Bowling Green

Until July 9, 1776, Bowling Green, the city’s first park, held a 4,000-pound statue of King George III cast out of lead. Following the reading of the Declaration of Independence to Washington’s troops, a crowd of Patriots swarmed the park, toppling the statue and sawing finials depicting the royal crown off the iron fence. The statue’s lead, with the exception of a few stolen pieces, was ultimately used to make 42,000 rounds of ammunition for the war effort.

Today, visitors can still walk through Bowling Green and see existing portions of the iron fence. A fountain now occupies roughly the spot where the monument once stood, providing a tangible connection to one of Revolutionary New York’s most famous acts of defiance.