Governors Island
Christopher Metzler
Professor Albert
Honors DNY Coastal NYC
15 March 2021
Governors Island is a place filled with a rich history. It is an island located underneath Lower Manhattan, and about 172 acres large (National Park Service, Governors Island Basic Information). Governors Island National Monument manages 22 acres, including Fort Jay (named in 1798 for John Jay) (National Park Service, Fort Jay), Castle Williams (named after Lt. Col. Jonathan Williams) (National Park Service, Castle Williams), and Dock 102. The City of New York manages the rest of the 150 acres through the Trust for Governors Island.
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Governors Island was originally known as Pagganuck, literally translating to “Nut Island”, to the Native Americans of the region. These Native Americans were the Lenape tribe of the (now) Manhattan region of North America. They named it Pagganuck due to the plentiful hickory, oak, and chestnut trees. The island also served as an excellent fishing location for all nearby tribes who utilized the island during specific seasons of the year. (GovIsland.com, History). The island was then spotted by Giovanni de Verazzano in 1524. (HMDB, Governors Island History in Brief). Onward to the early 1600s, and Dutch settlers began inhabiting the island, naming it “Noten Eylandt”, or “Nut Island”. In June of 1637, Wouter Van Twiller, the director general of the Dutch West India Company bought the island from the Lenape for “two ax heads, a string of beads, and a handful of nails.” (GovIsland.com, History). In 1664, the English claimed the land now known as New York and took Noten Eylandt. It was renamed “Governors Island” and “reserved for the ‘benefit and accommodation of His Majesty’s Governors.’” (GovIsland.com, History). In 1776, the first major historical event took place on Governors Island during the American Revolution. George Washington’s troops attempted to reclaim Governors Island from the British, and initially, the British were forced to retreat to Canada to replenish their supplies. However, upon returning in the Battle of Brooklyn, British troops defeated Washington, and Governors Island was once again occupied for the British, now as a military headquarters for the remaining of the Revolutionary War. (GovIsland.com, History). After the American colonists’ victory in the War, it was imperative for the new United States of America to secure its harbors for trade and war purposes, which included Governors Island. Fort Jay and Castle Williams were two of the grandest forts on the island, with the former being built in 1794 and refurbished in 1808 and the latter built in 1812 due to the War of 1812. Colonel Jonathan Williams designed the prototype for the fort’s design, and thus it was named in his honor. Williams is a significant figure as he is the first American-born military engineer and his designs proved to be sturdy in resisting the British Navy in the War of 1812. (National Park Service, A Brief History of Governors Island). Moreover, during the Civil War, Castle Williams was repurposed to be a prison for Confederate prisoners of war (POW). In a New York Times snippet from the Sep. 23 1867 issue, it states “Under the supervision of Brig.-Gen. Wallen, United States Army, now in command at Governor’s Island, extensive improvements have recently been made. … Several of the old buildings on the Island have been taken down, and the whole Island graded, drained and policed in the most thorough manner.” (NYT, 1867, Governor’s Island). By 1878, Governors Island became an Army headquarters for the Military Division of the Atlantic and Department of the East; its purpose was to manage Army activity for the eastern region of the U.S. (National Park Service, A Brief History of Governors Island).
The island remained a U.S. Army headquarters through both World Wars, and specifically, for the U.S. First Army which began the planning of the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944 resulting in the liberation of Europe in WWII. (National Park Service, A Brief History of Governors Island) In November 1964, the Army began withdrawing from its posts in New York and left Governors Island on June 30, 1966. On this day, Governors Island ceased its history with the Army, and began anew with the U.S. Coast Guard, being the largest Coast Guard base worldwide. Members of the Coast Guard were permitted to bring their families to the island and this acted as a precedent for the welcoming and communal atmosphere which Governors Island now offers. The Coast Guard left Governors Island in 1996, and in 2003, then President Bill Clinton offered the island to the state of New York for $1. (NYT, White House to Hand Over Governors Island to New York). Clinton also designated 22 acres of the island to be managed by the National Park Service and the remaining 150 acres to be managed by the Trust for Governors Island. (GovIsland.com, The Park) That 150-acre section of Governors Island is open to civilian use for “exploration and discovery.” (National Park Service, A Brief History of Governors Island).
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As stated, Governors Island is now open to anyone who desires to visit it and has become a very popular place to tour for both those who live in New York and those who do not alike. It opens up every May through October as of 2019 and offers food, biking trails, walking trails, hammocks, sports fields, and more. It is a fantastic way to experience New York City culture and history without paying an exorbitant amount of money or travelling very far. Lastly, the highlight of Governors Island is known as The Hills. The Hills are a set of hills on the island which rise 70 feet above sea level and offer a gorgeous view of the city skyline along with the Statue of Liberty. One of The Hills, known as Outlook Hill, also features stones that form a path known as the Scramble which are the very same stones which were used by the U.S. Army that were placed on the seawall of the island in 1905 in an effort to expand the island. Finally, The Hills also are a proud landmark for the environmental impact they have. They were created using demolition material, clean fill, lightweight pumice, and planting soil. There are 42,963 shrubs that will be planted on the island and 2,960 trees planted on the island since 2012. (GovIsland.com, The Hills). The amount of material used on the island includes: “the equivalent of roughly 2917 New York City subway cars full of material… 1816 subway cars worth of fill were used to begin the Hills, including 306 subway cars of fill salvaged from demolition of structures on the Island.” (GovIsland.com, The Hills). All-in-all, Governors Island is a magnificent piece of NYC history and a treasure to anybody who loves and values culture, beautiful scenery, the waterfront, the environment, and the great city of New York.
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Works Cited
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Coughlin, Bill. “Governors Island History in Brief Historical Marker.” Historical Marker, 14 May 2020, www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=47165.
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Gooden, Stacy-Ann, and Lauren Cook. “Governors Island Now Open to the Public.” PIX11, PIX11, 15 July 2020, pix11.com/news/local-news/governors-island-now-open-to-the-public/.
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Governor's Island. (1867, Sep 23). New York Times (1857- 1922)
https://search.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/governors-island/docview/92316934/se-2?accountid=14068
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Governor's Island. NPR, Washington, D.C., 1998. ProQuest,
https://search.proquest.com/other-sources/governors-island/docview/189896555/se-2?accountid=14068.
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NPS. “A Brief History of Governors Island.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 26 Feb. 2015, home.nps.gov/gois/learn/historyculture/a-brief-history-of-governors-island.htm.
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NPS. “Castle Williams.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 26 Feb. 2015, www.nps.gov/gois/learn/historyculture/castle-williams.htm.
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NPS. “Fort Jay.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 26 Sept. 2018, www.nps.gov/gois/learn/historyculture/fortjay.htm.
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NPS. “History & Culture.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 7 June 2018, www.nps.gov/gois/learn/historyculture/index.htm.
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Pristin, Terry. “White House to Hand Over Governors Island to New York.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 31 Jan. 2003, www.nytimes.com/2003/01/31/nyregion/white-house-to-hand-over-governors-island-to-new-york.html.
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Trust for For Governors Island. “The Park.” Governors Island, REFLEXIONS, 2020, www.govisland.com/the-park.
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Trust for For Governors Island. “The Hills.” Governors Island, REFLEXIONS, 2016, www.govisland.com/the-park.
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Trust for For Governors Island. “The History of Governors Island.” Governors Island, REFLEXIONS, 2020, https://www.govisland.com/history
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Trust for For Governors Island. “Real Estate.” Governors Island, REFLEXIONS, 2020, www.govisland.com/the-park.
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Background Image:
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Torpe, Ojo. Governors Island. New York City, June 2019.
https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2019-06/d7eed9a7d91fa29c31e087341220efa5-governors-island.jpg? auto=compress&crop=center&fit=crop&format=auto&h=416&w=960
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