Old Stone House (Brooklyn) facts for kids
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| Established | 1934 |
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| Location | 336 3rd Street (between 4th and 5th Ave) Brooklyn, New York City |
The Old Stone House is a famous building in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn, New York City. It sits inside the J. J. Byrne Playground, which is part of Washington Park. You can find it on Third Street, between Fourth and Fifth Avenues. Long ago, a waterway called Gowanus Creek flowed nearby. Today, a part of the Gowanus Canal is about 1,300 feet (400 meters) west of the house.
The house you see today was rebuilt in 1933. It used some of the original stones from the Vechte–Cortelyou House, which was destroyed in 1897. The first house played a very important role in the 1776 Battle of Long Island during the American Revolutionary War.
Believe it or not, the Old Stone House was once the clubhouse for the Brooklyn Superbas baseball team! This team later became the famous Brooklyn Dodgers. In 2012, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
A House with a Long History
The Old Stone House you see now is a copy of an old Dutch stone farmhouse. It was first built around 1699 by a Dutch immigrant named Claes Arentson Vechte or his son Hendrick. It is also known as the Vechte–Cortelyou House.
The Vechte family farmed the land around the house. They also collected oysters from Gowanus Creek. They would then take their farm goods down the creek to Gowanus Bay. From there, they would travel to lower Manhattan to sell their produce.
In 1766, Isaac Cortelyou rented the house. Later, it went back to the Vechte family. In 1779, Nicholas Cowenhoven inherited it. He sold it in 1790 to Jacques Cortelyou. Jacques's son, Peter, received the house as a wedding gift.
The Battle of Long Island
On August 27, 1776, the house became a very important spot in the Battle of Long Island. This battle was a major part of the American Revolutionary War. It was the first big fight for the Continental Army after the Declaration of Independence. It was also the largest battle of the entire war.
At 9:00 AM that day, George Washington arrived from Manhattan. He learned that the British were close to breaking through American lines. Washington realized the British had tricked him. He quickly ordered more troops to Brooklyn from Manhattan.
On the American right side, General Stirling was still holding his position against the British. He held on for four hours, not knowing the British were moving around his left side. Some of his soldiers even thought they were winning!
However, at 11:00 AM, British General Grant attacked Stirling's center. He had 2,000 extra soldiers. Stirling was also attacked on his left by German soldiers called Hessians. Stirling had to pull back. But British troops were now coming from behind him.
The only way to escape was across a pond on the Gowanus Creek. This pond was about 80 yards wide. On the other side was Brooklyn Heights, where American forts were located.
The Brave Maryland 400
General Stirling told all his troops to cross the creek, except for a group of Maryland soldiers. These soldiers were led by Major Mordecai Gist. This brave group became known as the Maryland 400. There were actually about 260–270 men in this group.
Stirling and Gist led these soldiers in a brave fight. They faced more than 2,000 British troops with two cannons. The Marylanders attacked the British twice. The British were set up in and around the Vechte–Cortelyou House (now the Old Stone House).
After their last attack, the remaining Maryland soldiers retreated across the Gowanus Creek. Some got stuck in the mud under enemy fire. Others who couldn't swim were captured. Stirling was surrounded. He didn't want to surrender to the British, so he broke through their lines. He then surrendered to the Hessians instead.
A total of 256 Maryland soldiers were killed in front of the Old Stone House. Fewer than a dozen made it back to the American lines. General Washington watched from a nearby hill. He was reported to have said, "Good God, what brave fellows I must this day lose!"
The 256 dead Maryland soldiers were buried in a mass grave. This grave was on a small hill on farmer Adrian Van Brunt's land. It was near the marsh. Because of this battle, Maryland earned its nickname, "The Old Line State." This mass grave is thought to be near the southwest corner of 3rd Avenue today.
After the battle, the British used the house as a place to fire cannons. About 2,000 British and Hessian soldiers shot at the Americans. The Americans had already lost many soldiers and were running away. They were trying to reach their forts across the Gowanus Creek.
The Maryland Brigade under Colonel William Smallwood fought hard. They took back the house twice that day. But they were finally pushed back by the British. They suffered very heavy losses.
Nicholas Vechte, a grandson of Claes, lived in the Old Stone House during the British occupation. When he died in 1779, he left the farm to his grandson, Nicholas R. Cowenhoven. In 1797, Cowenhoven sold the house to Jacques Cortelyou. Jacques bought it for his son, Peter, who had just gotten married. Peter's son Jacques inherited the house in 1815. His family was the last to live in the original Old Stone House.
After his wife died, Jacques Cortelyou sold the property in 1852. The buyer was Edwin Litchfield, who built railroads. Litchfield lived in Litchfield Villa, which is now a park office. Litchfield owned most of the farmland in the area. He sold much of his land to the city to create Prospect Park.
Baseball's Early Days
After Litchfield bought it, the Old Stone House stood for another forty years. A caretaker lived there during this time. It also became a clubhouse for a winter skating team. Later, it was used by a professional baseball team called the Brooklyn Superbas. This team would later become the famous Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Old Stone House is on the site of the first Washington Park baseball stadium. It is also across Fourth Avenue from the second Washington Park. These were two of the oldest professional baseball stadiums in New York. You can still see a part of the left-center field wall from the second Washington Park. It's on Third Avenue between First and Third Streets.
The Old Stone House Today
The land where the house stood was bought by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in 1923. The original house had been torn down and burned in 1897. In 1933, workers dug up the site. Half of the house was below street level because Fourth Avenue had been raised.
The house was rebuilt in 1934. Many of the original stones were used. It was moved slightly from its first spot. It was fixed up more in the 1970s and 1990s. It became a memorial to the Battle of Long Island. This happened because of the hard work of the First Battle Revival Alliance. To honor the brave Maryland soldiers, the flag of Maryland flies at the house.
Today, the Old Stone House is a Historic Interpretive Center. It is run by a non-profit group called the Old Stone House of Brooklyn (OSH). They work with the Parks Department. You can see an exhibit about the battle there. OSH also offers school visits about the house's history and the battle. They have many concerts, readings, talks, and other events. It is also used for summer camps, theater performances, and special events like sing-alongs to the musical Hamilton.
See also
- Battle Hill
- Battle Pass
- Revolutionary War Heritage Trail
