Relentless growth has time and again swept away the antiquity of this city and its vital open space. Of the remnants, nine places of significance are administered by the National Park Service. They range from the little known to the world famous, from the houses of great figures to the sites of elusive events, to fringes of untrammeled beach and marsh once common here. These parks are places of memory and refreshment, threading together past and present.A good first stop is Castle Clinton. Once a link in New York's harbor defense system, Castle Clinton today is the main visitor center for the national parks in New York City. . .
Castle Clinton National Monument
Ellis Island's predecessor as New York's immigration station, Castle Clinton was constructed for harbor defense just before the War of 1812. Between 1824 and the early 1850s, under the name of Castle Garden, the structure was a fashionable theater. Later it housed an aquarium. Inside are exhibits on the history of Castle Clinton and other NPS sites.
At the booths on the parade ground visitors can obtain tickets and orientation information for the trip to the Statue of Liberty; ferries depart from the promenade outside the building. Check with individual park staffs for information about entrance fees, group tours, special events, and the Volunteers in Parks program. Located in Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, it is easy to reach by bus and subway.
Ellis Island
By 1790, New York was already America's largest city, a distinction it has never relinquished. Many millions of newcomers, most notably those who journeyed from eastern and southern Europe at the turn of the century, first set foot on American soil at Ellis Island. The immigration station operated from 1892 until 1954. Adding to its population in the 19th century were great waves of immigrants. The number of new arrivals was so large that an immigration station opened in 1855 at a defunct entertainment emporium called Castle Garden (now Castle Clinton). When that location proved inadequate, the station was moved in 1892 to Ellis Island. Millions of eastern and southern Europeans were processed into the country before this station closed in 1954.
Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty National Monument is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.In terms of fame, probably no American monument compares with the Statue of Liberty. France's centenary gift to the United States symbolizing friendship between the two countries, "Liberty Enlightening the World" has evolved into a universal symbol of freedom. Ferries depart from Battery Park (tickets are obtained at Castle Clinton), and from Liberty State Park in New Jersey.
St. Paul's Church
St. Paul's National Historic Site
897 S. Columbus Ave.
Mount Vernon, NV 10550
(914) 667-4116
St. Paul's Church was established in the 17th century. The church's "Freedom Bell" was cast in the same London foundry as its famous "twin," the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Before the present structure was completed, the village green next to the church was the setting for events linked with newspaperman John Peter Zenger's fight for freedom of the press. Zenger's landmark trial in 1735, the Stamp Act Congress in 1765, and the meeting of the first U.S. Congress, which in 1789 drafted the Bill of Rights, all took place at the original Federal Hall. The Bill of Rights Museum occupies the former parish hall Gateway National Recreation Area
The concept of the urban natural park emerged in the 1960s. One of the first such areas in the National Park System, Gateway National Recreation Area protects wilderness along the city's south shore. The name comes from New York Bay's natural portal formed by two arms of land, Sandy Hook and Rockaway Peninsula.
The assortment of activities at Gateway's four units -- from beachcombing to aviation history-is as diverse as the community the park serves.Native wildlife, public beaches, and historic structures make up Gateway, a protected area at the entrance to lower New York Bay. Gateway National Recreation Area has tour separate units: Jamaica Bay and Breezy Point Units, both located in Queens; Sandy Hook Unit in New Jersey; and Staten Island Unit. History buffs, particularly of the aviation breed, will want to visit Floyd Bennett Field, New York City's first official airfield, and the future home of an air museum. The venerable hangars and the fields are still there, and there are rumors of a aeronautics museum appearing in the near future.
Hamilton Grange National Memorial
This memorial is located in Manhattan, at Convent Avenue and 141st Street. Alexander Hamilton was a revolutionary leader, author of many of the Federalist Papers and first U.S. Treasury Secretary. In 1798 Alexander Hamilton bought an estate in what was then quiet countryside on the upper part of the island. He named it The Grange after his family's ancestral home in Scotland. John McComb, one of the architects of the present City Hall, designed the Federal-style house, completed in 1802. Hamilton lived here until his death in a duel with Aaron Burr in 1804.
General Grant National Memorial
Find this in beautiful Riverside Park near W. 122nd St. and Riverside Drive. The 18th President and great Civil War commander Ulysses S. Grant is entombed in Manhattan. Grant's Tomb reflects both the popularity enjoyed by the Civil War general and the pride the nation took in erecting grand monuments in the late 19th century. His body and that of his wife, Julia, lie in the nation's largest mausoleum, whose majestic design testifies to a devoted public. Dedicated in 1897, Grant's Tomb, as it is generally known, has become a landmark.
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
This house sits quietly at 28 E. 20th. Street. The exterior and living quarters of this four-story brownstone re-create the house where Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. President, was born in 1858 and spent his first 14 years. TR's sisters and widow furnished rooms to recall the era of his occupancy. Dedicated in 1923, the house was America's first Victorian reconstruction. Inside are exhibits on Roosevelt's life.
Federal Hall National Memorial
The 1842 Greek Revival structure that now occupies the site once served as New York's Subtreasury. Right across the street is the New York Stock Exchange. Now it is a memorial to the original Federal Hall, birthplace of the Bill of Rights and first capitol of the United States. George Washington was inaugurated President here in 1789, an event commemorated by the bronze statue of Washington that stands outside.
