The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-17
What city Hail Park Is.

How MANY OF thoss who are sincerely
and enthusiastically opposed To tho cur
tailment in any way Of tho open space
teresting and significant history Of this
piscs Of city propsrtys Probably the
number il small. for IN large Communi-
ties the bulk Of thu population has small
time for delvIng into the past and rag
mentary or casual Information acquired
on historic sub jsCtS is easily lO-' 10
memory. Yst there is no spot richer in
associations than the triangular plot
between Chambsrs street Park row and
Broadway
nder the titles the Niacte or Flat, the
Second Plains the Common. the Fis'ds
the Square. the Park. and its present
name. n has been set aside for the com
mon uss since the settlement 81 the
island by the Dutch A. first 70 was part
II the unspproprated lands used a.
public grazing ground for 'he cattle Of
all the inhabitants Since 1885 he u, IL
to the land has been IN the city Itself is
transfer having been accomplished m
the DonRan charter. ltS eastern bound
srv was the old post road. the line ~
which - Appropriated bv the Park row
Of to-day On the west Sas a farm road
from the Anthony Rut gers farm. about AZ
Worth street. to the junction ~ the post
road and Broadway AZ Nesev street On
this farm road was in i72s q ropewalk
which stood on what ~ now Broadway
and extended practically from Chambers
street 30 Park place
In the latter part ~ the seventeenth
century and the eariv part 81 the eigh-
tenth this common was q place Of exc
Cution. Here. e - believed. Lieutenant
Governor IEIsIER and his son-in-law.
JACOB MTLBoRSE. were hanged in 1891
for treason and buried on the Lelsler
eetaie. the site OF which N now occupied
by the buildings OF TIE SrN and the
Tribune. II was not until i7SS thar the
Common Council ordered thu gallOws
removed 10 Tho place where the negroes
were burned some FIVE years ago ~ the
loot Of the hill called Caiiemuts Hill. near
he fresh water. this water being the
pond on the site Of the present City
Prison.
The first public building on the Com
mon was an alnlshousc. built in 1879
where City Hall now stands. To the
eastward Of his was a burial ground for
he poor Of the institution. The first
aimshoUse was demolished in 1871 on
the CompletiO ION - it, successor, imme-
dihtely behind n
In I745. France having declared war
on England. New York put Itself in shape
for defenCe. and the second CITY wall was
built from Mr.. DEsBRossEs : house. At s.
Cherry strse,. irreg,IlaTly across the
island 20 the North River. near the foot
Of Chamber street One 81 10 SIX block
houses and a gate were A. the corner 81
Broadway and Chambers street. Al
about this time a powder magazine was
built On the Common and ~ the south
east ~ the alm-house
Twelve wears after this. in 1857. the
new gaoi was built. this structure sur
viving under the titles Of The Debtors
Prison. tho Provost. the Registers Of
fec and the Hall - Records. until ISoa
Il Wa the irs, building erected sxclu-
sively for = jail In the same year the
new Upper Barracks were built On part
81 the site 81 the County Court House.
and during the Revolution the British
put up two other buildings for the hOus-