There are competing historical claims about where Hale met his death.
Plaque 1 Inscription: Legendary 21-year old hero of the Revolutionary War was hanged as an American spy on Sunday, September 22, 1776, probably within 100 yards of here. Arrested Saturday night, he was interrogated by the British commander, General William Howe, at his headquarters near what is now the United Nations. The exact location of the hanging is one of history’s uncertainties. Other places have been sited, but a British officer’s diary indicated the Royal Artillery park near the Dove Tavern on the Old Post Road, now Third Avenue where it intersects 66th Street. The New-York Historical Society website has more details. www.nyhistory.org
Plaque 2 Inscription: States that American patriot Nathan Hale was hanged "near" this site—identifying the location as the British Artillery Park—before uttering his famous last words, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country". The The Yale Club of New York City features a historical plaque marking it as the purported execution site of Revolutionary War spy and Yale graduate Nathan Hale. Placed by the Mary Washington Colonial Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) alongside the Yale Club.
