4. Van Cortlandt Park Vaults

The British were indeed coming in the year 1776. The vaults pictured here were used in 1776 by Augustus Van Cortlandt, then the City Clerk, to hide important “records of the City of New York…when the City was evacuated by the Americans in 1776, and preserved until peace was restored.” The vaults were the ancient burial place of the Van Cortlandt family. At the top of Vault Hill in Van Cortlandt Park you can find the historic vaults, fortified behind walls and an ornate front gate.