HAND COLORED PRINT GOVERNORS ISLAND, NEW YORK CITY, FROM 1860 VALENTINE’S MANUAL for Sale

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HAND COLORED PRINT GOVERNORS ISLAND, NEW YORK CITY, FROM 1860 VALENTINE’S MANUAL For Sale

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HAND COLORED PRINT GOVERNORS ISLAND, NEW YORK CITY, FROM 1860 VALENTINE’S MANUAL:
$525.00

Hand colored antebellum steel engravingof New York Harbor and New York City from Governor's Island depicted in 1860 as it would have looked in 1816. Taken from Fort Columbus on Governor's Island, this view is oriented toward the southern tip of Manhattan. Some prominent buildings are visible along the skyline, including Castle Garden (then called the Southwest Battery) and Trinity Church. Fort Columbus as well as the Southwest Battery were instrumental to New York City's fortifications during the war of 1812, discouraging the British from taking naval action against the city. The East River is depicted to the right, and many ships are seen in the harbor. In excellent condition. Original fold lines as issued.
David Thomas Valentine (1801-1869) served as the Deputy to the Clerk of the Common Council for thirty-seven years and began publishing the "Manual for the Corporation of the City of New York" in 1841. The Manuals were directories of extensive historical and contemporary records of New York that included facts about the City of New York, city history, city council information, and reported on the progress of public works such as Central Park. Popularly called Valentine's Manuals, the texts were richly illustrated with intricately-folded large format maps, lithographs, and engravings. This view provides a fascinating look at New York City from before the Civil War.
All of our hand-colored prints and engravings are prepared after careful historical research by our in-house professional colorist using premium water color paints.LIKE THIS ITEM? BUT DON'T LIKE THE PRICE? MAKE US AN Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Governors Islandis a 172-acre (70ha) island inNew York Harbor, within theNew York City boroughofManhattan. It is located approximately 800 yards (730m) south of Manhattan Island, and is separated fromBrooklynto the east by the 400-yard-wide (370m)Buttermilk Channel. TheNational Park Serviceadministers a small portion of the north end of the island as theGovernors Island National Monument, including two former military fortifications namedFort JayandCastle Williams. The Trust for Governors Island operates the remaining 150 acres (61ha), including 52 historic buildings, as a public park. About 103 acres (42ha) of the land area isfill, added in the early 1900s to the south of the original island.

The nativeLenapeoriginally referred to Governors Island asPaggank("nut island") because of the area's rich collection ofchestnut,hickory, andoaktrees; it is believed that this space was originally used for seasonal foraging and hunting. The name was translated into the DutchNoten Eylandt, thenAnglicizedintoNutten Island, before being renamedGovernor's Islandby the late 18th century. The island's use as a military installation dates to 1776, during theAmerican Revolutionary War, whenContinental Armytroops raised defensive works on the island. From 1783 to 1966, the island was aUnited States Armypost, serving mainly as a training ground for troops, though it also served as a strategic defense point during wartime. The island then served as a majorUnited States Coast Guardinstallation until 1996. Following its decommissioning as a military base, there were several plans for redeveloping Governors Island. It was sold to the public for a nominal sum in 2003, and opened for public use in 2005.

Governors Island has become a popular destination for the public, attracting more than 800,000 visitors per year as of 2018. In addition to the 43-acre (17ha) public park, Governors Island includes free arts and cultural events, as well as recreational activities. TheNew York Harbor School, a public high school with a maritime-focused curriculum, has been on the island since 2010. The island can only be accessed by ferries from Brooklyn and Manhattan, and there are no full-time residents as of 2022. It was accessible to the public only during the summer until 2021, when the island started operating year-round.

Etymology

The NativeLenaperefer to the island of these names literally translate to "Nut Island", likely in reference to the many chestnut,hickory, and oak trees on the island.[7][10][11]: 9 [12]The Dutch explorerAdriaen Blockcalled itNoten Eylandt, a translation,[7][8]and this wasAnglicizedintoNutten Island, a name that continued to be used until the late 18th century.[9]The name "Governor's Island", with anapostrophe, stems from theBritish colonial era, when thecolonial assemblyreserved the island for the exclusive use ofNew York's royal governors.[13][14]The current name without an apostrophe was made official in 1784.[9]

HistoryColonial periodNieu Nederlandt ship portrait

Governors Island was initially much smaller than it is today. It had manyinletsalong its shoreline, and groves ofhardwoodtrees, from which the island's native name is derived.[15]There is insufficient evidence as to whether Governors Island contained any permanent Lenape settlements, or was used mainly for hunting and gathering.[10]In 1524, the explorerGiovanni da Verrazzanowas perhaps the first European to observe what was then calledPaggank.[16]One hundred years later, in May 1624, Noten Eylandt was the landing place of the first settlers inNew Netherland. They departed fromAmsterdamin theDutch Republicwith the shipNieu Nederlandtunder the command ofCornelius Jacobsen Mayand disembarked on the island with thirty families in order to take possession of the New Netherland territory.[17]For this reason, theNew York State SenateandAssemblyrecognize Governors Island as the birthplace of the state of New York, and also certify the island as the place on which the planting of the "legal-political guaranty of tolerance onto the North American continent" took place.[18]

In 1633, the fifth director ofNew Netherland,Wouter van Twiller, arrived with a 104-man regiment on Noten Eylandt, and later commandeered the island for his personal use.[10]He secured his farm by drawing up a deed on June 16, 1637, which was signed by two Lenape leaders, Cacapeteyno and Pewihas, on behalf of their community at Keshaechquereren, situated in present-day New Jersey.[19][16]Van Twiller cultivated a farm on the island, even building awindmillon the land, until he returned to the Netherlands in 1642.[10]The windmill was demolished possibly by 1648, when colonial governorPeter Stuyvesantburned it down after seeing it in inoperable condition.[20]Following this, Noten Eylandt is said to have been used as a recreation ground by the Dutch between 1652 and 1664.[13]There is little other documentation on the use of the island during the Dutch colonial period, other than the fact that it has remained in public ownership since van Twiller left New Netherland.[15]

New Netherland was conditionally ceded to the English in 1664, and the English renamed the settlement New York in June 1665.[21][15]By 1674, the British had total control of the island.[22][16]At this point, the eastern shore of the island was separated fromBrooklynby a shallow channel that could be easily traversed at low tide. This became known asButtermilk Channel, since farm women would use the channel to travel to Manhattan island in boats and sellbuttermilk.[13]By 1680, Nutten Island contained a single house and pasture to be used by colonial governors for raising sheep, cattle, and horses.[13]

The British started calling Nutten Island "Governor's Island" (with an apostrophe) in 1698 and reserved the island for the exclusive use of colonial governors.[23][13][24]Four years later, whenEdward Hyde, Lord Cornburytook office as New York colonial governor, he built a mansion on Governor's Island, though evidence of this mansion no longer exists.[15][13]Later, governorWilliam Cosbyused the island as a preserve to breed and huntpheasants.[15][25]Other governors leased out the island for profit,[23]and for a short period around 1710, Governor's Island was designated as a quarantine station for Palatine (German) refugees arriving from England on their way to Germantown on the Hudson. Otherwise, Governor's Island mostly remained untouched until theAmerican Revolutionary Warstarted in 1775.[15][26]

American RevolutionA house in Nolan Park

The first plans for fortifications on Governor's Island were made in 1741, in anticipation of a war with France, but the fortifications were never built.[27]The island was first used by a military encampment in 1755 during theFrench and Indian War, when SirWilliam Pepperellled the51st Regiment of Footonto Governor's Island.[27][28][29][30]Other regiments soon followed,[30]and by the mid-1760s, there was documentation of a fort on the island as well as several surrounding earthworks.[27]Further plans to improve the fortifications on Governor's Island were devised in 1766 by British military engineerJohn Montresor.[31][32][33]These plans were never realized, even though the British had asked for funding for these fortifications in 1774.[31][34]

After the American Revolution started,Continental ArmyGeneralGeorge Washingtonassigned GeneralCharles Leeto create a defensive plan for New York Harbor.[31]Lee's plan called for several defensive forts in Brooklyn, in Manhattan'sBattery, and on Governor's Island.[34][35]On the night of April 9, 1776, Continental Army GeneralIsrael Putnamcame to the island to addearthworksand 40 cannons, in anticipation of the return of the British, who had fled New York City the year before.[34][35][36][37]The island's defenses continued to be improved over the following months,[34][38][39]and on July 12, 1776, the defenses engagedHMSPhoenixandHMSRoseas they made a run up the Hudson River to theTappan Zee.[34][35][39]Even though the British were able to travel as far north as the Tappan Zee, the colonists' cannon inflicted enough damage to make the British commanders cautious of entering theEast River,[40]and the fortifications contributed to the success of Washington's retreat from Brooklyn to Manhattan after theBattle of Long Island, when the British Army attempted to takeBrooklyn Heightsduring the largest battle of the war, around August 27, 1776.[38][39][40][41]

In what appeared to be a strategic miscalculation, the rebels' munitions caused little to no damage to the British ships that were waiting some 2 miles (3.2km) downstream.[41][42][43]Two days after the British withdrawal to Manhattan, the Continental Army forces withdrew from Brooklyn and Governor's Island, and the British took back Governor's Island. From September 2 to 14, 1776, the new British garrison engaged volleys with Washington's guns on the Battery in front ofFort Georgein Manhattan.[44][42]On September 6, the Americans' unsuccessful attempt to detonate the submersibleTurtleat the island was the first documented submarine attack in history.[43][45]The fort, along with the rest of New York City, was held by the British for the rest of the war untilEvacuation Dayin 1783.[42][43][45]During this time, the British continued to improve Governor's Island's defenses.[45][46]

Late 18th through 19th centuriesLate 18th century to War of 1812

At the end of the Revolution, Governor's Island was transferred from the Crown to the state of New York. The island saw no military usage, instead being used as a hotel and racetrack.[38]The quality of the fortifications, which were mostly made of earth, began to decline.[38][47]The name of Nutten Island was changed to "Governors Island" by act of the United States legislature on March 29, 1784.[48][9]Governors Island was conveyed to theNew York State Board of Regentsin 1790 "for the encouragement of education ... unless needed for military purposes."[23][48]Little else is known about the island's use during this time.[49]

Castle Williams

By the mid-1790s, increased military tensions renewed an interest in fortifying New York Harbor, and a U.S. congressional committee had drawn a map of possible locations for theFirst Systemof fortifications to protect major American urban centers.[49][50][51]Governors Island was one of the first locations where defenses were built.[52]As such, the agreement with the Board of Regents was voided in 1794,[23][48]and some $250,000 in federal funding was allocated to the construction of defenses on Governors Island in 1794 and 1795.[49][50][51]Fort Jay was built starting in 1794 on the site of the earlier Revolutionary War earthworks.[51][53][45]Work proceeded despite concerns that Fort Jay's low elevation made it vulnerable to being captured.[54]Fort Jay, a square four-bastioned fort, was made of earthworks and timber, two impermanent materials that deteriorated soon after the threat of war went away, and by 1805 it had significantly degraded.[53]Ownership of the island was transferred to the federal government on February 15, 1800.[48][55]

Lieutenant ColonelJonathan Williams, placed in charge of New York Harbor defenses in the early 1800s, proposed several new fortifications around the harbor as part of theSecond Systemof fortifications. Unlike the First System defenses, the new fortifications were to be made of masonry to preclude deterioration, and they included increased firepower and improved weaponry.[53][56]Fort Jay was rebuilt from 1806 to 1809 in its current five-pointed star shape,[55][56][57][58]and was renamed Fort Columbus shortly afterward.[57][58][55]A second major fortification, Castle Williams, was a circular battery built between 1807 and 1811 on a rocky shoal extending from the northwest corner of the island, to the north of Fort Columbus.[55][56][58][59]A third fortification, the South Battery or Half-Moon Battery (now building 298), was built to the south of Fort Columbus on the island's eastern shore in 1812.[46][60][61]TheWar of 1812commenced shortly after the completion of these defenses, though the fortifications never saw combat.[60][62]

Mid-19th century and Civil War

After the War of 1812, the island did not see much development. Rather, it was used for garrisoning troops startingc. 1821.[63][64]The troops garrisoned on the island were deployed to wars four times in the rest of the 19th century.[65]The New York Arsenal, a military division that dealt withartilleryand was separate from the Army, moved to the island in 1832 and started constructing an armory building three years later.[66][67][68][64]Construction of structures for the Arsenal continued for several decades. To distinguish the Arsenal's and the Army's structures, the former's buildings were designed in theGreek Revivalstyle,[68][69][70]such as theAdmiral's Housebuilt in 1843.[68]

Admiral's House, completed in 1843

The Army still retained a military presence on the island, and in the 1830s, it constructed several new buildings, such as officers' barracks and a hospital.[68][69]The Army also added masonry seawalls[71]and opened an "administrative and training center" starting from the 1850s.[22][63][71]The erection of the recruiting center and barracks resulted in the creation of Nolan Park, to the east for Fort Columbus.[71]Together with these changes, a grassy area was cleared between Fort Columbus and Castle Williams to allow better vantage points should defensive attacks be launched.[72][73]Other Army structures included amusterstation that operated throughout theMexican–American WarandAmerican Civil War,[22][74]as well as a music school.[22]Still, most of the troops continued to live in tents.[71]To accommodate Army personnel's religious requirements, a smallGothic Revivalchapel forProtestantswas built on Governors Island in 1846.[75][76][77]

No new permanent buildings were built specifically for the Civil War,[72]though a temporary hospital was built.[78]The hospital treated victims ofcholeraandyellow feverin epidemics during the 1850s and 1860s.[68]During the war, Governors Island was used mostly as a support facility to muster soldiers, though the fortifications were still operational.[74][72]Castle Williams heldConfederateprisoners of war and Fort Columbus held captured Confederate officers.[22][56][63][72]The austere accommodations frequently held over a thousand prisoners,[72]and they frequently escaped and swam across to "mainland" Manhattan.[73][74]In 1863, in the midst of theNew York City draft riots, protesters unsuccessfully attempted to take over the island when Army troops were deployed to Manhattan.[78][79][65]

After the war, Castle Williams was used as a militarystockadeand became the East Coast counterpart to military prisons atFort Leavenworth, Kansas, andAlcatraz Island, California.[22]Infrastructure and facilities were repaired, unused structures were destroyed, and in 1875 a new munitions warehouse was built north of Fort Columbus.[80]Significant development occurred on the formerly undeveloped northern and eastern sides of the island: the old wood-frame barracks outside Fort Columbus were replaced, and new officers' quarters were built in Nolan Park, east of Fort Columbus.[81]The seawalls on the north and west sides of the island were rehabilitated or extended to create additional buildable land.[82]During this period of expansion, in 1870, a particularly severe yellow fever epidemic occurred on the island, sickening hundreds and requiring aquarantine.[79][83][84]The structures that hosted yellow fever patients were later demolished.[83]Despite these changes, in 1873 Fort Columbus and Castle Williams were still described as operable.[85]

In 1878, Fort Columbus became a major Army administrative center, and Army officers' families started to move in.[86][22]Other recreational options on the island were tennis courts in Nolan Park; a South Battery community garden; golf links; and a promenade for bicycling.[87]A cemetery was also present on the island, and initially hosted yellow fever and cholera victims, but interments were halted in 1878 and all of the remains were moved toCypress Hills Cemeteryin Brooklyn by 1886.[88]The secluded ambiance of Governors Island was altered somewhat when the first solid wasteincineratorin the U.S. was built on Governors Island in 1885.[89]Subsequent construction in the 1890s and 1900s added several officers' residences to the island.[68]Starting in 1888,[90][91]there was a movement to convert Governors Island into a public park for Lower Manhattan residents. Though park proponents argued thatCentral ParkandProspect Parkwere too far away for Lower Manhattan residents, the plan did not succeed.[90]