Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-08-30
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this was set ssiJe by the assembly as being Part
of the Denizen Of His Majesties Fort at New
York for the Benefit and Accommodation of His
Majesties Governors and Commanders in Chief
for the Time Being" After this II became known
in familiar parlance as Governors Island, but not
all at once In legal documents.
In its early history it furnished examples OF
rapine and graft which put TO shane the efforts
OF the present day. One of the eaJsy governors.
Lord Cornbury cousin Of Queen Anne. comes
down to us being universally detested," prin-
cipally for his questionable dealings in regard to
this piece of land which the people at large
already beginning to cherish for its beauty and
utility
In ITO the island served in fact if not in name,
the first quarantine post of the province and
in that same year shiploads OF "Palatines'
ligious refugees, housed there, the proper
est place for their sickness and poverty, said
Queen Anne, who financed them parsimoniousy.
One of these immigrants. Peter Zenger. the
first citizen to vindicate publicly the freedoia of
the press and personal liberty.
Nutten Island (Governors) was made part OF
the city of New York by the Montgomery char
ter G730) and an act of March 7. 1888. included
1t in the county. 1t was in 1855 that it first full
filled its manifest destiny military post
From 1855 to 1913 there were several royal regi-
ments OF England living there. These were the
Royal Americans, His Majestys Sixty-frst Reg
ment Of Foot under Lord Loudoun and His Ma.
jestys Twentysecond and rty-fourth Regiments
historian referred to in the private library OF Col
onel Fitz-Clarence, Earl of Munster. who commit
ted suicide (1842), and in the English army rec
ords 17541S42 These regiments are in
listing today, and the leader OF the band who
played at the garden party of the Army Relief
society is a lneal descendant OF of the
officers.
In 1866 the first fertilization was built. in 1875
a Strong Castle" was erected. General Putnam
writing at this time to the president of congress
speaks OF 1t as very important post" Wash
ington wrote Of Its strong works" tle New York
Gazette referred to the thousand Cor tinental men
stationed there; Lord Stirling considered it bet
ter guarded than any other post" The brothers
Howe stayed there until the evacuation OF NsS
York.
After the battle of Long Island and the British
victory, August 81. 1916. the Liberty" boys came
back under cover of the darkness and right under
the noses of the victorious enemy secured NUM-
lions and food
Tradition says that Governor Clinton loaned
the island for race course f7S4-5).
In 1894 ferry was established which took pas
sengers at threepence head. TIE one in use
now averages 10000 passengers month.
That year congress appropriated S3727.52 for
the islands defenses. In 1896 the works were
dgnifled forts and about this date Knox re-
ports "On Governors Island one Fashioned square,
commanding two low batteries quite finished"
Between 1894 and 1906 more than $4,000 was
expended the works
In 1898 the faculty and students of Columbia
college, repeating their patriotic work in Harlem,
came down to Governors Island with pckaxes
and shovels to help erect breastworks when one
OF the French war scares aroused local fears and
inspired the call for harbor defense. In 1880 It
ceded by the State OF New York to the
United States, and in 1921 the Federal military
headquarters were transferred there