The Elbert County tribune., 1913-08-08
A4Hw R4RzY IT e0H7u0e1 MzA1D

this was set aside by the assembly as being Part
of the Denizen of His Majestie's Fort at New
York for the Benefit and Accommodation of His
Majestie's Governors and Commanders in Chief
for the Time Being" After this 1t became known
In familiar parlance Governors Island but not
all at once in legal documents
In its early history 1t furnished examples of
rapine and graft which put to shame the efforts
OF the present day. One of the early governors,
Lord Cornbury. cousin of Queen Anne comes
down to us as being universally detested" prin-
cipally for his questionable dealings in regard to
this piece of land which the people at large were
already beginning to cherish for its beauty and
utility.
In 1710 the island served in fact II not In name,
as the first quarantine post of the province and
In that same year shiploads of 'Palatines" re-
ligious refugees. were housed there, the proper
est place for their sickness and poverty" said
Queen Anne who financed them parsimonously.
One of these immigrants. Peter Zenger, was the
first citizen to vndicate publicly the freedom of
the press and personal liberty
Nutten Island (Governors) was made part of
the city of New York by the Montgomery char
ter Q730) and an act of March Z, 1888, included
1t in the county. 1t was in 1855 that it first full
filed its manifest destiny a military post.
From 1755 to 1878 there several royal reei-
ments of England living there. These were the
Royal Americans, His Majesty's Sixty-frst Regi-
ment of Foot under Lord Loudoun and His Ma
Jesty's Twenty-second and Forty ty-fourth Regiments
Of Foot Details of their life were found by the
onel Fitz Clarence, Earl of Munster, who commit
ted suicide dS42), and in the English army rec
ords 1754-1S42. These regiments are in name ex-
listing today, and the leader of the band who
played at the garden party of the Army Relief
society is lineal descendant of one of the
officers
In 1866 the first fortifcation was built. in 1778
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." the New York
Gazette referred to the thousand Continental men
stationed there; Lord Stirling considered it bet
ter guarded than any other post" The brothers
Howe stayed there until the evacuation of New
York
After the battle of Long Island and the British
victory, August 81 1776 the Liberty" boys came
back under cover of the darkness and right under
the noses of the victorious enemy secured NUM-
tions and food
Tradition says that Governor Clinton loaned
the island once for course 17S4-5).
In 1894 ferry established which took pas
sengers at threepence head. The one in use
averages 10000 passengers a month
That year congress appropriated $3727.52 for
the islands defenses In 1896 the works were
dignifed as forts and about this date Knox re-
ports "On Governors Island. one Fashioned square,
commanding two low batteries quite finished y
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 pickaxes
and shovels to help erect breastworks when one
of the French scares aroused local fears and
inspired the call for harbor defense. In 1880 It
was ceded by the State of New York to the
United States, and In 1921 the Federal military
headquarters we're transferred there