New York City's Blockhouse No. 1 in Central Park-- Part 3: Completed Two Days Before Treaty of Ghent Signed

 The fort consists of a two-story bunker surrounding a small area, inside which, a wooden platform would have originally stood. The wooden platform was sunken with a revolving turret for a cannon (not quite sure what this means).

The sides of it held small gunports.  The structure was likely connected to the ground by a small staircase.

Construction on the tower was completed December 22, 1814, , two days before the Treaty of Ghent was signed, ending the war.

The second phase of its history involved it being used as an ammunition and storage building.  During this time, the top two feet of stone-work was completed.  The fort/blockhouse is noticeably different in color, composition and stonework.

Later at the turn of the 20th century, the current entrance and staircase were added, as was the tall flagpole at the center of the fort.

In 1905, it was described as standing 19 feet tall at the western wall and  having a base of 34 feet square.

Blockhouse No. 1 stands in North Woods at the northwest corner of Central Park, at a location that is still rugged, high and difficult to reach.  It is located south of North Crive and north of Huddlestone Arch.  It overlooks Harlem Meer (lake) and the Lasker Rink to the east.

Interesting Site to Visit.  --Brock-Perry

New York City's Blockhouse in Central Park-- Part 2: Originally Built By the British in the American Revolution

The Blockhouse was likely built on the foundation of a structure dating back to a much earlier date.  In 1776, during the American Revolution, British and Hessian troops  sealed off lower Manhattan from colonial armies by controlling the pass and defending it through a series of fortifications.

From trial excavations performed in 1995, it has been determined that the foundation of Blockhouse No. 1 date back to this time of British occupation of New York.

The current fort was constructed in three phases.

In the first phase, under the direction of General Joseph Gardner Swift, the fort was hastily constructed by New Yorkers during the War of 1812 in anticipation of a British invasion.  It was assembled by volunteers who brought the building materials with them, hence the red sandstone blocks included with the Manhattan schist.

--Brock-Perry

New York City's Blockhouse in Central Park-- Part 1: A Picturesque Ruin

Continued from August 30.

From Wikipedia.

The Blockhouse is the second oldest structure in New York City's Central Park after Cleopatra's Needle.  It is a small fort in the northern part of the fort and is located on a overlook of the Manhattan schist. (Manhattan schist is the bedrock that enables the tall buildings to stand. I didn't know that and had to look kit up.)  It has a clear view of the flat surrounding areas north of Central Park.

Finished in 1814, the fort was part of a series of fortifications in northern Manhattan, which originally included three fortifications in what was then Harlem Heights, now known as Morningside Heights.  The fortifications were built in fear of a British attack during the War of 1812 which never came.

The Blockhouse is the last surviving fortification from those defenses.

Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, designers of Central Park, decided Blockhouse No. 1 was a picturesque ruin, romantically overgrown with  vines and Alpine shrubbery.

--Brock-Perry

Seven Things You Didn't Know About New York City's Central Park-- Part 3: The War of 1812 Blockhouse

4.  Another relic of the War of 1812, which never reached New York City or Manhattan, the Blockhouse is the second-oldest structure in the park, after Cleopatra's Needle (1450 BC).  The Blockhouse was built in 1814 to protect against a British attack (something that never came in the war or afterwards in case you count the Beatles).

At its strongest, it n consisted of a two-story bunker and could hold up to 2,000 militiamen.

When this northern part of area was added to the park's design in 1863, Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux decided  to leave the Blockhouse as a charming piece of history.

--Brock-Perry