8. Prison Ship Martyrs Monument

Standing 149 feet tall in front of a grand 100-step granite staircase, the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park marks the burial site of the remains of thousands of American prisoners of the Revolutionary War. After winning the Battle of Long Island and control of Fort Putnam, later rebuilt and renamed Fort Greene during the War of 1812, the British detained thousands of American men and women on prison ships anchored in Wallabout Bay. On the ships, the prisoners experienced overcrowding, contaminated water, starvation and disease. The bodies of those who died were haphazardly buried along the shore.

The impressive over 100-year old monument to those victims was designed by the renowned architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White in 1905. The towering Doric column and surrounding staircase and plaza atop the hill were dedicated in 1908 at a ceremony attended by President elect William Howard Taft. The bronze pieces of the monument, which include the large urn on top, were designed by Sculptor Adolph Alexander Weinman. The monument was once adorned with four bronze eagles as well, but they were removed to storage in the 1960s after being repeatedly vandalized. In 2008, 100 years after the original dedication, two of the bronze eagles were restored and reinstalled along with two replicas.