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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Central Park North End in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

A View From the Road

 
 
A View From the Road Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Larry Gertner, July 10, 2016
1. A View From the Road Marker
Inscription. This path marks the route of the Kingsbridge Road, also known as the Eastern Post Road. This was the main road through Manhattan in the 1700s and early 1800s, before the current street grid was implemented, and was key to transportation in the area. Originally the route of a Native American trail known as the Wickqueasgeck Trail, the road was designated a public highway in 1669. The road originated in southern Manhattan at around today's Madison Square and proceeded north to the King's Bridge at the northern tip of Manhattan. Upon entering the Bronx, the road split, with one branch leading to Albany and the other to Boston. As these were the main roads for mail delivery and travel, they were known as post roads, and are considered the first public highways.

The Kingsbridge Road entered the future Central Park at around 95th Street and veered west to find a suitable place to cross the Harlem Creek, which flowed east into the Harlem River. The road passed through this rocky landscape and descended through McGowan's Pass, named after the McGowan family, who owned a house and tavern near the present-day site of the Park's operational area known as the Mount. The Pass, together with commanding views north from high points in the landscape, made this a highly strategic location for military defense. The British army built fortifications

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in this area during the Revolutionary War, and a few decades later the American army rebuilt fortifications in some of the same locations during the War of 1812. As part of this latter effort, the Americans built a gatehouse to control access to the road and defend against a British attack from the north. In the course of restoring this landscape in 2013, the Central Park Conservancy hired archaeologists to determine the impact of the project on any physical remnants of this history. The archeologists discovered the foundations of the gatehouse as well as the surface of the Kingsbridge Road, still preserved underground. These are significant findings that help us understand the history of the landscape before the park was built.
 
Erected by Central Park Conservancy.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & VehiclesWar of 1812War, US Revolutionary.
 
Location. 40° 47.75′ N, 73° 57.133′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in Central Park North End. Marker can be reached from East Drive. Marker is in Central Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New York NY 10029, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. McGown's Pass (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Clinton: On Top of Manhattan
The area of McGowan's Pass image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Larry Gertner, July 10, 2016
2. The area of McGowan's Pass
(within shouting distance of this marker); Mount Saint Vincent (within shouting distance of this marker); Before There Was a Park (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Andrew Haswell Green Memorial (about 600 feet away); Shoreline Walk (about 600 feet away); Odetta (about 600 feet away); Maria Callas Birthplace (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
 
Regarding A View From the Road. Recently, the Central Park Conservancy has begun installing informational waysides like this one.
 
Also see . . .
1. New York City in the American Revolution: McGowan’s Pass and Black Horse Tavern. Revolutionary War Journal article. (Submitted on September 12, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.) 

2. Excavated in Central Park: Traces of Anti-Redcoat Fortifications, Never Needed. New York Times article, 09/24/2014 (Submitted on September 12, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.) 
 
McGowan's Pass at the time of the Revolutionary War. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Revolutionary War Journal, unknown
3. McGowan's Pass at the time of the Revolutionary War.
Mc Gowan Pass War of 1812 fortification image. Click for full size.
Photographed By New York Times, unknown
4. Mc Gowan Pass War of 1812 fortification
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 24, 2016, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 392 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on July 24, 2016, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.   3, 4. submitted on September 12, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024