Historic Tourism of Old World New York City NYC - 1609 - 1909 in Lower Manhattan covering the city south of Canal Street

TIMELINE 1609-1708

1524 Verrazano anchors the Daphine for France in the Lower Bay, and sees local inhabitants.

1526 Esteban Gomez sailing for Spain arrives in the lower and upper bay.

1609 English navigator Henry Hudson working for the Dutch sails the Half Moon into Manhattan's waters. He meets and trades with local tribes.

1610 Trade begins to pick up, especially for Beaver furs.

1613 Adrian Block sails the Tiger to New Netherland trade. His boat catches fire (later it is thought to be found at World Trade Center location in the 20th Centery).

1623 Cornelius May brings the Walloons (French specking refugees from Spanish Netherlands).

1624 Fort Amsterdam is under construction and trade strengthens.

1626 Peter Minuit becomes new Director and 'buys' Manhattan from local chiefs. New Amsterdam is officially named with most inhabitants located on the East River.

1628 Collegiate Reformed Church Established.

1635 Fort completed with main gates opening into Bowling Green.

1638 William Kieft takes over as Director and increases taxes causing many problems.

1643 First Catholic priest visits New York, he a French Jesuit.

1644 A wall is built to keep livestock from wandering at what later will be called Wall St.

1647 Cattle pen is cleared for recreation park what is called Bowling Green.

1653 The first city hall is established at 71-73 Pearl St where the first city tavern was located. Also the first Latin school is established on Broad St. New Amsterdam incorporates and becomes a city.

1654 Sephardic Jews arrive from Brazil, establishment of a synagogue on South William St. Population of city is approx 1000.

1664 English take over New Amsterdam and name it New York.

1665 Thomas Willet appointed first mayor.

1671 Lutherans establish first church.

1673 Boston Post Road is established, running up Broadway, past City Hall and through the Bronx to Boston. Dutch take back New York and rename it New Orange.

1674 Peace treaty hands New Orange back to English who rename it New York.

1676 Great dock is built off Water St and Conties Slip.

1683 Irish Catholic Thomas Dongan is appointed Governor. He established charters right to vote, jury by peers, and others. Later England felt this charter was to liberal and threw it out. First Catholic mass is held in the Fort on October 30th.

1691 Practicing Catholic faith is banned in New York City. Captain Kidd the pirate moves to New York by Hanover Square.

1693 Church of England becomes New York City's official religion.

1695 City of New York Map completed.

1698 Trinity Church is established.

1699 Wall at Wall Street that was used for protection from attacks is removed.

1700 New City Hall is established at Nassau St and Wall Street (site of Federal Hall)..

1702 Yellow fever strikes.

1708 First large wave of immigrants hits the city after the Walloons. They are from Germany.

TIMELINE 1709-1808

1725 The city's first newspaper is established The New York Gazette.

1727 Small poxs hits the city.

1730 Slave market opens at Wall Street and the East River. Congregation Shearith Israel builds their first synagogue at 18 South William Street.

1731 Small poxs hits again. Population of the city is apprx 9,000.

1732 City's first playhouse opens at Maiden Lane and Pearl Street.

1733 Bowling Green is established as city's first park.

1736 Social Services for the poor and children are set up on the Commons - which later will be the site for the third City Hall.

1741 Following a fire thought to be a Spanish conspiracy - many slaves, Irish, and Catholics are killed in a mob response. Some are burned at the stake. Yellow fever hits again.

1744 New York Evening Post is established.

1753 A fire at Trinity Church destroys much of their records.

1754 Columbia University(Kings College) is established.

1762 City's first St. Patrick's Day Parade is held.

1763 City population is 12,000. Fraunces Tavern begins as Queen Head Tavern.

1765 The Stamp Act is introduced via England. Not many know it, but this will start revolutionary discussions.

1766 St. Paul's Chapel opens its doors.

1767 Townshend Revenue Act via England - more fuel to the revolutionary fire.

1768 New York Chamber of Commerce established.

1771 Population is 20,000.

1773 Tea Act via England - the final straw.

1774 Revolutionaries dressed as Mohawk Indians jump aboard ships into he harbor and dump English tea as a sign of revolt tot he Tea Act.

1776 Washington has Declaration of Independence read aloud. With a fervor pitch residents rip down a statue of King George in Bowling Green. Shortly after General Howe (UK) takes over New York until 1783 (the end of the Revolutionary War). A second great fire hits the city, many believe it was Revolutionary sabotage. Maerschalck map of New York City completed..

1778 A second fire hits.

1783 The Treaty of Paris signed. Washington rides into New York City, stopping at the Bull Head Tavern on Bowery and ending at the Cape Tavern on Broadway. He says goodbye to his troops at Fraunces Tavern.

1784 The 1700 Law banning Roman Catholic practice is lifted. St. Peter's Church is established. Sons of St. Patrick is established. Bank of New York is established by Hamilton.

1789 George Washington is inaugurated at Federal Hall. Tammany Hall is established. McComb Map completed.

1790 Fort George, formerly Fort Amsterdam and Fort James, is leveled.

1792 New York Stock Exchange begins at its office at 22 Wall St. Yellow fever hits once again.

1798 Yellow fever again.

1799 George Washington dies.

1801 Population is 60,000.

1804 Hamilton is shot by Burr in a duel. Trinity Church is burned down again.

1808 Pope established the Diocese of New York.

TIMELINE 1809-1909

1810 Large wave of Irish immigrants begins to flow into New York City.

1811 Southwest Battery is finished (later named Castle Clinton in Battery Park). Its only access is via a wooden pier that projects about 250ft. Gov Clinton starts his push for the Erie Canal. New City Hall is completed on current site. Only front is finished in marble since they believe the population will not move beyond Chamber St.

1812 US and UK go to war.

1820 Population 125,000.

1822 Yellow fever hits. Fulton fish market opens, it will close in 2005.

1825 Erie Canal is completed by mostly Irish immigrants. It is a boom to business in New York.

1826 Irish and American street gangs start to form in the Five Points. Bowery Theater is the first gas light theater.

1831 NYU is established.

1835 The Great Fire hits lower Manhattan. It devastates businesses and homes.

1836 Reformed Presbyterian Church opens.

1839 Second Trinity Church is damaged.

1840 Population is 300,000. Five Points is worst location in the metro area.

1842 Board of Education is formed.Map of City of New York completed.

1844 American bigots clashes between anti Irish and anti Catholic immigrants.

1845 A massive wave of Irish immigrants begins. Equipped with only rural skills, their survival is perilous in the urban location of Five Points.

1846 US Mexican War begins. Third Trinity Church is erected.

1847 Hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants flood the city escaping the famine in Ireland via 'coffin ships'. Chinese Immigrants start to move into the Five Points later known as Chinatown.

1848 The Five Points Mission is opened at a former brewery at the cross streets of Cross and Little Water.

1851 Typhus hits the city. New York City Resident Herman Melville publishes Moby Dick. Lower Manhattan painting by Heine, J. Kummer & D�pler completed.

1854 House of Industry is operating at 155 Worth Street in the Five Points.

1855 Famed American street tough Bill "the Butcher" Poole dies from a gun shot in a local bar.

1857 Famed fight between city and state police leads to crime fueled weekend by criminals.

1860 Abe Lincoln arrives, buys a hat, takes a photos and woos the crowd during his presidential election campaign. Canal St sees a large increase in vice trades.

1861 Civil War begins. The NY Fighting 69th(Irish) Regiment leaves for battle. 8

1862 Massive draft riots occur when poor can't 'buy' their way out of draft for $300.

1865 Small poxs hits.

1869 Goldman Sachs begins at 30 Pine St.

1870 Battery Park is filled in and extended.

1871 Boss Tweed is arrested.

1876 Boss Tweed is put in jail, just as Tweed Court house is finished.

1880 Thomas Edison lights Broadway.

1883 Brooklyn Bridge opens.

1885 Save haven for Irish girls is set up at Old Lady of the Rosary (Seton Shrine) at 7 State Street. 1886 Statue of Liberty is erected.

1888 Huge snow blizzard hits the city.

1894 Rapid Transit System (subway) is approved.

1899 First skyscraper is erected at 15 Park Row.

1900 Population 3.5 million. Ellis Island starts processing large numbers of immigrants.

1903 Williamsburg Bridge is built. Typhoid Mary hits city.

1907 Custom House is built at Bowling Green.

1909 Manhattan Bridge opens.