Federal Hall

- Built in 1700 as New York's city hall

- Was the first capitol building of the United States

- George Washington was inaugurated here and the bible used is still on site

- 1st congress met here and discussed the Bill of Rights

- John Zenger was tried in the original building and now there is an exhibit to commemorate that

- The original building was demolished in 1812, but the memorial building (Federal Hall National Memorial)
was built in 1842 and still stands there today

- The new building was designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant (who designed Washington D.C.)

- Designed in Greco-Roman style to symbolize democracy

- Today the memorial functions as a free museum

- There is an over-life sized statue of George Washington being inaugurated (built by John Quincy Adams Ward) which was placed on the exact spot Washington stood decades before, during his inauguration.

 

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge

1. The Brooklyn Bridge, when it was made on May 24, 1883, was the largest bridge of its time, surpassing the size of any other bridge in the world. It was two times larger and two times heaver than any other bridge in the city. A bridge of this size was an extremely large feat in engineering at the time. 

2. In building such a large bridge, casualties were inevitable. During the construction of this behemoth of a bridge, over 20 workers died, including the lead engineer, John Agustus Roebling, himself. His son, Washington Roebling, had to finish his fathers work, but sadly even he was injured in this build. Washington was paralyzed after he got the bends while trying to lay down the bedrock for the bridge. He would look at the progress of the bridge with a telescope from his home, where he would relay messages to the workers using his wife, Emily Roebling. 

3. A week after it's opening, someone claimed to think that the bridge was collapsing. There was a stampede to get off of it which killed 12 people in the process. But, soon a circus owner had 21 elephants walk across the bridge, proving that it was sturdy.

4. Nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World" because of its massive size

5. In 1889, the city of Brooklyn became a part of New York City, and this could be because of the bridge adding easy access between the two sides of the east river.

St.Pauls 9/11

When it comes to buildings, is "the new and the big” always stronger than “the old and the small”? Not necessarily. How can one old tree be the savior of ancient and precious New York City architecture? Learn about the St. Paul’s sycamore and find out. 

-St. Paul's is on 209 Broadway, across from where building 5 was of the World Trade Center. It was built in 1764 and is the oldest standing church in NYC. 

-It was built on land granted by Queen Anne of England and is a chapel from the Parish of Trinity Church.  

-Even though it stood directly across from the site of 9/11, where the twin towers fell, it was unharmed during the disaster. Not one window was broken and no headstones in the cemetery were damaged. There is a large sycamore tree that was over one hundred years old which took a lot of the blast and it’s roots are memorialized today. 

-For over 8 months after the disaster, it served as a place for food and rest and comfort for the firefighters and workers who searched for survivors and cleared debris. 

-For the first 8 weeks, no one except approved personnel and rescue workers could enter he chapel. Photographers were not allowed to take pictures inside  because it was supposed to be a place of rest. Volunteers of all kinds worked at St. Paul’s around the clock to take care of the firefighters and rescue workers. 

-There are gifts, art and messages from people around the world sharing thoughts of hope, comfort and condolence for those who died in the 9/11 attack and their families. 

Washington's Evacuation from Brooklyn / South Street Seaport

• Battle of brooklyn wasnt a fair battle 
• washington needed to retreat or die 
• his only option was to go to brooklyn  

• http://www.savethevista.org/index_files/Page452.htm  

 - south street seaport (this is the google link to my picture. ) 

City Hall Park (The Commons)

-was a rebel outpost during the Revolutionary War

-the site has been used as a pasture, a prison, a parade ground and a public execution site

-From 1653-1699 this area was known as the commons.

-western boundary used to be a native american trial

     -today it is broadway

-construction began in 1757 on the debtors prison and the soldiers barracks which is now where the Tweed courthouse stands.

-Protesters in 1766 protested the Stamp Act of 1765. In protest, a liberty pole was erected.

     -the mast was topped with a vane that said "liberty"

     -a replica, built in 1921, was placed near the spot of where the original one was.

-During the American Revolution the British controlled New York and used the debtors prison to hold prisoners of war and behind the soldiers barracks they executed soldiers, around 250 of them at the gallows.

-1803 the cornerstone was laid for the current city hall. The design was made by Joseph Mangin and john

-in 1818 the rotunda was built at the northeast corner

     -this housed the first art museum in New York City 

St. Paul's Chapel

• Episcopal chapel
• oldest church in Manhattan 
• finished being built in 1776
• chapel of ease
• under authority of Trinity Church
• survived the New York fire of 1776
• Washington worshiped and attended services here
• original painting of the Great Seal of the United States hanging inside

Castle Garden

• Castle Clinton was first a fort built by Dutch rulers on an island roughly 300 yards off the coast of the mainland of Manhattan.

• After being dismantled after the war of 1812, Castle Clinton served as a theater and a ball room.

• Eventually, castle Garden became the first immigration center in America ( before Ellis Island)
• Over 8 million people passed through Castle Garden over a 35 year span.
• Roughly 2 out of every three immigrants that came to New York passed through Castle Garden

• When it shut down, Castle Garden turned into a very popular aquarium that had exotic fish and even a beluga whale.

• Now, Castle Garden is a monument that has millions of visitors every year. 
  

Revolution Walking Tour-H block-13: African Burial Ground

Revolution Walking Tour-H block-13: African Burial Ground

African Burial Ground

·             The African Burial Ground is acknowledged as one of the most significant

      American archeological discovers in the 20^th century, because of the astonishing amount of remains found, and the rich culture it exposed. 

·      The African Burial Grounds were actually found by accident.  In 1991 the construction of the Federal office building had been planned, when workers came across human remains about 20 feet below the surface. 

·      The remains found uncovered many details about the lives of African Americans (free and enslaved) buried there from 1690-1794.  Nine percent of the burials were children under the age of 2, a death rate that was extremely disproportional to the population.  Research on the remains showed malnourishment, delayed bone development, overworking in labor, and illness.   

http://untappedcities.com/2013/09/12/fun-maps-african-burial-ground-nyc/