Battery Park is one of the New York City parks whose history is most closely linked to the episodes that marked the independence of the United States. Battery Park is located on the south side of Manhattan Island.
Its southern tip is home to Fort Clinton, which overlooks the Hudson River and keeps a watchful eye on the horizon, pointing its cannons at the unlikely ships of Dutch or British invaders, countries that have long since become friends. Battery Park is one of the most pleasant parks in New York. You can walk through a wooded area, look out over the mouth of the ocean and learn about American history.
Battery Park is located on the south side of Manhattan Island. It covers an area of 8.5 hectares. Its name comes from the artillery pieces installed here to protect New York harbour during the War of Independence.
The main monument in the park is undoubtedly Castle Clinton, a fort built in 1811 and named several years after the mayor of DeWitt Clinton. Castle Clinton, like Fort Williams on Governors Island, was part of the city’s general defence system. It is unique in that it was never involved in any conflict and both its walls and cannons are intact.
However, the oldest building in Battery Park is James Watson House. This house was built in 1793. Today it houses the shrine to St Elizabeth Ann Seton. The founder of the Sisters of Charity movement and also the first American woman who had the honour of being canonised. It was on September 14, 1975, during the reign of Pope Paul VI.
Walking through Battery Park, the visitor will discover many statues and sites that commemorate or constitute a symbolic event in American history. There is a statue of John Ericsson, the engineer who designed the warships USS Monitor and USS Princeton.
Further on, you can walk through the Hope Garden, a memorial dedicated to all the victims of AIDS. You can stroke the statue of an eagle, a reminder of the sacrifice of the soldiers in the Second World War.
In the early 20th century, Castle Clinton served as the administrative base for the immigration offices on Ellis Island and the park is located near former fishing communities. Various statues pay tribute to immigrants, fishermen, coast guards and even the Dutch settlers who founded the town of New Amsterdam.
Battery Park is also home to “The Sphere and the Eternal Flame”, a sculpture that was brought from the rubble of the World Trade Center, the two towers that were destroyed during the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Useful information
Opening hours: free
Entrance fee: free
