Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Preface vii
4. Introduction 1
5. PART I: TOPOGRAPHY
6. Introduction 9
7. 1 The First Settlers, 1625–1664 19
8. 2 Along the Kingsbridge Road, 1683–1845 44
9. 3 The Enslaved Bensons, 1754–1846 62
10. 4 The War at McGowan’s Pass, 1776–1784 72
11. 5 Valentine Nutter, 1760–1814 91
12. 6 The War of 1812, 1805–1814 103
13. PART II: REAL ESTATE
14. Introduction 123
15. 7 Dividing Bloomingdale, 1667–1790s 131
16. 8 Dividing Bloomingdale, 1790–1824 149
17. 9 Dividing Bloomingdale, Seneca Village: The Residents, 1825–1857 170
18. 10 Dividing Bloomingdale, Seneca Village: The Black Leaders, 1825–1857 208
19. 11 Dividing Harlem, 1825–1843 234
20. 12 Dividing Yorkville, 1785–1835 244
21. 13 The Receiving Reservoir, 1835–1842 275
22. 14 A Changing Land, 1845–1853 289
23. PART III: THE IDEA OF A PARK
24. Introduction 317
25. 15 The Battle of the Parks, 1844–1852 323
26. 16 Becoming Central Park, 1853–1856 340
27. 17 The First Commission, 1855–1857 365
28. 18 Designing Central Park, 1857–1858 386
29. 19 Extending the Park, 1859–1863 420
30. Epilogue: America’s Park 437
31. Afterword 445
32. Acknowledgments 451
33. Notes 457
34. Selected Bibliography 575
35. Index 593