Note 16 — Chapter I

The “Park” was that of the City Hall originally called the “Flat,” later the “Common.” During the Revolutionary period this was a popular gathering place. The Stamp Act was here execrated, and its repeal celebrated; upon this place the tree of liberty was erected, and here Alexander Hamilton made his maiden speech. The Battery fort was demolished in 1790, but rebuilt during the War of 1812-15. During the latter years of the eighteenth, and the first decades of the nineteenth century, the Battery walk was a fashionable promenade. Vauxhall Gardens were originally a place of amusement at the corner of Greenwich and Warren streets. Later, the name was transferred to a resort built by a Frenchman named Delacroix, between Astor Place, Broadway, and the Bowery. They were extensive gardens with theatrical buildings, and were much frequented as a summer resort until 1820, when Lafayette Place was opened through them. The Astor Library now stands near their centre. For a contemporary cut, see Wilson, Memorial History of New York City (New York, 1892), iii, p. 520.—Ed.