While the early story of Park Slope is certainly par for the course for New York City’s development, it does hold one early distinction the neighborhood remains proud to display.
On 3rd Street lies a recreation of the historic Old Stone House of the Revolutionary War. The Dutch farmhouse served as the backdrop to a deadly, yet heroic battle for the George Washington-led Continental Army. Serving as the setting for the first battle after the Americans declared its independence from the British, the British army had outwitted the Americans with a massive gathering of troops. Washington, thinking the British would target Manhattan, arrived in Brooklyn as the Continental Army lines began to break.
The British overpowered the Americans–creating a need for escape. While numerous died that day, a brave stance by 400 Maryland fighters allowed countless soldiers to flee and fight another day.
After its destruction in the late 1800s, the replica Old Stone House reopened in 1933.
