Entry point to the island of Manhattan for years, this place has experienced major alerts, with multiple arrivals and departures. Due to its strategic position, bordering the Hudson River, it is here where the Lenape Native Americans settled. Later came the Dutch, who built a fort (1626) to protect themselves against attacks, but they were pushed out by the British who were also in turn chased from the location. The southern tip of Manhattan Island is directly associated with the departure of the last British troops in 1783.

Subsequently, an immigration center was established in the park and, until 1892, Garden Castle (Clinton Castle) was the arrival point for thousands of immigrants until the transfer of the official entry to Ellis Island.

We now understand the direct association of Battery Park with the beginnings of the history of New York City and even the United States.

The city surplus construction materials, resulting from the city’s urban development were used to fill the south of Manhattan Island, which is part of today’s Battery Park.

When you are at Battery Park, you will find a beautiful promenade along the river which offers closer views of the Statue of Liberty from land and the excursion access dock, Castle Clinton, the SeaGlass Carousel, children’s play facilities, water features (Bosque Fountain), historic access to the underground transportation system, the naval shuttle to Staten Island, a garden, memorials and I’m sure I’m forgetting some.

Bosque Fountain is not a historic fountain to admire but rather a place of refreshing fun where the rhythmic jets of water bring a certain joie de vivre to a young clientele.

The trail allows you to explore the park while discovering the different monuments and play areas.

• Admiral George Dewey Memorial (1837-1917), high leader and sole holder of the title of Admiral of the Navy.
• American Merchant Mariners Memorial: at the end of a quay see the work and the tribute illustrating a ship that sank during the Second World War and where men are trying to rescue one of their shipmates.
• Battery Park Cannon: ancient cannon exhumed in 1892
• Castello Plan Monument: Site plan “new Amsterdam” version 1660 on a three-dimensional bronze plaque placed on a rock
• Castle Clinton National Monument
• Coast Guard Memorial: Statues of 3 men, the one in the center supported by the other two; in memory of the men and women of the United States Coast Guard who served their country during World War II 1941-1945 – closer to the Staten Ferry terminal
• East Coast Memorial (the eagle) – tribute to those who lost their lives at sea during the Second World War (WWII) with the World War 2 Memorial with the names of the 4,601 American soldiers who lost their lives in the Atlantic during WW2
• Emma Lazarus Memorial Plaque: Emma Lazarus (1849-87) was a New York-born poet whose words were engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
• Fort George Memorial Tablet: marble block to remember the presence of the fort on the site
• Giovanni da Verrazzano – 1524- Italian explorer and first European to touch land in the name of the French monarchy
• The Immigrants: This life-size sculpture of a person recalls the welcome of thousands of arrivals who passed through Castle Clinton
• Jenny Lind tribute tree (American Linden) – Swedish opera singer who enjoyed significant popularity at the end of the 19th century. She performed at Castle Garden.
• Jerusalem Grove: a marker of a donation of 15 trees
• John Ericsson: Tribute to the engineer and inventor (1803–89) whose expertise helped revolutionize warships. Notice the boat in one of the statue’s hands.
• John Wolfe Ambrose: Tribute to the man (1838–1899) who actively participated in the urban development of the city including the New York Harbor access canal and streets of Harlem.
• Marine Flagstaff
• Netherland Monument: Historical reminder of the contribution of the Netherlands to development
• New York Korean War Veterans Memorial – a tribute to the Americans who died during the Korean War (1950-53)
• Norwegian Veterans Monument
• Peter Caesar Alberti Marker
• Salvation Army Monument
• Walloon Settlers Memorial
• Wireless Operators Memorial

To find out more you can visit: Monuments in The Battery – NYC Monuments | The Battery

The Battery Park promenade connects to the plaza at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park which includes the Jewish Museum of New York and the Holocaust Memorial. The promenade also stretches to the port where the ferry goes to Staten Island.

Please note that for several years, there has been construction on this promenade and, if my memory serves me correctly, the reason for the work is following heavy rains and therefore reinforcements of the bank. My last visit was in March 2024.

A few steps from the historic part of Battery Park is also the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House building (1 Bowling Green) a magnificent construction that now houses the National Museum of the American Indian where we recall the Native American history of the place.

You are also near Bowling Green and the famous Wall Street bull.

Battery Park Control House

This building, which dates from 1905, goes almost unnoticed by its smallness but what beauty. It might look like a garden greenhouse, but it is one of the first access to the New York subway. This is one of the entrances to the Bowling Green station on the Green Line.

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