Governors Island. Governors Island is a 172-acre island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan.
It is located approximately 800 yards south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the 400-yard-wide Buttermilk Channel. The National Park Service administers a small portion of the north end of the island as the Governors Island National Monument, including two former military fortifications named Fort Jay and Castle Williams.
The Trust for Governors Island operates the remaining 150 acres, including 52 historic buildings, as a public park. About 103 acres of the land area is fill, added in the early 1900s to the south of the original island.
The native Lenape originally referred to Governors Island as Paggank because of the area's rich collection of chestnut, hickory, and oak trees; it is believed that this space was originally used for seasonal foraging and hunting. The name was translated into the Dutch Noten Eylandt, then Anglicized into Nutten Island, before being renamed Governor's Island by the late 18th century.
The island's use as a military installation dates to 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, when Continental Army troops raised defensive works on the island. From 1783 to 1966, the island was a United States Army post, serving mainly as a training ground for troops, though it also served as a strategic defense point during
It is located approximately 800 yards south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the 400-yard-wide Buttermilk Channel. The National Park Service administers a small portion of the north end of the island as the Governors Island National Monument, including two former military fortifications named Fort Jay and Castle Williams.
The Trust for Governors Island operates the remaining 150 acres, including 52 historic buildings, as a public park. About 103 acres of the land area is fill, added in the early 1900s to the south of the original island.
The native Lenape originally referred to Governors Island as Paggank because of the area's rich collection of chestnut, hickory, and oak trees; it is believed that this space was originally used for seasonal foraging and hunting. The name was translated into the Dutch Noten Eylandt, then Anglicized into Nutten Island, before being renamed Governor's Island by the late 18th century.
The island's use as a military installation dates to 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, when Continental Army troops raised defensive works on the island. From 1783 to 1966, the island was a United States Army post, serving mainly as a training ground for troops, though it also served as a strategic defense point during
Wikipedia ...