Port Richmond

Port Richmond. A Key Port and a Strategic Island. , Characterized as a sheltered strip of beach directly across from Bayonne, New Jersey, Port Richmond was an important launching place on Staten Island for travelers heading to New York. Port Richmond was laid out in 1838 and grew into an industrial center in the latter half of the nineteenth century., New York to Philadelphia in Two Days , The Dutch named the island "Staaten Eylandt" in the seventeenth century. In the early eighteenth century, a village emerged on the north shore near Jacob Corson's ferry, which linked Port Richmond and Bergen Point (present-day Bayonne). A stagecoach line that opened in 1773 connecting New York City and Philadelphia passed through Staten Island. The line utilized the Port Richmond/Bergen Point ferry; the two day journey became one of the most affordable means of travel between the two colonial cities., Generals and Diplomats , Staten Island was a strategic location in the American Revolution. In 1776, Continental forces here under the command of William Alexander fired on the initial British naval vessels approaching New York City. British forces occupied Staten Island on July 3, 1776. Later that year, British Admiral Richard Howe met with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams here to discuss ending the war. The final shot of the Revolution occurred on November 25, 1783 when a departing British ship fired on Staten Island., A Political Haven , Staten Island contributed to the early political history of the United States. Its residents organized one of George Washington's greatest rallies during his procession to New York City for his presidential inauguration in 1789. An early prominent resident was Daniel D. Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York and Vice President under James Monroe., Factories and Suburbs , Early industries in Port Richmond included granite quarries, a dye mill, and a whale oil factory. Port Richmond was incorporated in 1867, including parts of present-day Elm Park and Mariner's Harbor. In the early twentieth century, New businesses operated along the Kill Van Kull, including the Dean Linseed Oil Works, the Schneider Coal Company, and asphalt and varnish companies. Workers lived south of Richmond Terrace. The opening of the Bayonne Bridge, other New Bridges and connecting expressways attracted more people to Staten Island than industry, turning it into one of the New York area's major suburbs.