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CHAPTER XIX.
1801.
New York in the beginning of the nineteenth century-Bounds of the city-Roads-Pot- ter's Field-Public gardens-Country seats-Richmond Hill Mansion-The Van Ness House-Chelsea-Murray Hill-The Varian House-The Apthorpe House-The Grange -The Beekman House-Madame Jurnel's-The Belvidere-Fraunces' Tavern-The Kennedy House-Bunker's Mansion House-State Prison -Penitentiary - Bellevue establishment- Bridewell-New Jail-House of Refuge-New York Hospital-New York Dispensary-Columbia College-Benevolent Institutions-Tontine Association- Religious Associations-Churches of New York in the beginning of the nineteenth century-Primitive manners and customs of the Reformed Dutch Church-Society Library-Custom House-Post Office-Banks -Theatres-Newspapers -Markets- Ferries-Ship yards-Fire Department-Militia-Manners and customs, ..... 615-662 ,
CHAPTER XX.
1801-1825.
The Manhattan Water Works-City Hall erected in the Park-De Witt Clinton, Mayor- Politics of the city-Duel of Hamilton and Burr-Foundation of the Historical Society -Fire. of 1804-Public School Society-Steam Navigation-Fulton and Livingston-The Clermont-Ferries between New York and Brooklyn-Steam ferry-boats-Marinus Willet, Mayor-St. John's Chapel erected-Jacob Radcliff, Mayor-Interment of the
xii
CONTENTS.
remains of the prison-ship martyrs-Fire of 1811-New York Island surveyed and laid out-War of 1812-Meetings in the Park-Harbor fortifications-Preparations for defence-Close of the War-Politics of the city-Cadwallader D. Colden, Mayor- Stephen Allen, Mayor-William Paulding, Mayor-Visit of Lafayette to New York-
The Erie Canal Celebration-Death of De Witt Clinton,. .. 663-722
CHAPTER XXI.
1825-1855.
Introduction of gas into the city-Joint stock companies-Financial panic of 1826-The Italian Opera-The Garcia Troupe-Introduction of marble as a building material- Merchants' Exchange built in Wall street-Anti-Masonic Excitement-Walter Bowne, Mayor -Amended Charter of 1830-Politics of the city -Gideon Lee, Mayor - Cholera of 1832-Journalism in the city-Establishment of the Penny press-The Moon Hoax-Cornelius W. Lawrence, Mayor-Great fire of 1835-Financial panic of 1837-Aaron Clark, Mayor-Isaac L. Varian, Mayor-Robert H. Morris, Mayor- Steamships Sirius and Great Western-Introduction of the Croton into the city-First Magnetic Telegraph Line-Fire of 1845-James Harper, Mayor-Politics in the city- Mayors Havemeyer, Mickle, Brady and Woodhull-Amended Charter of 1849-Astor Place Opera House Riot-Ambrose C. Kingsland, Mayor-Jenny Lind in New York- Arrival of Kossuth-Jacob A. Westervelt, Mayor-The Crystal Palace-Franconi's Hippodrome-New York in 1855, 723-753
CHAPTER XXII.
1855-1859.
Fernando Wood, Mayor-Opening events of his administration-The Central Park- Financial panic of 1857-Suspension of the Banks-Meetings of workingmen in the Park-The Cable celebration-Burning of the City Hall-Amended Charter of 1857- Daniel F. Tiemann, Mayor-City and County government-Suburbs of the city-New York in 1859, 754-792
APPENDIX, 793
INDEX,
837
List of Illustrations.
PAGE
1-HENRY HUDSON.
23-LISPENARD'S MEADOWS (in the heart of which now stands the St. Nicholas Hotel).
34-HALF MOON ASCENDING THE RIVER.
45-THE COUNCIL AT TAWASENTHA, IN 1617.
52-SEAL OF NEW AMSTERDAM.
69-WRATH OF VAN TWILLER.
89-NIEUW NEDERLANDT (supposed to be the Earliest View of New York now extant).
104-INDIANS BRINGING TRIBUTE.
113-MASSACRE OF INDIANS AT PAVONIA.
93-OLD HOUSE, corner Peck Slip and Water street.
128-PETER STUYVESANT, the last of the Dutch Governors.
97-STADT HUYS (erected in 1642).
129-SEAL OF PETER STUYVESANT.
140-SEAL OF NEW NETHERLAND, 1625-1664.
153-THE OLD STUYVESANT PEAR-TREE (now standing).
154-TOMB OF PETER STUYVESANT.
159-OLD LUTHERAN CHURCH (erected about 1764).
162-FIRST ENGLISH SEAL OF THE PROVINCE.
174-NEW YORK IN 1674.
176-HOUSEHOLD IN THE OLD DUTCH COLONY TIMES.
177-DUTCH GROCERY IN BROAD STREET.
195-PORTRAIT OF SANTA CLAUS, the Patron Saint of New Amsterdam.
203-DUTCH COTTAGE IN BEAVER STREET IN 1679.
213-CITY SEAL OF 1686.
242-RESIDENCE OF N. W. STUYVESANT.
243-OLD GARDEN STREET CHURCH (erected in 1696).
258-THE STUYVESANT MANSION.
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
282-FRENCH CHURCH IN PINE STREET (erected in 1710).
295-PORTRAIT OF AUGUSTUS JAY.
299-PORTRAIT OF CALEB HEATHCOTE.
304-PORTRAIT OF CADWALLADER COLDEN.
317-MIDDLE DUTCH CHURCH (now the Post-office) IN OLDEN TIME.
316-OLD SUGAR-HOUSE IN LIBERTY STREET.
325-OLD RUTGERS' MANSION, at the junction of East Broadway and Division street.
348-OLD FERRY-HOUSE, corner of Broad and Garden streets.
351-OLD BROOKLYN FERRY-HOUSE OF 1746.
349-RHINELANDER'S SUGAR-HOUSE AND RESIDENCE.
371-PORTRAIT OF SIR GEORGE CLINTON.
371-PORTRAIT OF LADY CLINTON.
374-ST. GEORGE'S CHAPEL IN BEEKMAN STREET (erected in 1752). 377_KING'S COLLEGE.
385-THE WALTON HOUSE AS IT NOW STANDS.
388-ENTRANCE HALL OF THE WALTON HOUSE.
389-SITTING-ROOM IN THE SECOND STORY OF THE WALTON HOUSE.
403 -- BRICK MEETING-HOUSE IN BEEKMAN STREET.
401_METHODIST CHURCH IN JOHN STREET (erected in 1785) IN THE OLDEN TIME.
415-ATLANTIC GARDEN HOUSE (Burns' Coffee-House).
433-BATTERY AND BOWLING GREEN DURING THE REVOLUTION.
463-NEW YORK HOSPITAL (erected in 1773).
475-PORTRAIT OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON.
490-WASHINGTON'S HEAD-QUARTERS IN FRANKLIN SQUARE.
523-BRIDEWELL (erected in 1789).
527-NEW JAIL.
545-PORTRAIT OF JOHN JAY.
559-PRIVATE ROOM OF SIR HENRY CLINTON, No. 1 BROADWAY.
571-DINING-ROOM IN FRAUNCES' TAVERN, corner of Pearl and Broad Sts. 577-STONE BRIDGE ON THE CORNER OF BROADWAY AND CANAL STREET IN 1812.
593-FEDERAL HALL AND THE VERPLANCK MANSION.
620-MURRAY HILL COTTAGE.
626-THE TOMBS.
628-COLUMBIA COLLEGE, at the foot of Park Place.
651-THE BIBLE HOUSE, in Eighth street.
635-DR. MACAULEY'S CHURCH, corner of Fifth Avenue and Twenty-first street.
639-REFORMED DUTCH CHURCH, in Lafayette Place.
641-REFORMED DUTCH CHURCH, corner of Fifth Avenue and Twenty-ninth street.
XV
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
649-FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Fifth Avenue.
651-DR. ALEXANDER'S CHURCH, corner of Fifth Avenue and Nineteenth street.
653 -- FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, corner of Broome and Elizabeth streets. 654_ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL, corner of Mott and Prince streets. 657-THE OLD PARK THEATRE.
658-THE AMERICAN MUSEUM.
665-RESERVOIR OF MANHATTAN WATER-WORKS, in Chambers St., 1825. 667-CITY HALL AND PARK.
671-THE GRANGE, Kingsbridge Road, Residence of Alex. Hamilton.
675-CALVARY CHURCH, corner of Twenty-first street and Fourth Avenue.
677-FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL-HOUSE ERECTED IN NEW YORK.
679-FREE ACADEMY.
681-ROBERT FULTON.
682-THE "CLERMONT "-FULTON'S FIRST STEAMBOAT.
694-CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION, corner of Fifth Avenue and Tenth street. 707-ST. PAUL'S CHAPEL.
711-TOMB OF MONTGOMERY, in wall of St. Paul's Chapel.
727-ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
730-THE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY.
735-CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH, in Broadway.
742-WALL STREET (looking toward Broadway).
746-HIGH BRIDGE.
747-CROTON RESERVOIR.
750-INTERIOR OF CASTLE GARDEN IN FORMER TIMES.
752-CRYSTAL PALACE.
757 761-VIEWS OF THE CENTRAL PARK.
765-CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION.
769-ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL, in Third street. street.
773-NEW YORK FROM WILLIAMSBURG.
776-VIEW FROM THE PARK.
777-ALL SOULS CHURCH, corner of Fourth Avenue and Twentieth street. 779-CUSTOM HOUSE.
780-LOWER ARSENAL.
781-MERCHANT'S EXCHANGE.
788-COOPER INSTITUTE.
645-TRINITY CHURCH, Broadway.
647-GRACE CHURCH, Broadway.
.
PREFACE.
THE preparation of this work was first suggested by the need of collecting the floating facts relative to the history and growth of our city, and condensing them into a compact form for the use of the general reader. In the short space of two hundred and fifty years, New York has sprung up, as it were, by magic, from a hamlet of four wretched huts, into the commercial metropolis of the western hemisphere. The many changes that have occurred during this time have been noted by lovers of their native city, who have made collections from time to time of facts and incidents invaluable to the historian ; yet these are scattered among numerous volumes, where few have time to seek and unearth them. Histories of the State also abound ; but there is not a single history of the city of New York from its earliest settlement to the present time.
It has been the aim of the writer in the present work to remedy this deficiency in part, by collecting those important local facts most likely to interest the general reader, and embodying them in a continuous history of the foundation and growth of the city. It cannot be sup- posed that all the curious and interesting events of the past have thus been noticed-the task would swell vol- umes to so formidable a size that they would terrify the public, and thus defeat their own object-but it is hoped that nothing of essential importance has been omitted, and that the record given will be found authentic. Especial care has been taken to verify facts and dates by the best authorities, and nothing has been admitted xvii
2
xviii
PREFACE.
which has not first been authenticated by reliable testi- mony.
The plan of the work embraces the history of New York city from the earliest Dutch settlement to the present time. In the beginning, when the histories of the city and the province are inseparable, this necessarily includes the history of the early settlements on the Long Island, New Jersey, and adjacent shores. Later, it is confined to the city alone, retaining so much of the his- tory of the State as is necessary to preserve the thread of the narrative unbroken, and to give the reader a comprehension of the general state of affairs. Especial care has been taken to collect the incidents of the Revo- lution, in which the city bore so prominent a part, and which are fast growing dim in the minds of the citizens. In this, the writer begs leave to acknowledge the kind- ness of several distinguished citizens, lineal descendants of our oldest families, who have furnished valuable documents and information, which have been of essential aid in the preparation of the work. Thanks are also due to the courtesy of the various city librarians, who have cheerfully rendered all the assistance in their power to the necessary investigations. Among the authors consulted have been Brodhead, Valentine, Bancroft, Hildreth, O'Callaghan, Irving, Smith, Dunlap, Moulton, Leake, Hardie, Watson, Horsmanden, and Heckewelder, to whom, with many others, of whose information the author has availed herself, she tenders cordial acknow- ledgments. For many of the designs in the work, she is indebted to the courtesy of David T. Valentine, and William J. Davis, Esqs.
There is certainly too great an indifference prevailing in respect to the memories of our city. But few vestiges of the past remain to us, and even these few are unheeded. In the hurry of business, our citizens pass and repass the grave of Stuyvesant and the tomb of Montgomery, unconscious of their locality. The busy New Yorkers throng the Post-office, without bestowing a thought upon its eventful history ; the Park, the cradle of the Revolution, is to them a park, and no more ; the
xix
PREFACE.
Bowling Green, where the Dutch lads and lasses erected their May-pole and danced around it, and where, at a later date, the patriotic citizens kindled bonfires in honor of liberty with stamp acts and royal effigies, is almost forgotten in the upward course of the tide of business ; and the Battery, with Castle Garden, has fallen into the hands of the Commissioners of Emi- gration. We are more remiss than our neighboring cities. Boston never forgets to commemorate the anniversary of her tea-party ; few New Yorkers know even that a similar tea-party was held one night in their own harbor. Boston does not forget her " Massacre ;" New York is oblivious of her battle of Golden Hill, her fierce contests around the liberty-pole, and her thousands of victims from the pestilential prison- ships. The traditions of our Dutch ancestry are well- nigh forgotten, and little remains of the once strongly- marked individuality of our city. It is true that the influence still lingers ; that the broad, cosmopolitan character, the liberal, tolerant spirit, and the genial, hospitable nature ingrafted on the city by its early settlers, still remain to it. It is true, too, that, as a general rule, New Yorkers think less of men than they do of deeds, and, provided that a thing is done, pay little heed to the means that conduced to its accomplish- ment. Yet this is in danger of being carried too far when it renders them forgetful of those memorials which it should be the pride and the glory of every people to cherish.
If this work avail in any way to bring these records of the past before the minds of the citizens and inspire them with a love for their native or adopted city, it will answer the purpose for which it is designed. Much time and labor have been bestowed on its preparation ; to' what effect the public must decide. To their verdict, it is respectfully submitted.
NEW YORK, June 1st, 1859.
HISTORY
OF THE
CITY OF NEW YORK.
CHAPTER I.
1609-1633.
Primitive New York-Aborigines of Manhattan-Causes which led to the Discovery of the Island-Early Navigators-Discovery of Manhattan by Henry Hudson-Landing of the first White Men.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, the island on which now stands the city of New York was uninhabited by white men. The lower part of it consisted of wood- crowned hills and beautiful grassy valleys, including a chain of swamps and marshes, and a deep pond. North- ward, it rose into a rocky high ground. The sole inhabitants were a tribe of dusky Indians,-an off-shoot from the great nation of the Lenni Lenape, who inhabited the vast territory bounded by the Penobscot and Potomac, the Atlantic and Mississippi,-dwelling in the clusters of rude wigwams that dotted here and there the surface of the country. The rivers that gird the
22
HISTORY OF THE
island were as yet unstirred by the keels of ships, and the bark canoes of the native Manhattans held sole pos- session of the peaceful waters.
The face of the country, more particularly described, was gently undulating, presenting every variety of hill and dale, of brook and rivulet. The upper part of the island was rocky, and covered by a dense forest ; the lower part grassy, and rich in wild fruit and flowers. Grapes and strawberries grew in abundance in the fields, . and nuts of various kinds were plentiful in the forests, which were also filled with abundance of game. The brooks and ponds were swarming with fish, and the soil was of luxuriant fertility. In the vicinity of the present " Tombs " was a deep, clear and beautiful pond of fresh water, (with a picturesque little island in the middle)-so deep, indeed, that it could have floated the largest ship in our navy,-which was for a long time deemed bottomless by its possessors. This was fed by large springs at the bottom, which kept its waters fresh and flowing, and had its outlet in a little stream which flowed into the East River, near the foot of James street. Smaller ponds dotted the island in various places, two of which, lying near each other, in the vicinity of the present corner of the Bowery and Grand street, collected the waters of the high grounds which surrounded them. To the northwest of the Fresh Water Pond, or Kolck, as it afterwards came to be called, beginning in the vicinity of the present St. John's Park, and extending to the northward over an area of some seventy acres, lay an immense marsh, filled with reeds and brambles, and tenanted by frogs and water-snakes. A little
CITY OF NEW YORK.
23
.
,
Lispenard's Meadows as seen. from the site of the St. Nicholas Hotel.
.
25
CITY OF NEW YORK.
rivulet connected this marsh with the Fresh Water Pond, which was also connected, by the stream which formed its outlet, with another strip of marshy land, covering the region now occupied by James, Cherry, and the adjacent streets. An unbroken chain of waters was thus stretched across the island from James street at the southeast to Canal street at the northwest. An inlet occupied the place of Broad street, a marsh covered the vicinity of Ferry street, Rutgers street formed the cen- tre of another marsh, and a long line of meadows and swampy ground stretched to the northward along the eastern shore.
The highest line of lands lay along Broadway from the Battery to the northernmost part of the island, forming its back-bone, and sloping gradually to the east and west. On the corner of Grand street and Broadway was a high hill, commanding a view of the whole island, and falling off gradually to the Fresh Water Pond. To the south and west, the country, in the intervals of the marshes, was of great beauty-rolling, grassy, fertile, and well watered. A high range of sand hills traversed a part of the island, from Varick and Charlton to Eighth and Greene streets. To the north of these lay a valley, through which ran a brook, which formed the outlet of the springy marshes at Washington Square, and emptied into the North River at the foot of Hammersly street.
The native Manhattans belonged to that well-known race of North American Indians, the manners and cus- toms of which have been made too familiar by repeated descriptions to require a detailed notice at our hands.
26
HISTORY OF THE
These were the same in outline among all the tribes ; the chief difference lay in the individual character, and in this there was a marked distinction. One tribe was peaceful and gentle ; another, fierce and warlike ; a third, treacherous and cunning. The natives of the island of Manhattan were distinguished for their ferocity, in con- trast with their peaceful brethren of the neighboring shores. They lived in plenty on their beautiful island, the women cultivating maize, pumpkins, beans, and tobacco, and gathering the roots and berries which Nature so abundantly yielded ; the men scouring the forests in quest of game, and drawing stores of fish from the ponds and rivers. Their villages were scattered here and there in pleasant localities over the island- villages consisting of clusters of huts, made by twisting the tops of young saplings together, and covering them with strips of bark. Windowless and floorless were they, with boughs for doors, and a hole in the roof to let out the smoke. Yet each of these structures usually accommodated from six to thirty families, who lived in peaceful harmony together.
Like most savages, they were fond of dress, and shaved their crowns, painted their faces, and adorned their deer-skin mantles and moccasins with feathers, shells, and wampum, in the most approved style. This wampum, which served as a circulating medium among them, and afterwards became a recognized currency among the whites, consisted of small cylindrical beads, made from the white lining of the conch and the purple coating inside the muscle-shells-the purple beads being worth twice as much as the white ones.
27
CITY OF NEW YORK.
In common with their race, they were eloquent ora- tors, trusty friends, crafty enemies, brave warriors, and cruel victors. Though at first disposed to receive their white visitors with favor and to treat them kindly, it was not long before their own jealous nature, together . with the ever-present spirit of European encroachment, brought on the usual warfare, in which Indian sagacity and cunning was forced to succumb to the superior skill of the white man.
Let us glance briefly at the causes which led to the discovery of this vast and hitherto unknown region. At the period of which we speak, more than a century had elapsed since Columbus had first unlocked the door of the new continent, yet little was known of it in the old world beyond the bare fact of its existence. Its
geography was wholly unknown to its new possessors. Its possible resources were totally disregarded ; in itself it was regarded as a thing of little value, and the chief utility of the new discovery was supposed to lie in the easy communication which it might afford to the rich . countries of the East. Now and then an adventurous navigator sailed along the coasts, landing here and there and erecting a flagstaff, and thus taking possession of the country in the name of his sovereign ; yet but few attempts at exploration had been made, and these few had proved, for the most part, unsuccessful. Some of the explorers had penetrated a little way into the inte- rior, and some had planted colonies which had soon been broken up by hardships and discouragement, but few had been able to gain much topographical knowledge of the countries which they claimed to own. The English had
28
HISTORY OF THE
succeeded in establishing a small colony at Jamestown, and the French had founded a colony at Quebec, and made a settlement at Port Royal, but the rest of the country remained in the hands of the natives.
In the year 1524, Francis I. had dispatched Jean Verrazani, a skillful Florentine navigator, with a squad- ron of four ships, to explore the coast of North America. Soon after their departure, three of these became dis- abled in a violent tempest, and Verrazani reached the island of Madeira with but a single vessel. Stopping here a few days to refit, he proceeded on his voyage, and reached the American coast, as it is supposed, in the vicinity of Wilmington, whence he coasted northward, and was the first to enter the bay of New York, which he thus describes :
" After proceeding one hundred leagues, we found a "very pleasant situation among some steep hills, through " which a very large river, deep at its mouth, forced its " way to the sea. From the sea, to the estuary of the "river, any ship heavily laden might pass with the help " of the tide, which rises eight feet. But as we were "riding at anchor in a good berth, we would not "venture up in our vessel without a knowledge of " the mouth ; therefore we took the boat, and entering " the river, we found the country on its banks well " peopled, the inhabitants not differing much from the "others, being dressed out with the feathers of birds of " various colors. They came towards us with evident " delight, raising loud shouts of admiration, and showing "us where we could most securely land our boat. We "passed up this river about half a league, when we
29
CITY OF NEW YORK.
" found it formed a most beautiful lake, three leagues in " circuit, upon which they were rowing thirty or more " of their small boats from one shore to the other, filled " with multitudes who came to see us. All of a sudden, " as is wont to happen to navigators, a violent contrary " wind blew in from the sea, and forced us to return to " our ship, greatly regretting to leave this region, which " seemed so commodious and delightful, and which we " supposed must also contain great riches, as the hills " showed many indications of minerals."
This graphic description is the more worthy of notice, inasmuch as it is the earliest now extant of the island and natives of Manhattan. From here Verrazani pro- ceeded to the haven of Newport, where he anchored for fifteen days, after which he coasted northward as far as the fiftieth degree of north latitude, then returned to France, where he published a brief narrative of his jour- ney. To the newly discovered country, he gave the name of New France, a name by which Canada con- tinued to be known as long as it remained in the possession of the French. This discovery laid the foun- dation for a claim by France on all the territory north of the Carolinas-a claim which she long continued to maintain. Previously to this, however, Sebastian Cabot, a Venetian by birth, in the service of Henry VII., had explored the country from Labrador to Florida, thus giving to England a prior claim upon the same territory. As has before been said, both nations had profited by these discoveries to make settlements in the country thus claimed by each, the one in Virginia and the other in Canada ; but at the period in which our history opens.
30
HISTORY OF THE
the whole of the vast territory lying between these distant points remained in the possession of its first owners, the natives. It was not long before a third nation disputed the rich prize with them by virtue of the right of actual possession.
At this time, the Dutch were the richest commercial nation on the globe. Having conquered their inde- pendence from Spain and their country from the sea, they turned their attention to commerce, and with such success that it was not long before their sails whitened the waters of every clime. A thousand vessels were built annually in Holland, and an extensive trade was carried on with all the European nations. But their richest commerce was with the East Indies ; and the better to secure themselves in this against all com- petition, the merchants engaged in this traffic had, in 1602, obtained a charter of incorporation for twenty- one years from the States General under the name of the East India Company, granting them the exclusive monopoly of the trade in the Eastern Seas beyond the Cape of Good Hope on one side and the Straits of Magellan on the other, with other valuable privileges. This obtained, it next became desirable to shorten the passage thither, and thus to render the commerce more lucrative. The voyage to China by the only known route-that by the way of the Cape of Good Hope- consumed two years, and the time seemed long to the impatient merchants. It was thought that a more expe- ditious passage might be discovered by the way of the Polar Seas, and three expeditions, under the command of Barentsen, Cornelissen, and Heemskerck, were dis-
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