 1779, a fever epidemic struck, and few were spared its vengeance. More men died from diseases such as cholera, dysentery and smallpox than from wounds received in battle. Men who were wounded in battle did not have the medical care that is provided for today.

There was little food available for the soldiers. Many suffered from malnutrition due to the poor quality and the lack of food. Household items such as cutlery, plates, clothing and furniture were usually taken by the occupying soldiers from abandoned houses of neighborhood residents. These were for personal use whenever there was available food to be had.

Life was harsh during this time. Consumption of alcohol created problems for the soldiers stationed here in northern Manhattan. Drinking eased the stress of the war and made the cold winters more tolerable. Drinking alcoholic beverages became one of the favorite passtimes in the encampments, with gambling as a close second.

Between 1776 and 1783, prison ships were anchored in New York harbor. Most of them were located near Wallabout Bay in Brooklyn. Of the 25 ships used as prisons, the most notorious was the HMS Jersey, which sat on the mudflats of the East River.

The largest amount of American captives were the prisoners taken after the Battle of Long Island in September 1776 and the Battle of Fort Washington two months later. The men on these ships were fed the refuse from other British ships stationed in New York Harbor.

At least 11,500 patriots lost their lives on the prison ships due to hunger and disease. This toll superseded the total amount of deaths (about 6,824) during all of the battles of the American Revolution.

The American Revolution ended and the treaty between England and the United States was signed. This treaty would force England to honor the United States as an entity and the Royalist forces were expected to leave New York on November 25, 1783. It became known as Evacuation Day.

Washington and his troops marched in from the north about an hour after the British had evacuated an area. As the British retreated, several houses were burned, one of which was the Dyckman Farmhouse. The military huts that housed the occupying forces were later dismantled to be used for rebuilding the burned homes.

At 1 p.m. on Evacuation Day, General Guy Carleton of the British Army made sure that all of his troops had left Manhattan Island and the rest of the city. Within the hour Washington, along with General Clinton, marched from McGown's Pass to the Battery.

Fort Washington and other fortifications occupied by the Royalist forces for the duration of the war had been retaken, and the American flag was raised again after seven years of occupation. The last British warship left New York Harbor on December 5, 1783.

For more than a century, Evacuation Day was celebrated in New York City. It was marked with military parades and banquets. On the eve of the First World War, the celebration was abandoned because of the decline of anti-British sentiment and the future alliance of the two nations. The only exception to this was on November 25, 1983, the Bicentennial of Evacuation Day.

The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum on 204th Street and Broadway has a relic room that contains artifacts and belongings of soldiers from the American Revolution. These artifacts are the result of the archaeological excavations of Reginald Pelham Bolton and Bashford Dean. These excavations took place between 1905 and 1915. Objects that were found included buttons, bullets, bayonets, cannon balls, shoe buckles, dice and other tools. These artifacts were installed in the back room on the main floor of the Dyckman Farmhouse in 1916.

In 1991 the Dyckman Farmhouse was renovated and the Relic Room was refurbished. This was done in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the opening of the building as a museum. The Relic Room was named in honor of Reginald Pelham Bolton who was responsible for the excavation of these historic relics and was instrumental in gathering much of the neighborhood's historical information.

In response to this military threat, the Continental army constructed two fortifications along the Hudson. These were Fort Washington in northern Manhattan at 183rd Street and Fort Lee located on what is now Parker Avenue and Cedar Street in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Construction of Fort Washington and Fort Lee had begun in July 1776 under the command of General Nathaniel Greene. Fort Washington was located on a hill to protect the city from a rear attack by the British and Hessians. The fort was designed as a pentagonal (or five-bastioned) earthwork fortification. The position of the fort on a hill over 250 feet high was superior, but was less than ideal as a fort. As with other fortifications, Fort Washington had no ditches or palisades, no barracks, no bomb proofs, and lack of water storage. General Greene had not noticed the drawbacks and weaknesses of the location of Fort Washington until it was too late. This was due to the fact that he was out of touch with Washington.

Both Forts Washington and Lee were situated to create a crossfire and bombardment of cannon and mortar to stop British ships from sailing up the Hudson River. The batteries of Fort Lee overlooked the Palisades on a bluff about 300 feet above the Hudson. The range and type of weapon used (cannon and mortar) varied from 1,100 to 1,500 yards, which provided a firing field reaching across the river on either side.

As an added measure, a barrier of ships with their masts still attached were sunk in the middle of the river to act as a blockade against British ships sailing up river. This was known as a Chevaux de Frise.

The construction of these barriers had been used a century earlier as anti-cavalry defenses in the Northern provinces of the Spanish Netherlands during their war for independence. These barriers were bulwarks of protective timbers with projecting iron spears connected with chains, originated in the Dutch province of Friesland, which was the first of the seven provinces to formally recognize the United States on February 26, 1782.

The water obstructions were adapted and designed by Colonel Rufus Putnam. They consisted of two sloops, two brigantines, and two larger ships that were placed between the forts. The masts were pointed and covered with fitted iron cones. There are several variations in the spelling: Shive de Frise, Shiver de Freese, Sheverd fres and Cheverd'Friezes.

But this did not deter the Royal Navy, which had arrived at Sandy Hook, New Jersey on June 25th. Within a week the fleet was stationed off Staten Island and sending soldiers to dry land. Under the command of Admiral Lord Richard Howe, ships had sailed up the Hudson to test the barriers and the capabilities of the forts. At various intervals, the HMS Phoenix, HMS Rose, HMS Roebuck, HMS Tartar and HMS Pearl were used to run the gauntlet of the two forts. The HMS Pearl was used in the final assault on the morning of November 16, 1776.

One of the most important links between the forts was Burdett's Ferry. Etienne Burdett, a Manhattan merchant of Huguenot ancestry, built a home on the shore of the Hudson River below the battery emplacements of Fort Lee. From here the ferry transported cargo and passengers from shore to shore. When the forts were built, the ferry served as a communications link assisting in the transfer of information, orders, ordinance and personnel. The ferry had the distinction of being involved with two engagements during the occupation of New York City.

Fort Washington had a series of outer defensive works to give it added protection from attack. To the south were three defensive earthworks, located on what is now Broadway at 147th, 153rd and 160th Streets. To the north was the Forest Hill Fort, located in what is now Fort Tryon Park. To the northeast were Forts George and Clinton near what is now George Washington High School at 193rd Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue.

There was also a cannon and rifle emplacement on the Manhattan shore of the Hudson River at Jeffrey's Hook. The spot is now made known by a stone marker placed there in 1910 by the Fort Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This locale eventually became part of Fort Washington Park and was later made famous by the Little Red Lighthouse.

On August 26, 1776, the Battle of Long Island had proved to be a near disaster for the Rebel army. As a result of this, Generals Howe and Cornwallis would not allow the British forces to be embarrassed like they had been at the Bunker Hill confrontation in Boston. They were in no rush to capture Washington and his troops.

Washington evacuated his troops to Manhattan under cover of night and set up headquarters at the former summer estate of Colonel Roger Morris, a loyalist who returned to England at the outbreak of hostilities. From the estate Washington had a perfect view of lower Manhattan as well as the Hudson and Harlem Rivers.

It was from here that Washington commanded the Battle of Harlem Heights on September 16, 1776, which routed the British and gave the Continental Army new impetus to continue the War for Independence. Northern Manhattan had become an encampment of 15,000 American soldiers. As the British Army advanced northward into Harlem from lower Manhattan, taking positions near the southern defenses of Fort Washington, General Washington moved his temporary headquarters to Westchester, leaving General Greene in command of 5,000 troops and the last defensive position in New York City.

While the Americans were fortifying northern Manhattan, General Sir William Howe moved his troops into the Bronx and Westchester to weaken and control rebel resistance. The Battle of White Plains on October 28th forced Washington to move 10,000 of his troops out of New York City to confront the British. The Battle was a loss to the Americans, and Washington retreated to New Jersey.

This left Earl Percy, a veteran of Bunker Hill and Lexington, in charge of the Royalist troops in Manhattan. General Knyphausen received his marching orders on October 27th to move his six battalions of Hessians to the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx the following day. Percy received orders to move north in Manhattan. The ships HMS Repulse and HMS Pearl, both with numerous 32-pound cannons, left New York harbor at 6 a.m. to arrive on the scene by 7:30 a.m. with orders to fire rounds at the fort.

One of the most infamous acts of treason at this point was perpetrated by Lieutenant William Demont. On the night of November 2, 1776, Demont left Fort Washington for the camp of Lord Hugh Percy and provided a full report of the strengths and weaknesses of Fort Washington's defenses. Demont was, at the time of his defection, one of the most knowledgeable officers at the time of the construction and Battle of Fort Washington. He was also the adjunct officer of Colonel Robert Magaw, who was in command at the time of the battle. The official American records were silent as to placing blame on Demont for the loss of the fort. Colonel Robert Magaw and other American officers learned of the treasonous incident immediately after the battle and surrender of the fort.

The first mention of the incident was 35 years later in the memoirs of Alexander Graydon. Graydon was a captain in the 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion when he was captured by members of the 42nd Highland Regiment, as he and some of his men were approaching the Morris Mansion on November 16th.

Washington had recommended to General Greene to evacuate the fort in northern Manhattan. Greene's response was that the fort served to prevent ships from sailing up the Hudson River and as a deterrent to the British and Hessian army advancement.

Communications between the British and the Hessians were hampered by forcing the maintenance of British troops in Kingsbridge. The situation could have proved dangerous to possibly remove American stores and troops to Fort Lee in New Jersey. Major General Charles Lee expressed ominous concern about Fort Washington in regard to the loss of men and equipment.

On November 13th, General Washington arrived at Fort Lee in New Jersey from Stony Point and was anxious about the status of the forts. He found General Greene reinforcing Fort Washington with an additional 900 men for a possible offensive by Royalist forces. This was to bolster the garrison of 2,000 men under Magaw's command. After a brief visit, Washington was satisfied and set up a new headquarters in Hackensack, New Jersey. The Continental Army was better prepared in New York City than at Bunker Hill.

That night a fleet of flatboats was transporting soldiers up the Harlem River to a point about one-half mile northeast of the fort on the Manhattan shore. These movements had gone undetected by the Americans. This was to reinforce General Knyphausen's Hessians and to assist in the harassment of the Rebel forces.

On the morning of November 15th, Washington rode from Hackensack to Fort Lee to discuss with Generals Greene and Putnam the situation of the city and the two forts guarding the Hudson River. In his personal journal Washington noted that the men were in high spirits.

Colonel Robert Magaw, commander of the 5th Pennsylvania Battalion, was left in charge of the fort in Greene's absence. At 1 p.m. on November 15th, Magaw received an imperative order of surrender for Fort Washington. This came from General Howe via an adjutant. The summons gave Magaw two hours to surrender and threatened severe measures if it was refused. Under custom and practice of 18th Century warfare, annihilation was indeed a lawful outcome.

Magaw refused and said that he would hold the fort until the last extremity. General Howe had no intention of putting the garrison to the sword nor did he plan on storming the fort that day. The attack was planned for the next day.

On the morning of November 16, 1776, at about 7 a.m., the British and Hessian forces were lining up to start the battle. These combined forces would attack the fort and its defenses from all sides. Due to the inclement weather and the tides running against the Royalist forces under the command of Cornwallis and Matthew, the initial assault was delayed until about noon.

The American troops under the command of Colonel Robert Magaw were outnumbered 3 to 1 (8,900 Royalist forces to 2,800 Americans). The top brass of the American forces (Washington, Greene, Putnam and Mercer) started to cross the Hudson to survey the situation until shots were fired. They hastily retreated back to the New Jersey shore.

From the south, the three lines of defense (147th, 155th and 160th Streets) fell after about an hour and a half of severe fighting. The Third Pennsylvania Battalion and the Connecticut Rangers, a total of about 800 men, under the command of Colonel Lambert Cadwalader and Captain Lemuel Holmes, held back the Royalist Forces under the command of Major-General Stein, Colonel Carl Emil Kurt von Donop, Earl Percy and Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Sterling.

From the north and east, Fort Clinton and Fort George fell into Hessian hands. The heavily ladened Hessians under the command of General Schmidt and Colonel Rall managed to climb the steep hills around the forts to mount a heavy offensive. At the Forest Hill Fort, troops from Virginia, Maryland and the First Pennsylvania Artillery under the command of Captain Pierce held the Hessians back for hours.

John Corbin, one of the cannoniers of the First Pennsylvania, was killed by a Hessian musket ball. His wife, Margaret, took his position by the cannon and continued to load and fire it until she was severely wounded by grapeshot. This action gave her respect from both her fellow Pennsylvanians and the attacking Hessians.

By the end of the day, the battle was over and Fort Washington was lost. Despite the overwhelming odds, the Royalist losses were 67 killed, 335 wounded and 6 missing. The Americans faired even worse: 54 killed, 100 wounded and 2,858 captured. The American prisoners were marched to lower Manhattan and transferred to the prison ships stationed in New York harbor. There were 100 officers who were eventually paroled, to the chagrin and even fear of the Loyalists.

The British and Hessians captured a valuable supply of stores and ammunition, which consisted of small caliber guns and four cannons (32-pounders) mounted on the west side of the fort overlooking the river. Other weapons captured were 142 other cannon, 3,000 muskets, 12,000 shot and shell, and 40,000 cartridges. This was a devastating loss for the American army. The resources had been dispersed and inadequate before the assault and capture of the fort.

Blame for squandering the men and supplies rested on Magaw, Greene and Washington. Greene recognized that the defensive lines around Fort Washington were too extensive for such a small amount of men defending the fort, especially in such a disordered state.

In Fort Lee, Washington watched in total dismay and sorrow at the loss of so many good men and equipment. He had seen the widely spread American ramparts of the fort that bore his name prove useless against a professional fighting force of the Royalist troops.

With the loss of the fort in Manhattan, Fort Lee was left defenseless. Washington had, for some time, ordered that the stores at Fort Lee be moved to a safer place and nothing had been done. He tried to get them out, but things were not moving at a fast enough pace. Washington and General Greene saw an immediate need to evacuate Fort Lee at the time, but stood ready to move the troops at a moment's notice if the British were sighted moving up the Hudson River to attack.

On November 19, 1776, General Cornwallis ferried 5,000 Royalist troops up the Hudson on barges. These troops landed near what is now Closter, New Jersey, and climbed the Palisades. Being warned of the impending threat, Washington dashed off to Fort Lee and ordered a hasty retreat from the area, leaving more equipment, cannon, munitions and other ordinance to the advancing British forces that were right behind them.

Despite Washington's fears, the surrender of New York to the British did not spell disaster for the cause of independence. The British now had New York and its harbor but were unable to control the Hudson River as they had initially wanted. They were bottled up in New York.

As Washington moved south, the British were rounding up stragglers from the rebel army. General Howe prepared for an offensive in Rhode Island. He knew that there was little time to start deploying troops in New Jersey and Rhode Island as winter was setting in. Howe was criticized for sparing the garrison at Fort Washington. Lieutenant Archibald Robinson of the British army considered the rebel losses "trifling."

After the British occupation of New York was completed, Fort Washington was occupied by the Hessians and renamed Fort Knyphausen after Lieutenant-General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, the commanding officer of the Hessian forces. Knyphausen took up headquarters at the Morris mansion for the duration of the war. The Forest Hill Fort was renamed Fort Tryon in honor of the last British Governor of the Province of New York. Johann Karl Philip von Krafft, a Second Lieutenant under Knyphausen, was to become famous for a written account describing the harshness of military life during the occupation of northern Manhattan and the daily life of the fort. Extreme weather conditions were noted in von Krafft's diaries. The summer heat and extreme cold in the winter were described in detail. Fort Knyphausen was flooded during heavy rain storms.

The fort remained in Hessian hands until the end of the war, and what was left of the Royalist forces evacuated New York City on November 25, 1783. Washington and his victorious troops entered the city from the north, reclaiming the fort his army lost, eight years after its disastrous military loss.

The site of Fort Washington is located in Bennett Park on Fort Washington Avenue between 183rd and 185th Streets. In 1871, the area was purchased by James Gordon Bennett Sr., publisher of the New York Herald. At the time, remnants of the earthworks of Fort Washington were still visible.

The 1.8-acre park was purchased from the estate of James Gordon Bennett Jr. on July 18, 1928, and contains the outline of the fort laid down with granite blocks in the 1930s, when it was designed for public use. Every July 4th there is a historical talk and tour in Bennett Park on the history of the Bennett Family and on the Battle of Fort Washington. On July 18, 2003, a celebration was held to honor the 75th Anniversary of the park's acquisition for the use of the community. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the Washington Heights Neighborhood Association and the Friends of Bennett Park co-sponsored the event. Concerts are also held in the park during the summer months.

Near the flagpole on the western side of the park within the outline of the fort is the phrase "FORT WASHINGTON BUILT AND DEFENDED BY THE AMERICAN ARMY 1776." No remnants of the fort's earthworks remain today. At the southeast corner of the park is a three- to six-foot wall that resembles one of the bastions of the fort. From the park it serves as an overlook to the street. Also within the park is a tree with a small plaque that was dedicated in 1932 to celebrate the Bi-Centennial of George Washington's birth by the Washington Heights Memorial Grove Association, Inc.

James Gordon Bennett Jr. commissioned Charles R. Lamb to design a monument commemorating the fall of Fort Washington to the British and the Hessians. Erected and dedicated on November 16, 1901, the monument was placed on the Fort Washington side of the park. It was adorned with a cannon from the 1848 period and has a plaque describing the construction, defeat of, and recapture of Fort Washington. By 1904 the cannon had disappeared. November 16, 2001, heralded three events: the centennial of the plaque and the 225th anniversary of the fall of Fort Washington. This was in conjunction with the 225th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution.

The site was registered by the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society and the Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Unfortunately, Fort Washington does not have, at present, landmark status from the City, State or Federal governments to be recognized as a Revolutionary War battle site.

Former City Councilman Stanley Michels wrote a letter to start landmarking procedures from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to make Fort Washington a City landmark. Efforts are also underway by the New York State American Revolution Heritage Trails to add Fort Washington to their list of historic site for the American Revolution. A request for evaluation was submitted in July 2003 to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission for the landmarking of Fort Washington. It was denied.

For more information on Bennett Park, visit the website of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. For more information on the American Revolution, visit www.revwar.com.

This congregation came into existence in 1825 and was incorporated a decade later, making it one of the earliest religious institutions in the area. The group was known as the Moshulu Methodists.

The church was located at three different sites. The first site was on 251st Street and the Old Albany Post Road from 1835 until 1876. The foundation of the original church has a dwelling on it and is located at 5104 Old Albany Post Road. The second church was located on Broadway between 231st Street and Verveelen Place and served the community until the present structure was erected. The present house of worship is located at 228th Street and Marble Hill Avenue, which was opened in 1898.

The church has played host to the Kingsbridge Historical Society, which has met on many occasions at the church. There are several plaques in the immediate vicinity of the church that promote the history of the area's involvement in the American Revolution.

One of its pastors was Reverend William Tieck, who served the church from 1946 to 1977. His tenure was the longest in the pastorate of the church.

Dr. Tieck was well known as the official Bronx County Historian, which he served from 1989 to 1996. Reverend Tieck authored several books on the Bronx, one of which is called Riverdale, Kingsbridge Spuyten Duyvil New York City, A Historical Epitome of the Northwest Bronx, published in 1968.

Dr. Tieck was honored April 2000 when Mayor Rudolph Giuliani signed Introductory Bill Number 617 into law. This law was initiated by local politicians to have Marble Hill Avenue between 228th and 230th Streets to have added signage saying "Reverend Dr. William A. Tieck Way." This was to honor Dr. Tieck's service to the area for more than half a century.

Saint Stephen's United Methodist Church is located at 146 West 228th Street, Bronx, NY 10463. The church can be reached at 718-562-8692.

One of these small outposts was on Marble Hill near what is now 227th Street and Van Corlear Place. This was an exposed position but had a commanding view of the vicinity and overlooked the King's Bridge and the Dyckman Free Bridge. The bridges were vital links to the Bronx during the siege of New York.

In November 1776 Fort Washington was attacked and was forced to surrender. The rebel forces were forced to retreat. A boat bridge was constructed and was extended over the Spuyten Duyvil Creek from Seaman Avenue to the Bronx.

Contrary to common belief, Washington's troops managed to use both bridges as an escape route. In the process of retreating, both bridges were either destroyed or heavily damaged so as not to be used by the occupying Royalist armies. The Hessians occupied this little fort and renamed it Fort Prince Charles to honor Charles the Prince of Brunswick, Brother-in-Law to King George III.

In January 1777 the Americans attacked the fort with small artillery positioned in Kingsbridge Heights. The intention of the attack was to ensure that the Kings Bridge, the Dyckman Free Bridge and the new boat bridge were to remain damaged or destroyed.

As soon as the shelling started, the Hessians who were at Hyatt's Tavern at the bottom of the hill were forced to retreat to the fort at the top. As they were climbing the hill shells were falling around them forcing them to lie low. As soon as the Hessians were safely inside the fort, they returned fire.

The Hessians held the site for the duration of the war. In November 1783, when the City was to be retaken by the victorious American Army, the Hessians abandoned the fort, which was then occupied by the Americans. The fort is long since gone, but Fort Charles Place honors that little fort that was in Marble Hill.

Adrian Avenue was named to honor Adrian van der Donck, a 17th-century Dutch immigrant and lawyer who was granted permission to buy land from the Native Americans in 1646. Terrace View Avenue follows the natural terrace of Marble Hill. Henry Rivera Place was named to honor a neighborhood hero who was killed in 1995 attempting to intervene in the robbery of a local laundromat. Marble Hill Avenue and Lane follows the geographic terrain of the hill they traverse.

In 2000 a bill was sponsored by Council members Linares, Eisland, and Malave-Dilan and was signed into law by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani naming Marble Hill Avenue between West 228th Street and West 230th Streets in honor of Reverend Dr. William Tieck.

Dr. Tieck was pastor to Saint Stephen's United Methodist Church from 1946 to 1977 and pastor at the Edgehill Church from 1977 until his death in 1997. Dr. Tieck was the Bronx Borough Historian (1989-1996) and authored many books on the history of the Bronx.

Broadway, the economic spine of the community, has an interesting history unto itself. It is noted for its unusual width and was known as the Kingsbridge Road. This term came from the King's Bridge built by Frederick Philipse in 1693. It also shares its name with Kingsbridge Avenue.

Kingsbridge Avenue was originally an Indian path. When European settlers moved into the area, it became a thoroughfare. In 1693 the area was named to honor King William III who issued a grant for a toll bridge in the area. The bridge was later covered over when the course of the Spuyten Duyvil Creek was changed, and the original creek was filled in.

Fort Charles Place was named to honor the fort that was located at 227th Street and Van Corlear Place. The fort was originally built by the Continental troops in 1776 as a part of a series of eight forts that overlooked the Harlem River. After the fall of Fort Washington, the fort was taken by the Hessians and renamed Fort Prince Charles. It was named for Charles, Prince of Brunswick and brother in law of King George III.

Jacobus Place was named for two local historical people that are reminiscent of the Dutch period. One of them was Jacobus van Cortlandt, a merchant and mayor of New York (1710-11, 1719-20) who had purchased the first parcel of land in the Bronx. It also honors Jacobus Dyckman III, the great-grandson of Jan Dyckman, who inherited the family property in northern Manhattan. The Dyckman family was very influential in Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill.

Teunissen Place was named for Tobias Teunissen, a wool washer by trade who came to the area from Leyden Holland in 1636. Teunissen applied and received a land grant in 1640 for property in Inwood near 213th Street. He was employed as a farm hand by Dr. de la Montagne, who owned a farm in Harlem. Teunissen was killed in an Indian raid in 1655. His wife and child were held prisoner until November, when they were ransomed from the Weckquasgeek Indians, a tribal group of the Lenape (an Algonquin speaking) Nation. Jan Dyckman and Jan Nagle purchased the land in 1677.

Tibbett Avenue, which is in Kingsbridge, has an extension that goes to John F. Kennedy High School. It was named for George Tippett, a 17th-century settler whose name was given to a hill and a brook in the area. The centuries have been kind to the spelling of his name.

Van Corlear Place was named for Anthony van Corlear (or van Corler), who was a resident of the Bronx. Van Corlear was the official messenger sent by Governor-General Peter Stuyvesant to get reinforcements from the mainland when Nieuw Amsterdam was attacked by the British Fleet. According to legend and mentioned in Father Knickerbocker's History of New York by Washington Irving, van Corlear was drowned when he crossed the creek and was pulled down by a giant mossbunker. In reality he waded across the Spuyten Duyvil Creek.

West 225th Street between Broadway and Exterior Street was created in 1919 and was once known as Muscoota Street. The term describes a marshland from 211th Street south to Dyckman Street in Inwood. Other translations include "place of rushes" and "meadow." Over the years there have been various recorded spellings of the street, which date to the second half of the 17th century. These are muscoote (1655), muskoota (1696), muscota 1671, and moskehtu (unknown date).

As one walks through Marble Hill, history can be learned as well as getting a better sense of the different types of homes and businesses that are here. The community is constantly changing, while the streets remain the same.

In 1895 the course of the Spuyten Duyvil Creek was changed to improve navigation around Manhattan, thus physically separating Marble Hill from Manhattan. For 19 years it remained as an artificial island until the ground that was removed to make way for the new course of the creek was used as landfill for the former course of the stream.

The name of Marble Hill was conceived by Darius C. Crosby in 1891 from the local deposits of dolomite marble, which is a relatively soft rock that overlay the Inwood and Marble Hill communities. The marble was quarried for the Federal buildings in lower Manhattan when New York was the Capital of the United States in the 1780s.

Historically speaking, Marble Hill has been occupied since the Dutch colonial period. On August 18, 1646, Governor Kieft signed a land grant to Mattius Jansen van Keulan and Huyck Aertsen. This grant had comprised the whole of the present community. Johannes Verveelen petitioned the Harlem authorities to move his ferry from what is now the East River and 125th Street to the Spuyten Duyvil Creek because the creek was shallow enough to wade across, thus evading paying the toll. The ferry charter was granted in 1669.

Teunissen Place was named for Tobias Teunissen, a wool washer from Leyden, Holland, who came to the area in 1636. He applied and received a land grant to live in Inwood near 213th Street. Occasionally he had worked on the De La Montagne farm, which was located in what is now the Harlem section of Manhattan. Teunissen was killed in an Indian raid in 1655, and his wife and child were held hostage until they were ransomed by the Dutch authorities. The Dyckmans and the Nagles, who owned land in Inwood, purchased the Teunissen property in 1677.

Two bridges connected Marble Hill with the mainland. These were the Kingsbridge, constructed in 1693 by Frederick Philipse, and the Dyckman Bridge, constructed in 1759 by Jacobus Dyckman and Benjamin Palmer. The Kingsbridge was built as a toll bridge under Royal Charter for Frederick Phillipse. The Dyckman Bridge was constructed as a toll-free bridge for the farmers who refused to pay the toll. Both bridges have been covered over with landfill. At 210 West 230th Street on the southwest corner of Broadway and 230th is a plaque designating the area as the site of the Kings Bridge. The Dyckman Free Bridge is located on the grounds of the Marble Hill Houses.

One of the local visiting spots during this period was a tavern operated by the Dyckman family. They had a tavern called the Black Horse Inn, located near McGown's Pass in what is now Central Park. The Dyckmans sold the Black Horse to finance a new operation on the west side of Broadway and 226th Street that was to be managed by Benjamin Palmer, who owned property on City Island. It was situated to cater to the traffic from both bridges. In 1772 the Dyckmans sold the tavern to Caleb Hyatt and was known by the new owner's name as Hyatt's Tavern at the Free Bridge.

When hostilities broke out at the start of the American Revolution, the Continental Army constructed a fort on Marble Hill as part of a series of forts to defend the area. By November of 1776, the fort had been taken over by Hessian forces and re-named Fort Prince Charles in honor of Charles, Prince of Brunswick, brother-in-law to King George III of England. Despite contrary beliefs, the Kingsbridge and the Dyckman Free Bridge served as escape routes for the retreating American forces after the Battle of Fort Washington on November 16, 1776.

In January 1777, an American attack was made in the Marble Hill area against the Hessian occupiers. This particular raid was under the command of General Heath, which, when the cannons opened up, forced the Hessians to retreat from the tavern to the fort to return fire.

After the war ended, the tavern remained in the Hyatt family until 1807, when it was leased to James Devoe. The building was eventually razed and its successor was the Kingsbridge Hotel, which was located on the east side of Broadway and 226th Street.

The hotel had a mansard roof and a central turret. It catered to the anglers and sportsman who came to the area either by the Hudson River Railroad Company or boat service up the Harlem River. One of the meals served at the hotel was turtle dinner, which became a favorite of the guests. The hotel's business declined when Broadway was widened and interest was lost in the community. The hotel fell into disrepair and was torn down in 1917.

In 1817 Curtis and John Bolton purchased land in the area. Their home was on the south side of the community and had a mill located 350 East of Broadway on property now owned by Metro North. The Boltons were related to Reginald Bolton, the noted historian of Northern Manhattan.

Saint Stephen's United Methodist Church has been a fixture of the community for well over a century and a half. It is presently located on 228th Street and Marble Hill Avenue. The church was constructed in 1898 and is the third structure of the same name. This congregation was in existence since 1825 and was incorporated a decade later, making it one of the earliest religious institutions in the area.

One of its pastors was Reverend William Tieck who served the church from 1946 to 1977. Dr. Tieck was well known as the official Bronx County Historian, in which capacity he served from 1989 to 1996. Reverend Tieck authored several books on the Bronx, one of which is called Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Spuyten Duyvil New York City, A Historical Epitome of the Northwest Bronx, published in 1968.

The IRT Subway was extended from 145th Street to 242nd Street and opened in 1906. The station stop for the IRT at Marble Hill is 225th Street. Metro North has a station in Marble Hill. The station was originally located on the east side of Broadway but was renovated and relocated to the west side of Broadway. It is the only station that is located in the Borough of Manhattan, as the rest of the line has stations in the Bronx.

This sparked land speculation in the community, and 6-story apartment houses were constructed. In the early 1950s urban renewal came to the area. A complex was built bounded by Broadway, Exterior Street and 225th Street and was called the Marble Hill Houses. This property was acquired by New York City on August 26, 1948. The houses were completed in 1952. Part of the acquisition was used to become the Marble Hill Playground, which is located on Marble Hill Avenue between 228th and 230th Streets.

On March 11, 1939, Bronx Borough President James J. Lyons took advantage of the border wars that were raging between the Bronx and Manhattan. As a publicity stunt, Lyons planted the Bronx County flag on the rocky promontory at 225th Street and Jacobus Place. Lyons proclaimed Marble Hill as a part of the Bronx and demanded the subservience of its residents to the Bronx.

The response to the incident was met with boos and thumb nosing by 50 residents of Marble Hill. In addition, the residents refused to change their status and wanted to remain loyal residents of Manhattan. Petitions and signatures were gathered to be sent to Governor Herbert Lehman to ensure Marble Hill's status to remain part of Manhattan. To this day residents of the community who serve on jury duty have to go to lower Manhattan to serve.

John F. Kennedy High School is located in Marble Hill and was opened in the 1970s. Presently, there is a new shopping complex being constructed on the south side of 225th Street between Broadway and Exterior Streets.

A new shopping mall will be the center of attraction for Marble Hill. This mall is located on 225th Street between Broadway and Exterior Street and overlooks the Harlem River. Target and Marshall's opened on July 25, 2004. There is an Appleby's Restaurant that will be opening to serve the shoppers of the mall.

Even though it is the landlocked part of Manhattan, Marble Hill still enjoys the privileges enjoyed by the borough. Residents who serve on jury duty are required to go to the courthouses on Center Street in lower Manhattan. The residents enjoy the representation of the offices of City Council District 10 Manhattan as well as the elected officials of Manhattan and the Bronx. Bronx Community Board 8 oversees the day-to-day operations of Marble Hill.

A bridge that had connected Inwood and Marble Hill has never been so intertwined in the history of the communities. This bridge created a common bond that connected Manhattan Island to its landlocked and forlorn neighborhood that is now connected to the Bronx.

In 1895 the Broadway Bridge was opened as the Harlem River Ship Canal Bridge. The anchorages for the bridge were at 225th Street in the Bronx and 220th Street in Manhattan. It was designed by Alfred P. Boller. It had replaced the timber structure that was used during the construction and rerouting of the Harlem River Ship Canal.

It was a turntable or swing bridge design, which allowed for the flow of vehicular traffic as well as for river traffic. The recently dredged canal allowed for more boat traffic to move from the Harlem River to the Hudson River without having to sail south on the East River to the harbor.

In 1906 the IRT Subway was extended northward to 242nd Street in the Bronx. The bridge had to be replaced to handle the subway line. It was dismantled and floated down the Harlem River in three sections to 207th Street connecting the Fordham section of the Bronx with Manhattan.

The 207th Street Bridge as we know it today was reopened in 1908 as a two-laned double-decked swing bridge capable of automotive and trolley traffic. In 1949 the last trolley had gone over the bridge and into history.

Over the years, the bridge had undergone structural and roadbed construction. The bridge was widened to four vehicular lanes and two eight-foot-wide pedestrian walkways. It is 1,566 feet long and 50 feet wide. The bridge can be used by pedestrians, bikers and rollerbladers.

In 1985 the bridge was given landmark status by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. With the renovations of the bridge, one of the provisions was to meet specifications in keeping with the original ornate designs.

Meanwhile, the second bridge that bears this name, which opened in 1905, had undergone physical changes too. It was designed as a dual-deck swing span. The 1,600 ton bridge had a 266-foot-long swing span that accommodated a 35-foot-wide roadway with two pedestrian walkways on its lower deck. The upper deck had three subway tracks that were carried within three sets of dual beams.

The present structure was designed by George Ellenoff. Construction began in 1959 and was different in design from the previous bridges. The main span of the bridge is 304 feet long, 84 feet wide and has two 160-foot-high towers that raise the center span of the bridge for river traffic. The span has a roadway for 6 lanes of automotive travel and 3 tracks for the elevated subway. The cost of the original structure was $13,400,000. The total tonnage of steel used in the structure is 2,500 tons. The bridge offers a fantastic view of the ship canal and the Harlem River.

The Broadway Bridge was opened to subway traffic on December 26, 1960. Vehicular traffic was allowed to cross the bridge 18 months later. The central span was lifted for the first time in 1964 in normal operation to allow for river passage.

Both bridges are run by the New York City Department of Transportation. For more information on this and other bridges along the Harlem River, visit NYC Roads. For pictures of the replacement of the old Broadway bridge, visit William Palter's Web site. For those who are GPS-oriented, the location of the Broadway Bridge is Latitude N 40 degrees 52.0 minutes by Longitude W 73 degrees 55.0 minutes.

The property was acquired by the City of New York as a park in 1908 and was dedicated as a public space in 1911. The Broadway side of the park serves as a bus stop for local bus routes. For years the park's name was misspelled with 2 L's until community activists mentioned the problem to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

John Purroy Mitchel was born in the Fordham section of the Bronx in 1879 and was the son of a fire marshal who was a staff officer to Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson during the Civil War. Mitchel graduated from the New York Law School in 1901. Eight years later he was elected to the Board of Aldermen of New York City with the aid of the anti-Tammany Hall forces.

With the help of these same groups, Mitchel was elected Mayor in 1914, which made him the youngest person to hold this office at the age of 35. Mitchel appointed able officials and was supported by progressives who helped to reorganize and restructure city government. Mitchel reformed vice control, taxation, transit and introduced a relief program for the unemployed.

Mitchel antagonized such groups as the Germans, Irish and the lower classes, who were alienated by his support of vocational education. His reputed snobbish, elitist attitude and the fact that he was a poor politician and reformist cost him the mayoral election in 1917, which brought the Tammany Hall forces back into the city government.

With the First World War already in progress, Mitchel enlisted in the Army Aviation Corps. After a period of training, Mitchel was flying solo on July 6, 1918, at Gerstner Field near Lake Charles, Louisiana. According to Army reports, Mitchel fell out of his plane at an altitude of 500 feet because his safety belt was unfastened. New Yorkers responded to Mitchel's death with a flurry of eulogies and memorials.

Within the park is a memorial plaque honoring Mitchel with his rank as Major. This plaque is located at the 166th Street entrance to the park. The park was officially named on February 8, 1919, by the Board of Aldermen of New York City.

At the northern end of the square is the Washington Heights-Inwood War Memorial. This is dedicated to the men who died overseas during World War One. The statue of 3 soldiers was sculpted by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942) who was commissioned by the Washington Heights and Inwood Memorial Association. The architectural firm of Delano and Aldrich designed the circular granite pedestal set within a two colored flagstone paving into which are embedded 20 bronze star-shaped plaques listing the 357 local casualties.

The memorial was dedicated on May 30, 1922, which coincided with parades and military demonstrations throughout the city for Memorial Day. The statue has become the visual centerpiece of the plaza. Ms. Whitney, just back from a trip abroad, had made every effort to be at the dedication ceremony. She had received an award from the New York Society of Architects for her work on the statue.

As an added tribute to Mayor Mitchel there is a two-level granite plaque with a gilded bust of Mitchel. This is located in Central Park at the Reservoir near Fifth Avenue and 90th Street.

In 1998 the park was restored with monies gotten by then City Councilmember Guillermo Linares. This restoration included new benches, shrubbery, landscaping and a black wrought-iron fence. This was a joint project of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Transportation. The memorial was fully restored with the replacement of a missing bayonet. With the construction of the new medical research buildings of the New York Presbyterian Hospital, the park has become an oasis for the staff of the medical center as well as for residents of the neighborhood.

In Hempstead, New York, where Hofstra University and the Nassau Coliseum are located, there had been an airfield used by the Army Air Corps and the United States Air Force. The field was in service from 1918 to 1961 and was named to honor Mayor Mitchel. A children's museum will open in one of the former bomber hangers. The complex is the last major piece of property to be developed on Long Island. The army still owns fifty acres, and portions have been preserved as Hempstead Plains.

For more information on Mitchel Square Park, read a reproduction of the Parks Department's sign located in the park.

This area has been known by as Tubby Hook since colonial times and encompasses the area of Dyckman Street west of Broadway to the Hudson River. This small hamlet grew in the sheltered valley between Fort Tryon Park and Inwood Hill Park. In 1819, fishermen's huts were constructed as a fishing station, which eventually developed into a small village.

The origins of the area's name has been the subject of discussion. One source says it derives from the name of Tuber, who was a ferryman who ran a ferry concession across the Hudson River to New Jersey. Another source, James Riker, author of "The History of Harlem," says that it is the corruption of the name of a Washington Heights resident, Peter Ubrecht, who married into the Dyckman Family in 1713.

Riker thought that Ubrecht's name had been cannibalized and shortened to Opbro or Ubby and then a Dutch "the" had been prefixed, thus becoming T'ubby Hook. The name has stuck to the present day.

As one walks west on Dyckman Street from Broadway toward the river, there is an abandoned powerhouse under the tracks that was once used by the New York & Hudson River Railroad Company for the Inwood (or Tubby Hook) Station. There had been regular train service from lower Manhattan to Albany with this as one of the line's many station stops. The Company was organized in 1847. The station is no longer used, and the power station is derelict. Amtrak has used the tracks since the 1990s. From there the pedestrian can see the marina.

The Dyckman Street Boat Basin has been a haven for boaters who use it to sail along the Hudson River. In the early part of the 20th Century when the community had many estates, the marina was used as a docking facility by the residents for their yachts. One such resident was C.K.G. Billings who owned property in what is now Fort Tryon Park.

The marina served as a ferry landing for the New York and Englewood Ferry Corporation, which operated from June 17, 1915, to May 21, 1942. The New Jersey terminal was at the Englewood Dock, which is now known as the Englewood Yacht Club. Originally, it had a 2-story pier for small excursion boats in the 1940s, and it is now surrounded by the Palisades Interstate Park.

The Palisades Mountain House was opened for business on June 7, 1860, by a syndicate headed by Andrew Bogert. The 4-story brick and stone hotel was located south of Palisade Avenue on top of the cliffs of the Palisades. It had porticoes on three sides with towers and a mansard roof in the best Victorian style of architecture.

Bogert and his syndicate leased the building to David Hammond, who managed the Murray Hill and Plaza Hotels in New York City. William Perry was installed as acting manager of the Palisade Mountain House by Hammond to attract high-class clientele.

The owners of the Mountain House formed a subsidiary company called the Englewood Dock and Turnpike Company. The purpose of the subsidiary was to build a carriage road and footpath down the cliff of the Palisades and construct a dock which would allow two steamboats per day to connect with lower Manhattan. The footpath and road still exist today. Palisade Avenue, which was named for the turnpike, connected with a steep curving road and a hairpin turn known as the Devil's Elbow down the 375 foot cliff to the shore.

In 1884 the hotel burned down and was never rebuilt. This forced the company to reorganize and change its name to the Palisades Road and Turnpike Company, which provided a trolley connection from the residences at the top of the Palisades to the shore of the Hudson River. The dock was improved to allow for more steamboats to various destinations along the river.

From 1884 to 1903, the property was known as Allison Point, named for William Outis Allison, who built his mansion at the site. Saint Joseph's Orphanage moved to the site in 1907. In time, Saint Peter's College purchased the estate for its campus.

During the ferry's operation, passengers crossed the Hudson to connect with the trolley service to various points from the foot of Palisade Avenue, which had been the main street for Englewood and Englewood Cliffs. One of these trolleys went to the Palisades Amusement Park in Fort Lee. On the Manhattan side, passengers connected with the subway, trolley and the New York and Hudson River Railroad.

When the Dyckman Street-Englewood Ferry opened, the fare was 3 cents per trip. In time and with inflation, the fare was increased to 5 cents. The ferry had some famous passengers. These included tea magnate Thomas Lipton, tycoon John D. Rockefeller, Sr., and evangelist and former baseball star William "Billy" Ashley Sunday.

Several of the ferries had become famous over the years of operation at Dyckman Street. The Florida, Englewood, Brinkerhoff and Tenafly ferries faithfully transported thousands of vehicles and pedestrians across the Hudson River. During the 1964 World's Fair, there was service from Englewood Marina to the Flushing Meadow Marina. Three boats -- Dolly Madison, Fair Maid and Theresa -- were used to transport the fair-goers.

In 1942, the last remaining float bridge at the Dyckman Marina collapsed onto one of the ferries, pinning the boat to the slip and thus causing the service to end. As a result of this the Rockland Coach Company and the Hill Bus Company (predecessor of the Red & Tan Lines), which had operated from the Dyckman Street dock to various parts of New Jersey and New York State, moved their operations to cross over the George Washington Bridge into New York City.

During the Second World War, any thoughts of restoring service had been discouraged. Ferry service at Dyckman Street resumed on a limited basis from 1948 to 1951. Service was ended as a result of dilapidation of equipment rather than lack of auto and pedestrian traffic.

About 150 yards south of the marina is the Inwood Boat and Canoe Club. Nestled in the shadow of Fort Tryon Park, it is one of the last boat clubs that dotted the shores of the Hudson River. The club is a member of the American Canoe Association, of which it is one of 30 clubs in the Atlantic Division. Of its 65 members, some are former Olympic athletes. Other members aspire to be Olympic hopefuls.

In July 1989, a fire destroyed the two-story boathouse. According to Fire Department sources, arson was the cause. Most of the club's racing boats, such as canoes and kayaks, were destroyed. A century of memorabilia, including awards, photographs, antique canoes with birch bark skins over cedar ribs, a reproduction of an Indian war canoe and a slice of local history was destroyed in the conflagration. A new building was constructed and the club continues.

The Dyckman Marina could still be used for ferry service. With the resurgence of ferry service it could be a vital link to lower Manhattan. The docks could be rebuilt and enlarged and the bed of the Hudson River could be dredged to allow ferry service to resume.

A new restaurant has opened in the basin: the Tubby Hook Café, located at 348 Dyckman Street. It can be reached at 212-567-8086. For information on the Dyckman Marina, call 212-496-2105 or 212-567-5120. For schedules of Amtrak service to Albany, log on to www.amtrak.com. For information on Saint Peter's College, log on to www.spc.edu.

The hospital then moved to Inwood Hill Park and was renamed the Inwood House of the Redeemer, run by the Magdalene Benevolent Society. On November 22, 1922, the hospital relocated and reopened its doors at Dyckman Street and River Road (also known at the time as the lower Bolton Road). The hospital had 117 beds and stayed in the park until 1933. A dispensary was opened at 84 Sherman Avenue in September 1924.

In 1936 the hospital moved to Broadway and 196th Street where it was renamed Jewish Memorial Hospital in honor of the Jewish soldiers who died in World War One. The Hospital was designed as a ten-story red brick building, contained 173 beds and was modern for its time. The original hospital in Inwood was razed, and the Bolton Road became part of the pedestrian pathways of Inwood Hill Park.

In 1952 the Bronx Maternity Hospital merged with Jewish Memorial. Two years later the laboratory building for the hospital was constructed.

Jewish Memorial operated at its location until 1983, when it was forced to close due to financial difficulties. The building was razed to make way for Intermediate School 218.