Castle Clinton National Monument

03/31/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Rachel Carson 1907-1964

A marine and nature writer who worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service as editor and writer of brochures for the public.

She wrote several books about the ocean but is best known for the book "Silent Spring" which focused on the effects of chemicals pesticides on nature. She also wrote about its impact on humans, including cancer. The book led to a ban of DDT and other pesticides. It also ultimately created the Environmental Protection Agency.

03/30/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Dian Fossey 1932-1985

Studied Mountain Gorillas on Virunga Mountain in the Congo until political unrest moved the research to the Ruwandan side of the mountain. She wrote "Gorillas in the Mist" about her study of the gorillas.

Poaching was a huge problem in the national park and Fossey funded patrols to destroy poachers traps. She also fought to keep tourism from the gorillas since humans could pass diseases to the primates. Dian Fossey was found murdered in her cabin at the national park in 1985.

03/29/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Dr Jane Goodall 1934 -

AS a 26 year she ventured into the forest of Gombe and opened the eyes of the world to Chimpanzees. In her field research she showed that chimpanzees could make and use tools which is considered one of the greatest achievements of 20th century scholarship. Dr. Goodall still lecture about the protection of chimpanzees and about environmental protections.

03/28/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Onna-Bugeisha - Female Samurai Warriors 200AD-1886

Onna-Bugeisha Were taught to fight exactly as their male counterparts using a special weapon called the Naginata. They fought to protect their homes and country until the fall of the Shogunate in the late 1800's

03/26/2020

Sybil Ludington 1761-1839

April 26, 1777 16 year old Sybil warned of a British attack on Danbury CT. Sybil rode 40 miles around Putnam County spreading the alarm and gathering the militia

03/23/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Lady Ada King, Countess of Lovelace "Ada Lovelace" first computer programmer. 1815-1852

Ada was the daughter of Lord Byron and Anne Isabelle Milbanke Lady Wentworth. Ada came by her love of numbers from her mother who was a known mathematician.

Ada is credited with writing the first computer program based an the Babbage Analytical Engine. This "computer" use punch cards to input and output data. She said the machine could predict Bernoulli numbers, which is considered the first computer. She also predicted the machine could compose music and make graphs.

Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated the second Tuesday in October

03/20/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Anne Frank 1929 - 1945

Born in Germany the family moved to the Netherlands in 1933 as Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany. The Netherlands fell to the Germans in 1940 placing restrictions on Jews living there. In 1942 Anne and her family moved into a secret Annex built at her fathers old business. Anne began her diary during the 2 yrs she spent at the Annex. In 1944 the Annex was raided and the Frank family was arrested along with 4 others living there. The Frank family were sent to Auschwitz. Later Anne and her sister Margot are sent to Bergen-Belson where they died of Typhus in 1945.

Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only member of the family to survive. He went back to the Netherlands where he learned his secretary saved Anne's diary and writing. He was encouraged to publish them and in 1947 Het Achtehuis (The Secret Annex) was publish. Since then it has been translated into 70 languages and adapted to screen and movies.

03/17/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Elizabeth Cady Staton 1815-1902

In 1848 helped organize, with the help of other like minded women, organized the 1st Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY. This marked the beginning of the campaign for women suffrage.

03/16/2020

Castle Clinton National Monument is temporarily closed as of 3/16/20

"Following guidance from the CDC and recommendations from state and local public health in consultation with NPS Public Health Service officers, Castle Clinton National Monument is temporarily closed."

03/14/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Alice Paul 1885-1977

A more radical suffragette who was determined to win the vote by any means necessary. She founded the National Women's Party and began flamboyant protests and marches, which lead to her arrest.

03/12/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Susan B. Anthony 1820 - 1906

Raised Quaker she believed that men and women should live as equals. She fought for the right for women to vote until her death in 1906

03/10/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Joan or Arc 1412-1431

Joan was a 17 year old peasant girl living in medieval France who believed that God had chosen her to lead France to victory over the English. She lead the French army to victory at Orleans but was later captured by the English. She was convicted of heresy and burned at the stake. She was canonized in 1920

03/08/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Boudicca 30-61CE

Queen of the Iceni tribe during Roman occupation of Britain. She united several Celtic tribes to drive the Romans from Britain. She almost succeeded until she was defeated in battle and committed suicide to avoid capture.

03/06/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Florence Nightingale 1820-1910

Florence had a calling to nurse when she was young. Her parents didn't approve but eventually she was sent to Germany to study nursing. She later went to Paris to continue her studies. She returned to England where she promoted cleanliness and hygiene. She was sent to the Crimean War to help out at the hospitals. She became known as "The lady with the lamp" when she used to check on the soldiers at night. Her and her 38 nurses transformed the hospital and the death rate went from 40% to 2%.

03/04/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 1759-1797

English writer was a champion of education for women and equal rights. She is most famous for her novel Frankenstein.

03/02/2020

#Womenshistorymonth

Marie Curie 1867-1934
First women to win a Nobel Prize

Marie and her husband discover radium and polonium and founded the new science of Radioactivity. Her discoveries lead to effect cures for cancer. Unfortunately the handling of these radioactive substance lead to her death in 1937

02/29/2020

Hattie McDaniels - First African American to win an Academy Award.

McDaniels won the best supporting actress oscar for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind in 1940.

02/27/2020

#Blackhistorymonth

Marie M. Daly

First African American female to receive a Ph.D in Chemistry in the United states in 1947 from Columbia University In New York City.

02/25/2020

#Blackhistorymonth

Marshal Bass Reeves - The real Lone Ranger?

Reeves was hired to be a marshal in the Oklahoma Territory in 1875 making him the first African American Marshal West of the Mississippi. During his 32 year career as a US Marshal Reeves had some colorful encounters and harrowing arrests to rival the TV legend. Reeves arrested 3,000 criminal and killed 14 men in self-defense. The legendary lawman was eventually removed from his position in 1907, when Oklahoma gained statehood. As an African-American, Bass was unable to continue in his position as deputy marshal under the new state laws.
aking him the first African American Marshal west of the Mississippi.

02/23/2020

#Blackhistorymonth

Onesimus – Enslaved African American who introduced inoculations to Boston

In 1706, an enslaved West African man was purchased for the prominent Puritan minister Cotton Mather by his congregation. When a small pox epidemic broke out in Boston Onesimus told Mather how it could be prevented. The practice of introducing the disease to healthy individuals by rubbing the disease on a cut of a health person had been used in Africa, thus inoculating the individual. It was dangerous and highly controversial but Mather found Dr. Zabdiel Boylston was willing to try. Of the 242 people he inoculated, only six died—one in 40, as opposed to one in seven deaths among the population of Boston who didn’t undergo the procedure.

02/20/2020

#Blackhistorymonth

Matthew Henson: Arctic Explorer
Matthew started his career as a cabin boy and traveled to China, Europe and North Africa. He later became a member of Captain Perry’s crew. Perry announced he would try to reach the north pole. Henderson joined him on his many failed attempts. 1908 would be their last attempt. Matthew learned the Eskimo language and gained their trust paving the way for them to reach the North Pole. Unfortunately Matthew arrived first but Peary received the accolades.

Photo: US Library of Congress

02/19/2020

#Blackhistorymonth

Bessie Coleman – First African American woman to fly

While living in Chicago Bessie was entranced by the stories of pilots just returned from WWI. Her desire to become a pilot was born. Unable to achieve her goal in the US she went to France and earned her pilots license in 1921. To make a living as a pilot she joined stunts show that toured across the US. Her race and gender made her a celebrity. Unfortunately barnstorming was dangerous and her plane crashed as she was surveying an area for her next show.

02/18/2020

#blackhistorymonth

Mary Ellen Pleasant – First African American woman millionaire

Mary Ellen amassed her large fortune when she moved to California in 1852. She used the inherited fortune of her first husband to invest in everything from Wells Fargo to laundries. She also became a cook earning ten times what she would back East. At her highest she was worth $30,000,000. Unfortunately in later years accusations of witchcraft and voodoo by white settlers was her down fall.

02/17/2020

#blackhistorymonth

Willaim Liedesdorff – First African American Millionaire
Born in 1810 on St. Croix William migrated to New Orleans as an adult where he was a ships captain. In 1841 he went to Yerba Buena, later san Francisco. In 1844 he obtained a 35,000 land grant he called rancho Rio de los Americanos. Just before his death gold was discovered on his ranch worth $1,455,000

02/16/2020

#blackhistorymonth

Dr. James Mccune Smith - America's first African American doctor.

Smith was born in New York on April 18, 1813. He graduate Glasgow University in 1837 with a medical degree when he was barred from enrolling in colleges in America. After completing a medical internship in Paris, France, he returned to New York City, where he opened a medical office and a pharmacy at 93 West Broadway that attracted interracial clientele

02/13/2020

#blackhistorymonth

In 2009 Charles Bolden became the first African American administrator of NASA.

photo: NASA/Bill Ingalis

02/12/2020

#blackhistorymonth

Ed Dwight - the first African American Astronaut that never was.

In 1962 Ed was selected to to enter the Aerospace Research Pilot School. This school trained military pilots to become astronauts. He graduated but was never selected to advance to be an Astronaut. With the death of President Kennedy Ed's dream was ended.

Photo: George Brich/Valley Times Photo Collection, via Los Angeles Public Library

02/11/2020

#blackhistorymonth

Crispus Attucks

Crispus was a sailor killed during the Boston Massacre. He’s believed to be the first casualty of the American Revolution.

02/10/2020

#blackhistorymonth

“Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.”

December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks made a stand by taking a seat. This protest led to the Supreme Court declaring segregation in public transportation unconstitutional.

Photo: Don Cravens/LIFE image collection

02/09/2020

#blackhistorymonth

“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill/of things unknown but longed for still/and his tune is heard on the distant hill/for the caged birds sings of freedom.”

Maya Angelou was an author, playwright, poet, dancer, actress, singer and activist. She wrote 36 books including cookbooks

02/06/2020

#blackhistorymonth

Carter G Woodson was the second African American to receive a doctorate from Harvard. He was also called “Father of Black History” for lobbying extensively to establish Black History Month.

02/06/2020

#blackhistorymonth

Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee is honored at the State of the Union address On February 4, 2020

AP photo/Patrick Semansky

12/31/2019

Castle Clinton will be open New Year’s Day 7:45am to 5:00pm

11/26/2019

Castle Clinton will be closed Thanksgiving Day. Have a happy holiday

08/28/2019

New York Classical Theatre

20th Anniversary Memories: Our first production in The Battery and Castle Clinton National Monument was “Mary Stuart” in the Summer of 2006!

08/22/2019

The US Air Force Thunder Birds and the Royal Air force Red Arrows flew over New York Harbor today. Thanks for a great show

02/11/2019

On this day for Black History Month

February 11, 1990 Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years as a political prisoner in South Africa. Four years latter he would be come the first black president of South Africa and help eradicate apartheid.

01/01/2019

Castle Clinton will be closing at 4:00PM today. Happy New Year.

12/24/2018

Castle Clinton will be closing at 2PM today December 24, 2018. Last boat to the Statue of Liberty is 1:15PM

12/22/2018

Castle Clinton is open today. Liberty Island and Ellis Island are also open.

11/22/2018

11/22/2018

It’s not often we see a red tailed hawk with his kill in Battery Park

11/22/2018

10/29/2018

Federal Hall National Memorial

#OTD October 29, 1881, the satirical weekly Judge, created by artists who broke away from the British magazine Puck, begins publication.

Graphic: November 13, 1886 cover of Judge depicting Mayor Hewitt as a watchdog guarding the New York City treasury from Tammany Hall politicians who supported his election.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1886-Judge-November-13-Hewitt-guards-the-New-York-City-Treasury/121860253231?hash=item1c5f6fe62f:g:99gAAMXQuu9RmwCl:rk:12:pf:0

10/27/2018

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY EXPERIENCE | Statue Cruises

Due to inclement weather conditions all ferries to both Liberty and Ellis Islands are canceled for today. We will resume normal operations tomorrow at 8am. For more updates on Statue Cruises’ ferry schedule please visit: https://www.statuecruises.com/#/

New York’s best Statue of Liberty ferry is Statue Cruises! With the best price in town, and the best packages. Contact us today!