Monthly Archives: May 2023

New York City Sites, Uncategorized

Bowling Green

Bowling Green Parks was created in 1733, while New York was still a colony, and is the oldest park in New York City. Since New York was first founded, however, this plot of land has been the focus of its citizens and has been used for markets, as a parade ground, and for Mayday celebrations. In 1765, it was the center of protests against the Stamp Act. An effigy of Lieutenant-Governor Golden was burned on this spot, along with his carriage. When the Act was repealed a year later, the grateful citizens asked that a state of King George III be erected here, and a gilded lead statue soon occupied a placer of honor.

 However, deteriorating relations with England caused the statue and the park to again become the site for regular protests.   On July 9, 1776, George Washington read the Declaration of Independence aloud to his troops in what is now City Hall Park, and an angry mob of patriots proceeded down to Bowling Green Park and began to riot.  The statue of king George was soon toppled, and the mob chopped off his hard and marched triumphantly through the streets

German version of the destruction of the statue of King George III dated circa 1776. Apparently, the artist had never visited New York City. Note the German and French captions. The action of the American mob was of interest around the world.

Parts of the statue were melted down and used as bullets by George Washington’s army during the Revolutionary War.  There are still several pieces which remain and are on display at the New York Historical Society. In addition, each of the spikes on the fence at one time was adorned with a miniature crown, representing the King of England.   

Bowling Green around 1839. Note the series of mansions that line Broadway..

When the mob converged on the park on July 9, 1776, those crowns were sawed off.   If you are ever in lower Manhattan and visit Bowling Green Park, you will see that the spikes on the fence are of varying heights. This is because you are looking at the original fence, first erected in 1771, both a witness and a monument to revolutionary fervor.

Bowling Green in 1861. Note the carriages lined up on the south side.
Bowling Green around 1910. Trinity Church in the distance up Broadway.
Bowling Green today. Copyright Brendan Rothman-Hicks 2023)

Take a tour with NYC Tours Then and Now and we will show you all of the best places to visit in New York City, including Bowling Green, and teach you a bit of history at the same time.

(All photos, except as marked, are courtesy of the NYPL Digital Collection. Some have been reformatted and colorized by the authors.)