There are many sites around New York dating to the Dutch and English
Colonial Periods. Not all of them are streets or neighborhoods. Some
are individual places and sites whose history is every bit as
interesting as that of a whole neighborhood. Here are a few to choose
from.
1 - Dyckeman House a Dutch farmhouse in Manhattan. The current house
was built in 1784 which barely places it in the colonial Period, but
events on the property have the house preceeding the current one being
directly involved with the revolutionary war thus placing the property
within the colonial period.
"During the Revolution, the Continental army, in its retreat from
Harlem Heights, occupied the original Dyckman farmhouse, and
subsequently the British used it during their occupation of Manhattan.
When the British withdrew in 1783, they burned the building; the house
was rebuilt by William Dyckman." - Quote from "Dyckman House -
History" - article by Sondra E. Ganelli/Fordham University
( http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medny/ganelli2.html )
2 - One of the lesser known colonial areas of New York City is
Governor's Island.
"The U.S. Coast Guard held the last of several official ceremonies of
disestablishment on Governors Island Tuesday, Sept. 30, 1997.
"It's a sad day for the Coast Guard," said CAPT Henry Dresch before a
crowd of 200 onlookers at a low-key but nostalgic ceremony.
As head of the Closure Project Residence Office, Dresch was the
overseer for moving all the Coast Guard's operations off the island.
He served as the last military commander on Governors Island dating
back to 1745 when GI was under control of the British Colonial
Militia." - Quote from the website of the US Coastguard Reserve.
( http://www.uscg.mil/reserve/magazine/mag1997/dec1997/lookin.htm )
This page deals with a call to preserve Governor's Island
( http://www.wccny.org/advocacy/governors.html )
3 - One of New York's finest colonial sites is the Van Cortlandt House
in the Bronx. - "Since 1748, Van Cortlandt House has stood as a symbol
of New York's colonial past and the men and women who shaped our
history. For generations, the Van Cortlandt family estate was a
prosperous plantation with extensive planting fields and livestock, a
grist mill, and a resident community of craftsmen and field workers,
some free and some enslaved." - quote from Van Cortlandt House Museum
webpage of NYChistory.org./Museum of the City of New York
( http://www.nychistory.org/VCHMPAGE.HTM ) - You will find photos and
more history here. Washington started out from the Van Cortlandt
House with a contingent of troops to cross the King's Bridge and take
possession of New York City from the British in the last act of the
American Revolution.
4 - Also located in the Bronx is The Valentine-Varian House. It is
the site of six skirmishes between American troops and British forces,
who occupied the house for the greater part of the Revolutionary War.
You will find a brief history and photo of the house.
( http://www.bronxhistoricalsociety.org/about/vvhouse.html ) - a
webpage of the Bronx Historical Society.
5 - One of the more striking colonial sections of Manhattan has a
history from early days which has largely been covered over and
ignored, though things are changing. Today, it is Civic Center. It
was then "The African Burial Ground."
"Although Africans were a vital part of society from the earliest
colonial times, there are few landmarks in New York City that
recognize their presence. They helped build the city but no statues or
other monuments were built in their honor. No streets, squares,
buildings or rivers have names with origins in their culture.
Distinctly African landmarks and physical remains are scarce and
scattered where they exist at all. The Burial Ground is significant
because, in the midst of lower Manhattan, there exists the remains of
an African culture stretching back to over 350 years."
"Throughout the eighteenth century, New York's free and enslaved
Africans buried their dead in a parcel of land which now is part of
the city's civic center area. ..... The total area is approximately
seven acres..... The site is currently characterized by a nineteenth-
and twentieth-century built environment including buildings, a
construction site, parking areas, and city streets, under which a
large portion of the African Burial Ground is preserved." - Both of
the above quotes are from the General Services Administration website
dealing with the burial ground.
( http://r2.gsa.gov/afrburgro/history.htm )
I hope the above is of help. Since the examples in your question
listed "generalized areas" such as Brooklyn, Amsterdam Ave, etc, I
hit on specific locations since the histories would be a little more
detailed and colorful if you are going to write a paper based on the
information. It also might give you a leg up in the final grade
department if the rest of the class chases down the examples you have
given. Your paper may be rather unique in comparison.
Please ask for any clarification you might need before rating the
answer.
Search Google
Key - colonial new york history, colonial new york city history, dutch
new york, british new york, revolutionary war new york city
Cheers
digsalot |
