tag:www.washington-heights.us,2012:/history//2 2008-03-17T00:37:43Z Articles on the History of Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill. Index of latest 50 stories in reverse chronological order. Movable Type 3.35 tag:www.washington-heights.us,2008:/history//2.141 2008-02-17T01:18:10Z 2008-03-17T00:37:43Z

Overlooking the Harlem River on 160th Street and Edgecombe Avenue is the remnant of a 160-acre estate that spanned the width of Manhattan from 155th to 168th Streets. The Morris-Jumel Mansion is the only surviving pre-Revolutionary War, free-standing mansion in Manhattan. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2007:/history//2.137 2007-05-26T22:51:44Z 2007-05-26T23:57:07Z

The history of the Jewish immigration to Washington Heights and Inwood is a rich and interesting subject. For some it is history, for others it may bring back memories of another era. What is about to be discussed may be offensive to some, but it is felt that there are those who do not fully understand the impact of what really happened. There are those that would want to know and why it changed. 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....

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2005:/history//2.126 2005-09-25T18:20:37Z 2005-09-25T18:36:15Z

On the banks of the Spuyten Duyvil Creek across from Inwood Hill Park, there was a foundry that was run by three generations of a family that had served the United States in peace time and at war. The Johnson Ironworks Foundry became a familiar site and the mainstay for employment for the residents of Kingsbridge and the Spuyten Duyvil communities of the Bronx. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2005:/history//2.125 2005-08-21T17:52:44Z 2008-03-17T00:42:11Z

The history of the Spuyten Duyvil Creek and the Harlem River Ship Canal dates back to the pre-colonial period of New York City. It has a rich history that encompasses the immediate area it serves. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2005:/history//2.124 2005-07-10T21:38:23Z 2008-03-17T00:43:31Z

Since colonial times, local taverns and public houses have served food and drink to residents and weary travelers who have passed through the northernmost part of Manhattan. These establishments have served as toll houses for the various routes that these travelers were on or going to use, such as the Albany, Kingsbridge and Boston Post roads. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2005:/history//2.123 2005-07-10T00:36:37Z 2008-03-17T00:44:38Z

In the six-year period known to us as the American Revolution, northern Manhattan was the scene of military life for both American and Royalist armies. In the early party of the war the Americans controlled the area until the defeat of Fort Washington in November 1776. From then until the end of the war, the Royalist forces occupied Washington Heights and Inwood. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2005:/history//2.35 2005-03-05T22:08:08Z 2007-05-26T21:37:49Z

During the American Revolution, one of the goals of the British Army was to divide the colonies militarily and strategically. The easiest way to do this was to occupy New York City and to take control of the Hudson River. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2004:/history//2.119 2004-08-24T02:03:58Z 2008-08-03T18:12:59Z

For nine generations of worshipers, Saint Stephen's United Methodist Church has been a fixture of the Marble Hill, Kingsbridge, Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale sections of the Bronx. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2004:/history//2.118 2004-08-24T01:52:03Z 2008-08-03T18:14:39Z

In the summer of 1776 the Continental troops were fortifying northern Manhattan and the Bronx for a siege from the Royalist Forces. A series of eight forts in the Bronx, and Fort Washington with its defensive works in Manhattan, were hastily constructed for this purpose. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2004:/history//2.117 2004-07-31T16:04:55Z 2008-08-03T18:20:23Z

In order to get around Marble Hill, one must be acquainted with the pedestrian nomenclature of the area. In this small landlocked section of Manhattan, many of the street names date from the pre-Columbian period to the present. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2004:/history//2.116 2004-07-30T04:08:51Z 2008-08-03T18:26:11Z

The Marble Hill community in the Bronx is the only part of Manhattan connected to the mainland, due to a little-known quirk of geography. Originally, this 42-acre enclave was the northernmost section of the borough of Manhattan and was surrounded by the winding Spuyten Duyvil Creek. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2004:/history//2.115 2004-05-15T17:50:42Z 2005-09-25T17:48:48Z

Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill share a common bond. In 1895, the Spuyten Duyvil Creek had been rerouted from 230th Street to 225th Street for improved navigability. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2004:/history//2.114 2004-01-24T03:22:13Z 2007-05-27T17:43:48Z

A one-acre triangular plot bounded by Broadway, 166th Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue has been dedicated to the 95th Mayor of New York City and to the veterans of the community who served in the First World War. The park itself is .774-acres, with the remaining part for the Washington Heights-Inwood War Memorial, at the northern end of the park. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2004:/history//2.113 2004-01-09T04:07:12Z 2007-05-27T17:45:05Z

At the foot of Dyckman Street on the Hudson River is a boat basin and marina that few are aware is still in existence. This locale is in the Tubby Hook section of Inwood that was one of the best-kept secrets until recently. 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2004:/history//2.112 2004-01-09T03:24:10Z 2005-09-17T23:24:51Z

Jewish Memorial Hospital opened its doors on April 11, 1905, and was known as the Philantropin Hospital, which was run on a nonsectarian basis. Its original location was on the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 128th Street. 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....

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2004:/history//2.111 2004-01-09T03:07:13Z 2007-05-27T15:18:38Z

Fort Washington Avenue between 163rd and 166th Streets has been the location for various education and health institutions. For over a century and a half these particular institutions treated patients with physical and mental disabilities and allowed them to re-enter society. One such home was the New York Institute for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. It was founded in 1817, opened its doors on 163rd Street in 1834, and closed in the late 1920s to relocate to better facilities in Valhalla, New York. Nearby on 166th was the Institute for the Blind, which also closed in the 1920s....

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.110 2003-12-11T01:19:02Z 2007-05-27T17:46:17Z

An annual Christmas tradition that is celebrated in northern Manhattan is the Clement Clarke Moore Candlelight Commemoration. This ceremony, which is held on the Sunday before Christmas at the Church of the Intercession, honors the author of the famous poem "A Visit From Saint Nicholas." The ceremony consists of traditional Christmas Carols, the reading of the poem and afterwards a processional to the grave of Moore in the western division of Trinity Cemetery at 155th Street. The ceremony was instituted by Reverend Milo Hudson Gates, Rector of the church, in 1911. Gates wanted to have an annual service to remember...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.109 2003-11-11T18:43:19Z 2007-05-27T15:20:00Z

One of the most frequently used transit systems that has not been seen in over half a century were the trolley cars of New York City. These trolleys connected Washington Heights and Inwood with lower Manhattan, the Bronx and parts of lower Westchester County. Trolley service started as horse-drawn cars in the 1850s. Many of these lines were small and slow. In 1885 cables were introduced, thus making way for faster service. The first cable-drawn car got its start on an elevated track that ran from Greenwich Street along Gansevoort Street to Ninth Avenue and Little West 12th Street. The...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.136 2003-11-01T21:45:13Z 2007-05-27T15:20:37Z

On a hill in Washington Heights overlooking the Hudson River is Bennett Park, which was named for James Gordon Bennett, founder and publisher of the New York Herald. The park was the site of the worst military defeats of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Bennett Park is located on Fort Washington Avenue between 182nd and 185th Streets. It is considered by local history aficionados as the Alamo of the American Revolution, where 2,800 ill-equipped and poorly trained patriots were forced to surrender the fort to an overwhelming force of 9,000 British and Hessian troops. This site, known as...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.108 2003-10-16T03:15:58Z 2007-05-27T17:46:46Z

Nestled on 186th Street between Amsterdam and Audubon Avenues is an oasis of serenity called Washington Terrace. The Terrace was the brainchild of Daniel J. Murphy, a resident of Bayonne, New Jersey, who was interested in real estate. The original plot of land for this site was purchased in 1898 by Murphy who filed plans for 18 tan three-storied houses with right angled stoops and porches. Each unit cost $4,500. The 175-foot by 166-foot terrace allows the passer-by a chance to view the street as a whole. The houses are modest Renaissance-style works, and the court-like street captures attention more...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.107 2003-10-16T02:09:52Z 2007-05-27T17:47:21Z

Francesca Xavier Cabrini was born near Lodi, Italy, in 1850 and was one of 13 children. As a child she wanted to become a nun and go to China. She abstained from sweets because she could expect none of it there. She also liked to dress dolls as nuns. Francesca applied to religious orders twice and was refused due to poor health. A priest in Codogno asked her to start a community of women who would run an orphanage in his parish. Unfortunately, the orphanage failed and she was encouraged to start a missionary order. This resulted in her becoming...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.106 2003-10-15T03:32:38Z 2007-05-27T17:47:50Z

The film industry would not have developed into the enterprise that it is today if it were not for the fact that movie production companies were located in northern Manhattan and Fort Lee, New Jersey. In Fort Lee, such notables as Mary Pickford got their start at the Biograph Studios; she was in movies such as "Poor Little Rich Girl" and "The Violin Maker of Cremona" in 1913. Six years later, Miss Pickford co-founded United Artists with D.W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks. Marie Dressler appeared in the title role in "The Scrublady," a Samuel Goldwyn production at Universal...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.105 2003-10-15T03:11:06Z 2007-05-27T17:48:18Z

During the American Revolution, a ferry proved important to the Patriot cause prior to and during the Battle of Fort Washington in 1776. Etienne Burdett, a merchant of Huguenot parentage who settled in Manhattan, bought several hundred acres of property on the shore of the Hudson River near Fort Lee, New Jersey. The family-run ferry service started in 1758. Burdett established a trading post and built his home, a gambrel-roofed structure, at a forest clearing at the foot of a gorge on what is now River Road in Edgewater. This house stood at the site until 1899. From the colonial...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.104 2003-10-14T05:14:19Z 2007-05-27T17:48:54Z

The Tubby Hook section of Inwood encompasses the area of Dyckman Street west of Broadway to the Hudson River. To the north is Inwood Hill Park and to the south is Fort Tryon Park. In the valley that is between these parks was once a fishing village. The origins of the name of the area 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...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.103 2003-10-12T03:07:52Z 2007-05-27T17:49:19Z

The only major hospital in the Washington Heights and Inwood communities is the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. The center is bounded by 165th Street, 168th Street, Broadway and Riverside Drive. This hospital was originally known as the Presbyterian Hospital and was located on Park Avenue between 70th and 71st Streets and was founded in 1868 by philanthropist James Lenox. In 1911 the Hospital entered into an agreement with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, which was located on Tenth Avenue and West 59th Street. This was done to coordinate the care of the sick with the education and...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.102 2003-10-12T02:09:14Z 2007-05-27T17:49:48Z

The Audubon Terrace Museum Group was the concept of scholar, art patron and philanthropist Archer M. Huntington. He was the son of Collis P. Huntington, owner of the Central Pacific Railroad and Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Companies. The younger Huntington wanted to leave a cultural legacy for Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights with a variety of museums in one place. Huntington began purchasing Audubon Park, which was named for the estate of John James Audubon. The construction of the complex was planned to coincide with the building of the new subway line that was projected to go up Broadway....

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.101 2003-10-09T03:04:27Z 2007-05-27T17:51:04Z

John James Audubon is best noted as a naturalist and an artist of life-size paintings of birds. Born in Haiti on April 26, 1785, Audubon had given several accounts of his birth, but records discovered in the early part of the 20th century established the fact that he was the son of a French naval captain and a French girl (Creole) who worked on the plantation of Captain Audubon in San Domingo (Haiti). Audubon was educated in France and came to the United States in 1803. While he was living in Philadelphia, Audubon became an apprentice clerk. He met Lucy...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.100 2003-10-09T02:09:19Z 2007-05-27T17:51:43Z

During the American Revolution there was a soldier who had been given command of a fort in northern Manhattan. This five-bastion fortification was to become known as the Alamo of the Patriot cause in New York City. The citadel was known as Fort Washington and the soldier was Robert Magaw. Magaw was born in Philadelphia in 1738. He was educated as a lawyer and was the first attorney to be admitted to practice in the Bedford County courts. In 1774 he became a member of the Committee of Safety. In 1775 he served as Major in Colonel William Thompson's Battalion....

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.99 2003-10-08T03:35:10Z 2007-05-27T17:52:12Z

The Macomb's Dam Bridge and the 155th Street Viaduct have been connected not only with the Harlem River but with baseball history. It was designated a landmark by the New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission on January 14, 1992. The bridge is the city's third oldest and was constructed between 1890 and 1895. The bridge and viaduct were designed by Alfred Pancoast Boller who was under contract with the Department of Parks and Public Works. When the bridge was opened to vehicular and pedestrian traffic in 1895, it was hailed as a structural marvel. The central swing span, which was...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.98 2003-10-08T02:58:53Z 2007-05-27T17:52:50Z

Washington Heights and Inwood's claim to fame in baseball was in three places: the Polo Grounds, Hilltop Stadium and the Dyckman Oval. These stadiums were used for the New York Giants, the New York Highlanders (later to become the Yankees) and the New York Cuban Stars, respectively. The Dyckman Oval, named for the Dyckman family, was a baseball stadium bordered by Nagle Avenue, Academy Street, Tenth Avenue and 204th Street. The Dyckman family who settled in the community owned 400 acres of land from the Seventeenth Century to the Twentieth Century. It (the Oval) was used for New York's leading...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.97 2003-10-04T16:02:00Z 2007-05-27T17:53:20Z

The Isabella Geriatric Center was established on May 15, 1875, as the Isabella Heimat Home for the Aging by Anna Uhl Ottendorfer (1815-1884) and was named for the founder's daughter Isabella Uhl who died at the age of 27 (1846-1873). Anna came to New York City from Germany and married Jacob Uhl who went into the publishing business. When Uhl died in 1852, Anna rejected offers from potential purchasers of the publishing operation. She married her collaborator Oswald Ottendorfer and remained in the business. Anna had directed her energies to help suffering people which enabled her to create the home....

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.96 2003-09-08T03:48:43Z 2007-05-27T17:54:01Z

Inwood Hill Park is a forested oasis bounded by the Hudson River, Harlem River Ship Canal, Dyckman Street, and Payson and Seaman Avenues. Inwood Hill also boasts great diversity for a park its size. Within the 196-acre park is the last remaining primeval forest in Manhattan, not to mention the fact of its waterfront, archaeological relics, recreational fields, ornithological study areas, and jogging and pedestrian paths. The history of Inwood Hill Park and its surrounding areas date back to when New York City was still in Indian possession. The term we have known it as is "shorakapkok" which means the...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.95 2003-09-08T02:20:14Z 2007-05-27T15:38:59Z

For almost two centuries, Inwood has been served by two institutions that are involved with publishing and education. These are the Dyckman Institute and the Inwood Branch of the New York Public Library. During an overlapping period of 41 years, they served the community as separate entities with one common goal. This is to lend books to the public and assist in educating the students of the community. The Dyckman Library was established in 1860 as the first free public library in upper Manhattan. Originally, it was created as the Hamilton Free School. Alexander Hamilton's widow, Eliza, donated the building...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.94 2003-08-25T01:41:34Z 2007-05-27T17:54:54Z

Inwood street nomenclature dates back to the colonial period when many of the European customs were brought here. Some of the streets were named for settlers of northern Manhattan. Others for people who lived here over the years. Dyckman Street was named for the family that came to the area in the 1660s. Jan Dyckman came to own 400 acres. The original name of Dyckman Street was Inwood Street, which ran from Broadway west to the Hudson River. Vermilyea Avenue was named for Isaac Vermilyea who arrived here in 1663. Nagle Avenue was named for Jan Nagle, who owned 74...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.93 2003-08-25T01:06:48Z 2008-03-17T00:45:44Z

Over the years many of us who live in Washington Heights have taken for granted the names of the streets that our homes are on. Many of these street names have a history of their own. Some of these streets were named after people who lived in the community; others were named for historic sites. Some of these streets have been changed to suit the needs of the city when the street grid was designed but still have a historic significance for the community. Some of these streets date to the colonial period. Others have existed at one time, but...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.92 2003-08-25T00:36:35Z 2007-05-27T17:56:04Z

The Hudson-Fulton Celebration was organized to commemorate two events in 1909. First was the Tri-Centennial of Henry Hudson's voyage up the river that bears his name and the maiden voyage of the Claremont in 1807. Scientific American Magazine had published a design for the proposed bridge in 1906. A bridge was to have been constructed and opened in 1909 and would connect Manhattan and the Bronx at Spuyten Duyvil where the Harlem River Ship Canal meets the Hudson River. The bridge would be located near a cove in the Spuyten Duyvil Creek where a reputed landing site of one of...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.91 2003-08-24T17:05:21Z 2007-05-27T17:56:42Z

For three centuries ferries have crossed the Hudson River, Spuyten Duyvil Creek and Harlem River with great frequency. They have been the backbone of commerce and movement of people to and from this part of Manhattan to other parts of the New York Metropolitan Area. The first ferries consisted of canoes, row boats, rafts and flat-bottomed scows. There were seasonal hours: In the summer the hours were 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., and in the winter the hours were 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. During off hours the fares were usually doubled. The crossing time varied from 15 minutes to...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.90 2003-05-26T01:40:08Z 2007-05-27T16:15:16Z

Yeshiva University has become an institution of learning in many fields and a haven for those interested in keeping their ties to Judaism. Founded in 1896 as the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, Yeshiva College and University remains as the oldest center for Judaic studies and the most comprehensive educational institution of its kind under Jewish auspices in the United States. The original location of the Seminary was 156 Henry Street and is presently located at the main campus at 2540 Amsterdam Avenue. Yeshiva College was founded in 1928 and is the Undergraduate School of Arts and Sciences for men...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.89 2003-05-26T01:21:19Z 2008-03-17T00:46:47Z

Trinity Cemetery helped to shape the history of northern Manhattan to what it is today. Many of the persons whose remains are interred here shaped not only the history of the area but that of the United States. The area's first claim to history was on November 16, 1776, as the second line of defense during the Battle of Fort Washington. On that fateful day, the vastly outnumbered Rebel army was forced back by the British forces from the south. After the war, the land was bought into private ownership. The last person to privately own the property was John...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.88 2003-05-25T14:48:12Z 2007-05-27T16:21:01Z

The Washington Bridge spanning the Harlem River was conceived and designed when the population of Manhattan started to move northward after the Civil War. In 1868 the Board of Commissioners of Central Park undertook a study to create a means of transportation between Manhattan and the Bronx. The Bronx was still considered part of Westchester County until the 1870s. In June 1885 the Mayor, Comptroller and the President of the Board of Aldermen of New York City appointed three Commissioners for the construction of such a bridge. The following year construction started under the direction of William Jarvis McAlpine, who...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.87 2003-05-25T14:11:22Z 2005-09-25T18:05:01Z

The Seaman-Drake Arch on Broadway and 215th Street may be regarded as one of the most unusual structures in northern Manhattan today. It continues to amaze passers-by and nonresidents who are not aware of its significance, history and age. The Seaman Family dates back to the colonial times when Captain John Seaman settled Long Island in what is now Hempstead. In 1653 Captain Seaman acquired 12,000 acres in the area. Among the Captain's descendants was Dr. Valentine Seaman, who with several colleagues, introduced the Smallpox vaccine to the United States in the early 1800s. The vaccine was developed in England...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.86 2003-05-25T13:59:39Z 2007-05-27T17:57:46Z

For over three-quarters of a century there has been an easily overlooked civilized amenity existing in Washington Heights. This tiny park with a 22-terraced garden, has a long staircase that is split into three sections with benches on each landing. It is located on Pinehurst Avenue between 181st Street and 183rd Streets. The terrace was created in 1924 because Pinehurst Avenue stops dead 75 feet north and 25 feet above 181st Street. The terrace has a lovely urban gesture, which is oriented entirely to the needs of the pedestrian. The function of the design was twofold: as a secluded gathering...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.85 2003-05-25T13:49:26Z 2007-05-26T21:20:52Z

One of the least known but also what was to become one of the historic churches in Inwood is the Mount Washington Presbyterian Church. Initially, it was named for a section of Inwood until the American Revolution, but later it was named for Mount Washington, which was the site of Fort Washington, which is presently located in Bennett Park on Fort Washington Avenue between 183rd and 185th Streets. The church was established in 1844 by Samuel Thomson (1784-1850), a resident of Inwood. Thomson, a native of Maryland of Scotch Irish descent and a devout Presbyterian, came to New York in...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.84 2003-05-25T13:25:23Z 2007-05-27T17:58:26Z

Washington Heights and Inwood have a variety of hospitals and institutions that have served the communities over the years, some of which have left their mark on the lives of people while others have not. Inwood Hill Park was home to two of these organizations. The House of Mercy bought land in 1888 and moved in two years later. It was run as an Episcopal girls home for the benefit and education of girls committed to its care. The House of Mercy closed its doors in the 1930s. Jewish Memorial Hospital got its start as the Inwood House of the...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.83 2003-05-25T13:02:34Z 2007-05-27T17:59:11Z

The Holyrood Church on Fort Washington Avenue and 179th Street is the second building that bears the name of this house of worship. Originally located on Broadway and 181st Street, the Holyrood Church has served as one of the Episcopal churches in this community for over a century. The Church was founded in 1893 by Reverend William Oliver Embury, who was chaplain of The House of Refuge for Problem Girls and was operated by the Sisters of Saint Mary in Inwood Hill Park. Reverend Embury wanted to have a new Episcopal Parish in the area. With the help of some...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.82 2003-05-25T12:53:32Z 2007-05-27T17:59:56Z

One of the most interesting churches of Washington Heights and Inwood is the Fort Washington Collegiate Church. It has served at least four generations of parishioners who have worshipped as members of the Reformed Church of America. The property that Fort Washington Collegiate is on was at one time part of the estate of James Gordon Bennett, publisher of the New York Herald. Bennett purchased the land from the estate of Richard Carman in 1871. Carman had passed away in 1867, and his sons sold off the vast properties owned by their father. James Gordon Bennett Jr. inherited the Herald...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.81 2003-05-25T12:44:29Z 2008-03-17T00:47:41Z

Fort Washington Park, located on the Hudson River between 155th Street and Fort Tryon Park, offers a panoramic view of the river and the Palisades. The 158.818-acre park was named to honor the revolutionary Fort located at Bennett Park on 183rd Street and Fort Washington Avenue. The park had been home to many people over the centuries. In pre-Columbian times, the park had been a fishing village and for trading by the Agonquin, Mohecan and Lenape groups. During the Dutch and British colonial rule the presence of the Indians had dwindled because land was being used for farms and estates....

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.80 2003-05-25T03:52:54Z 2007-05-27T16:23:32Z

Overlooking the Harlem River there was an amusement park that Washington Heights and Inwood called its own. The Fort George Amusement Park was opened in 1895 and was located in what is now the northernmost end of Highbridge Park, between 190th and 192nd Streets at Amsterdam Avenue. Like all other amusement parks, Fort George was at the terminus of a trolley line, specifically the Third Avenue line, which connected to various parts of Manhattan and the Bronx. The Third Avenue brought not only residents to and from the other parts of the city, but was used by community residents too....

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.79 2003-05-25T03:24:43Z 2007-05-27T18:01:54Z

Fort Tryon Park is the only park in northern Manhattan designed by the Olmstead Brothers (Frederick Law Jr. and John Charles) firm. The 66.6-acre park rests on some of the highest public land in Manhattan. Fort Tryon Park is rich in history and culture. The Wiechquaesgeck Indians, a tribal group of the Lenape (or Delaware) Indian Confederacy, had inhabited the park until the late Seventeenth Century when the Dutch colonists succeeded in removing them from the area. This group had last occupied the Fort Tryon Park area in 1669 but did not relinquish their claims to the land until 1715,...

James Renner tag:www.washington-heights.us,2003:/history//2.78 2003-05-25T00:56:28Z 2007-05-27T18:02:22Z

Fort Tryon Park owes a debt of gratitude to a heroine of the American Revolution. This young lady was Margaret Cochran Corbin, who is commemorated by several bronze plaques within Fort Tryon Park as well as within the community. Margaret was born on November 12, 1751, near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. As a result of an Indian raid in 1756, Margaret's Father was killed, and her Mother was taken captive. Fortunately Margaret and her brother escaped the fate of her parents while they were visiting their uncle, who had adopted and raised them. In 1772 she married John Corbin, a Virginia farmer....

James Renner