This quiet green region with its steep bluffs
bordering the southern shoreline of theHarlem Meer once played a significant role
in the American Revolution and the War of
1812.
Long before Central Park was built, the
rugged land below the bluffs was an
inaccessible marshy territory that forced
travelers to find an alternate route through
a narrow valley in the cliffs. Originally an
Indian trail, this route linked Manhattan to
Albany during the 18th century. It was aptly
named McGown’s Pass after a family that
owned a nearby tavern on a hill at 105th street
near 5th Avenue.
During the Revolutionary War, George
Washington’s troops were defeated in the
Battle of Brooklyn in August 1776. On
September 15th the British landed on the
East River at Kip's Bay, blocking off part of
his army. Realizing danger, Washington
withdrew to Manhattan as he galloped
through McGown's Pass on his way toward
the battle. Washington arrived in time to lead
his army to safety up the West Side of the
island to a location just beyond Central Park's
northern boundary.
The colonists fought and won the Battle of
Harlem Heights, but by mid-September, the
British and Hessians seized these hills and
used them until the war ended in 1783,
building fortifications across the Harlem bluffs.
The pass remained quiet for several years, until
the War of 1812. On August 18, 1814, eight
days after a British naval attack on Connecticut’s
shores, the City’s residents realized the urgency
to fortify their defenses.
Over 200 volunteers from various professions
spent the next six weeks rebuilding a network
of military forts. These buildings included,Fort Clinton, Nutter’s
Battery and Fort Fish.
They fortified McGown’s Pass, building a thick
wooden barrier wall divided by a blockhouse
armed with cannon.
In 1814, 1600 militiamen guarded this area
against a British invasion, but were never put
to the test when peace arrived on December
24, 1814.
Today the fort is long gone, only the convergence
of winding paths surrounding a mound at 107th
Street remains as a historic reminder to
New York's great history.
