Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx is New York City’s third-largest park, covering more than 1,100 acres of forest, wetlands, and trails. But its roots go far deeper—geologically and historically.
The landscape was shaped by glaciers over 20,000 years ago, exposing rock formations like Fordham Gneiss, Inwood Dolomite, and Manhattan Schist. By around 1000 AD, the Weckquaesgeek Lenape had settled here permanently. In 1646, Dutchman Adriaen Van Der Donck acquired the land, and in 1694, Jacobus Van Cortlandt bought it, later building a plantation. The Van Cortlandt House, built in 1748, is the oldest surviving building in the Bronx.
The City of New York officially acquired the land in 1888 as part of a citywide park expansion. In 1913, it was named Van Cortlandt Park.
Fun fact: Van Cortlandt Park is home to the nation’s first public municipal golf course, opened in 1895. It also hosted military drills on the Parade Ground during World War I. The park features a cricket pitch, horseback riding trails, and 200-million-year-old rock outcrops.
One unusual historical twist: during the Revolutionary War, the Van Cortlandt House served as a safe storage location for New York City’s public records. Archaeologists have discovered Lenape artifacts and remnants of the original village of Keskeskick within park boundaries.
Less known but deeply important—the park was once a working plantation where African and Indigenous people were enslaved. The Enslaved People Project now works to bring those stories to light through research and education.
Here’s something unexpected: Van Cortlandt Park houses the Citywide Nursery, one of just three greenhouses operated by NYC Parks. It grows roughly 200,000 plants each year for use across city parks—making this historic site a key part of the city’s green future.
Want to walk through history? Visit the park, tour the museum, or explore its trails—you’ll find more than just open space. You’ll find stories.
