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Highlights
1.9
Federal Hall National Memorial
7.1
President Jackson visited Castle Garden
10.1
City Hall Park Fountain
Duration
2 hours
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1
1 George Washington (1789 - 1797)
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26 Wall St, New York
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1.1
1760 - One Broadway
1.2
1776 - First Reading of the Declaration of Independence - On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted to approve Virginia's Resolution that These Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent states. Congress spent the next two days editing the text of the final document which was sent to John Dunlop, a Philadelphia Printer. 200 copies were printed. 26 survive today. The delegates actually signed it on August 2, 1776 in the Pennsylvania State House, perhaps not quite as dramatically as the story depicted in the Musical 1776.
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1.3
1770 - Statue of King George III - The large gilded statue of King George III crowned with a laurel wreath was commissioned to commemorate the repeal of the Stamp Act.
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1.4
1776 - Battle of Long Island - An action of the American Revolutionary War at the western edge of Long Island in the present-day Brooklyn, New York. The British defeated the Americans and gained access to the strategically important Port of New York, which they held for the rest of the war. It was the first major battle to take place after the United States declared its independence on July 4, and in troop deployment and combat, it was the biggest battle of the war.
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1.5
1961 - Battle of Harlem Heights Plaque - The Battle of Harlem Heights was fought during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The action took place on September 16, 1776, in what is now the Morningside Heights area and east into the future Harlem neighborhoods of northwestern Manhattan Island in what is now part of New York City.
1.6
1765 - Morris Jumel Mansion - At 250 years old, Morris-Jumel Mansion is Manhattan’s oldest house. Built in 1765 by British Army Colonel Roger Morris, the Mansion served as headquarters to General George Washington during the 1776 battle of New York and, for fifty years, was the residence of Eliza Jumel, one of America’s richest women and second wife to Vice President Aaron Burr.
1.7
1783 - Evacuation Day - November 25 marks the day in 1783 when the British Army departed from New York City on Manhattan Island, after the end of the American Revolutionary War. In their wake, General George Washington triumphantly led the Continental Army from his headquarters north of the city across the Harlem River, and south through Manhattan to the Battery at its southern tip.
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1.8
1783 - Washington's farewell dinner at Fraunces Tavern - The Revolutionary War finally concluded on November 25, 1783. There was a party at Fraunces Tavern hosted by Governor George Clinton. Then the British flag was taken down at Bowling Green and a large flotilla of ships carrying British troops and sympathizers departed New York Harbor. Nine days George Washington held an elaborate 'turtle feast' for his officers in the Long Room. At the time it was considered de rigeuer for sea captains who voyaged to the West Indies to capture one of the 300 pound (or more) sea turtles and return home with this souvenir. Considered the epitome of haute cuisine in Colonial America (and England), grand banquets were created around these humble animals transforming the turtle feast into a symbol of refined taste, indulgence and high status, an appropriate victory meal for a successful revolution. Washintgon's farewell speech was said to be very emotional and involved a lot of hugging.
1.9
1703 - Federal Hall National Memorial - Overshadowed today by its towering neighbors, the Greek Revival temple stands on what the New Yorker's Eric Homberger called "sacred ground for the making of the American republic" —where George Washington was inaugurated, where the first Congress convened, and where the flesh, including what would become the Bill of Rights, was placed on the bare bones of the Constitution (a forty-five-hundred-word document that never mentions the word "democracy") —during the 531 days when New York City was the nation's first capital. Even before that, it was the site of John Peter Zenger's trial, which provided the foundation for press freedoms; the Stamp Act Congress in 1765, where a formal coalition of the colonies was first suggested; and the Congress of the Confederation, from 1785 to 1789.The building would first be repurposed as a customs house, which, as New York dominated the nation's maritime trade, would generate most of the federal government's revenue by the mid-nineteenth century. Then the building would be transformed into a fortified branch of the United States Treasury, whose impregnable vaults would guard the largest repository of gold in the world.Its triple service-in the names of democracy, commerce, and capitalism-elevate Federal Hall to an unrivaled role in shaping the city's heritage. It symbolizes, the New York Times said, "Americas turbulent political babyhood and financial manhood. Decades after the new president and the first Congress reached one agreement after another on the enduring structure of the federal government, the diarist and former New York City mayor Philip Hone delivered a toast to the old Federal Hall that evoked the site's synonymy with the grand bargain: "It witnessed the greatest contract ever made in Wall Street." The national government's decision to decamp from Philadelphia and Trenton to New York, at least for the time being, was enthusiastically welcomed by the city's Common Council, which generously agreed to accommodate the out-of-towners by remodeling City Hall at Wall and Broad Streets. (The site was aptly named: Wall Street was the northern perimeter of where the Dutch stockade stood until the end of the seventeenth century; Broad Street was wider than most because it originally accommodated a canal that connected to the East River).
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1.10
1789 - 1st Presidential Inauguration - George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States. He delivered his first inaugural address to a joint session of Congress, assembled in Federal Hall in the nation's new capital, New York City.
1.11
1789 - George Washington Inaugural Bible - Everything was ready for the administration of the oath of office to the President of the new government, when it was discovered that a Holy Bible had not been provided on which the President-Elect could swear allegiance to the Constitution. Jacob Morton, who was Marshal of the parade, was standing close by. Seeing the dilemma they were in, he remarked that he could get the altar Bible of St. John`s Lodge where he was the Master, which met at the Old Coffee House on the corner of Water and Wall Streets. Chancellor Livingston begged him to do so. The Bible was brought, and the ceremony proceeded.
1.12
1704 - St. Paul's Chapel and Churchyard (Trinity) - Saint Paul's Chapel is the oldest church in Manhattan and is thought to be the oldest building in Manhattan. It is also the tallest public building in continuous use and the only remaining colonial church. Inside can be found the first rendition in oil paint of the Great Seal of the United States. It is one of the nation's finest examples of Late Georgian church architecture. Its worshippers included George Washington.
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1.13
1789 - 1st Presidential Proclamation of Thanksgiving Day - Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally since 1789, with the first proclamation by President George Washington after a request by Congress. The Continental Congress, the legislative body that governed the United States from 1774 to 1789, issued several "national days of prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving", a practice that was continued by presidents Washington and Adams under the Constitution, and has manifested itself in the established American observances of Thanksgiving and the National Day of Prayer today. As President, on October 3, 1789, George Washington made the proclamation and created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America. On the day of thanksgiving, Washington attended services at St. Paul's Chapel in New York City, and donated beer and food to imprisoned debtors in the city.
1.14
1790 - Patent Act of 1790 - Called An ACT to promote the Progress of Useful Arts, the Patent Act was one of the first laws passed by Congress and codified Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution. Patents were to last for 14 years; they were signed by the President and the Secretaries of State and the Treasury. This was the first time in history that the inventor (and not the monarch) had the right to the fruits of their labor. Furthermore, an examination system which set out standards was established. Pretty much from the beginning, the system proved unwieldy. The process took too long, was very cumbersome, it was difficult to convene the three cabinet members to sign the patents and there were multiple disputes among inventors which needed to be sorted out. The law was amended for the first of many times three years later.
1.15
1790 - 1st US Patent Issued - The first US Patent was issued for the invention of a method of manufacturing Potash and pearl ash. These were very important chemicals during the colonial period and used for everything from baking to making glass and saltpeter.
1.16
1770 - 1st Presidential Mansion - The Osgood House served as the first Presidential Mansion housing George Washington, his family, and household staff, from April 23, 1789, to February 23, 1790, during New York City's two-year term as the national capital.
1.17
1786 - 2nd Presidential Mansion - At 39–41 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, New York City, served as the second U.S. Presidential Mansion. President George Washington occupied it from February 23 to August 30, 1790, during New York City's two-year term as the national capital.
1.18
1883 - George Washington at Federal Hall - This sculpture depicts the moment after President Washington took the oath of office, which he did at Federal Hall on Wall Street in 1789. The pedestal was designed by Richard Morris Hunt.
1.19
1790 - Government House
2
2 John Adams (1797 - 1801)
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Staten Island, New York
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2.1
1675 - Conference House - The Conference House was built in the late 1600s and is the only pre-revolutionary manor still standing in New York City. It was the site of the Staten Island Peace Conference in September of 1776, which was an unsuccessful attempt to end the American Revolutionary War. Despite this failure, this building is an extremely important landmark in US history.
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3 Thomas Jefferson (1801 - 1809)
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57 Maiden Ln, New York
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3.1
1790 - Thomas Jefferson's house in New York - Thomas Jefferson rented 57 Maiden Lane while serving as Secretary of State in New York City in 1790. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison had dinner with Jefferson at his home to finalize the deal for what has come to be known as the Compromise of 1790. In 1790 the newly appointed Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, moved to New York, the new country's capital. He wrote to a friend "My first object was to look out a house on the Broadway as being the centre of my business. Finding none there vacant for the present, I have taken a small one in Maiden Lane, which may give me time to look about." Beginning on May 1st, Jefferson rented 57 Maiden Lane from grocers Robert and Peter Bruce for "one hundred pounds per annum New York currency, paiable in specie quarterly."¹ Jefferson would stay at the house until September 1st, when he returned to Virginia before moving to the new temporary national capital in Philadelphia.His residency at No. 57 Maiden Lane was short, just three months; but it was the scene of critical political events, including the dinner party during which the decision was made to move the capital to Philadelphia.A century later, on the site of Thomas Jefferson's temporary home now stood a five-story office building, home to the Provident Realty Company of New-York.
3.2
1790 - The Dinner Table Bargain - Congress had reached an impass. Hamilton had lobbied for the nation to assume the states' debts. The Southerners opposed this and wanted the national capital in Virginia.
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3.3
1834 - Thomas Jefferson Statue - The objects depicted in the statue represent something important about Thomas Jefferson. The Quill pen (a pen made from a bird feather) is pointing at the scroll, i.e., the Declaration of Independence (1776), Jefferson’s most famous piece of writing. The 2 Books at Jefferson’s feet most likely symbolize his donation of 6,487 books to the Library of Congress. On top of the books is a laurel wreath, a common symbol of victory representing American victory over British rule and the roots of American democracy in the ancient world.
3.4
1914 - Thomas Jefferson statue at Columbia University - This statue of Thomas Jefferson was commissioned by Joseph Pulitzer, a renowned newspaper publisher and journalist, for the School of Journalism.
4
4 James Madison Jr (1809-1817)
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41 Hanover Square, New York
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4.1
1847 - Madison Square Park - The 6.2-acre neighborhood that housed New York's elite in the 19th century was a prestigious area known for its brownstone row houses and mansions. It evolved from more humble beginnings into a symbol of wealth and prominence during the 1870s.
4.2
1879 - Madison Square Garden - A multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City.
4.3
Madison Square Fountain - Circular in plain Granite base, 6 flower pots incorporated into fence design
4.4
1826 - James Madison Plaza - James Madison Plaza takes its name from the combination of the two street names that bound it, St. James Place and Madison Street. St. James Place is named for nearby St. James Roman Catholic Church, located on Oliver Street. Madison Street was originally known as Bancker Street, after a son-in-law of the noted philanthropist Henry Rutgers (1745-1830).
4.5
1790 - The Dinner Table Bargain - Congress had reached an impass. Hamilton had lobbied for the nation to assume the states' debts. The Southerners opposed this and wanted the national capital in Virginia.
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5
5 James Monroe (1817 - 1825)
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63 Prince St, New York
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5.1
1961 - Battle of Harlem Heights Plaque - The Battle of Harlem Heights was fought during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The action took place on September 16, 1776, in what is now the Morningside Heights area and east into the future Harlem neighborhoods of northwestern Manhattan Island in what is now part of New York City.
5.2
1824 - Lafayette's Farewell Tour - 1824 August 15: Lafayette arrives in America as an honored guest of the United States of America at President James Monroe's invitation. He is received with wild adulation. When asked by hosts how he wished to be introduced to his audiences, he replies: "As an American General."1824 August: Lafayette visits the spot where the Boston Liberty Tree had once stood.1824 September 28-October 6: Lafayette makes a memorable visit to Philadelphia with his unforgettable speech at the State House, today's Independence Hall.1824 October: The town fathers at Easton, Pennsylvania decide to name their institution of higher learning in honor of General Lafayette after listening to his State House speech in Philadelphia. Lafayette College becomes one of America's greatest memorials to General Lafayette.1825 June 17: Lafayette helps to lay the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill monument in Charlestown, Massachusetts on the 50th anniversary of the battle.1825 September 9: Gilbert departs for France after his spectacular visitation to each of the 24 states of the Union. He sails aboard The Brandywine, a frigate named in his honor.
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5.3
The James Monroe House - Maria Hester Monroe, the youngest daughter of President James Monroe, was married at the White House in 1820—the first wedding ever held there. She and her husband, Samuel L. Gouverneur, later settled in Manhattan, where Gouverneur built an elegant Federal-style home at 63 Prince Street. After Monroe’s presidency ended amid financial strain, he moved into this house and died there on July 4, 1831—remarkably, the same date as the deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson five years earlier.The Prince Street residence became the site of New York’s largest funeral to that date and briefly served as a social hub for the city’s elite. As the neighborhood commercialized later in the 19th century, the house was converted to shops and factories. Though preservationists eventually recognized it as the “Monroe House” and installed a commemorative plaque in 1905, repeated fires, neglect, and failed rescue efforts took their toll. Despite multiple campaigns to save it, the historic home was ultimately demolished in the 1920s, marking one of the earliest—and most poignant—losses in America’s preservation movement.
5.4
1831 - New York City Marble Cemetery - The New York City Marble Cemetery is a historic cemetery founded in 1831, and located at 52-74 East 2nd Street between First and Second Avenues in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The cemetery has 258 underground burial vaults constructed of Tuckahoe marble on the site.The New York City Marble Cemetery, which was the city's second non-sectarian burial place, should not be confused with the nearby New York Marble Cemetery one block west, which was the first, having been established one year earlier. Both cemeteries were designated New York City landmarks in 1969, and in 1980 both were added to the National Register of Historic Places.
6
6 John Quincy Adams (1825 - 1829)
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City Hall Park, Broadway &, Chambers St, New York
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6.1
1791 - Erie Canal - A historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie.Before railroads, water transport was the most efficient way to move bulk goods. In early America, transporting goods inland from coastal ports was challenging, as the Appalachian Mountains posed significant barriers to travel and settlement. Rivers offered easy passage, but beyond the fall line, overland travel was slow and arduous, with journeys taking weeks due to the rough condition of roads.DeWitt Clinton shepherded the completion of the Erie Canal for $7 million, the canal was 363 miles in length including 565 miles of changing elevation. It lowered the cost of shipping made trade easier. It was the first from east to west transportation route in the country allowing the agricultural products of reducing cost of transport by 90%... enabling agriculture products to reach the sea making New York a major commercial port.
6.2
1839 - The Slave Ship Amistad
6.3
1842 - City Hall Park Fountain - Square pool with candelabrum at each corner; central column consisting of circular basin with umbrella above, surmounted by fixture
6.4
1913 - Woolworth Building - F. W. Woolworth, an entrepreneur who had become successful because of his "Five-and-Dimes" (5- and 10-cent stores), began planning a new headquarters for the F. W. Woolworth Company in 1910. It was the tallest building in the world when it was completed at 792'. The title lasted 21 years. The skyscraper was unusual because it was financed entirely in cash. The highlight of the opening ceremony featured United States President Woodrow Wilson throwing a switch to illuminate the building. Much of the original terra-cotta cladding has since been replaced with cast stone.The lobby is one of the most impressive in the city. It features a shining mosaic barrel vault, stained-glass skylight, marble walls, bronze fixtures, mezzanine murals entitled Labor and Commerce, and carved gargoyle representations of Gilbert, Woolworth, and other figures key to the design, engineering and construction of this landmark.
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7 Andrew Jackson (1829 - 1837)
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Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park - Liberty Island, New York
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7.1
1833 - President Jackson visited Castle Garden - In 1833 President Andrew Jackson decided to visit the East Coast. He spent a few days in Philadelphia taking in the sites at Independence Hall. and then arrived in New York for what was termed a ‘popularity’ visit. He disembarked at Castle Clinton mounted his horse and proceeded to lead a parade of supporters up Broadway to City Hall. He successfully made it onto dry land but the hundred thousand supporters who followed him turned out to be a bit too heavy for the wooden footbridge connecting the Castle to Battery Park which gave way and a lot of people got wet.
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8 Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
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City Hall Park, Broadway &, Chambers St, New York
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8.1
1837 - 1st New Yorker to become President - Martin Van Buren was the first U.S. president born in New York state. Born in Kinderhook in 1782, he served as the 8th president from 1837 to 1841. Before the presidency, he was a key political figure, serving as governor of New York, a U.S. senator, and vice president under Andrew Jackson.
8.2
1839 - The Slave Ship Amistad
8.3
1842 - City Hall Park Fountain - Square pool with candelabrum at each corner; central column consisting of circular basin with umbrella above, surmounted by fixture
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9 William Henry Harrison (31 days in 1841)
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City Hall Pk Path, New York
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9.1
1776 - Signing of the United States Declaration of Independence - The signing of the Declaration of Independence took place on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. The 56 delegates from the 13 colonies, except for New York, which abstained, voted to approve it on July 4, 1776. The Declaration declared that the colonies were now "free and independent States" and no longer a part of the British Empire. The signers’ names are grouped by state, except for John Hancock, as President of the Continental Congress. The final draft was approved on July 4, but it was signed on August 2, according to most historians.
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9.2
1841 - William Henry Harrison New York Memorial Service Ribbon - Ribbon issued in association with April 10, 1841 memorial service for William Henry Harrison held in New York, New York. Harrison died on April 4, 1841.Measurement: Ribbon: 7 1/4 x 3 in.; 18.415 x 7.62 cm
10
10 ‘His Accidency’ John Tyler (1841-1845)
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City Hall Park, Broadway &, Chambers St, New York
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10.1
1842 - City Hall Park Fountain - Square pool with candelabrum at each corner; central column consisting of circular basin with umbrella above, surmounted by fixture
10.2
1842 - The 1st President to marry in office
11
11 James K. Polk (1845 - 1849)
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Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park - Liberty Island, New York
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11.1
1811 - Castle Clinton National Monument - Castle Clinton or Fort Clinton, previously known as Castle Garden, is a circular sandstone fort located in Battery Park, in Manhattan, New York City. Built from 1808 to 1811, it was the first American immigration station, predating Ellis Island, where more than 8 million people arrived in the United States from 1855 to 1890.
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12
12 Zachary Taylor (1849 - 1850)
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City Hall Pk Path & Broadway, New York
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12.1
1850 - President Zachary Taylor funeral procession in NYC - President Zachary Taylor’s 1849 tour of the Northeastern United States was to familiarize himself with the region, which was intended as a relaxing trip from Washington, D.C., to areas including Pennsylvania and New York. It was marred by significant health issues and a premature conclusion due to illness and pressing political matters. He seems to have gotten sick a lot and cancelled meetings.
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