7. More Gunpowder was Used in Central Park Than at the Battle of Gettysburg

The bedrock of Central Park is made of hard Manhattan Schist and breaking up that rock was a major challenge for construction workers. The rock was so hard it broke tools and workers had to blast through it. In the end, nearly 3 million cubic yards of soil were displaced with the use of 166 tons of gunpowder, more gunpowder than would later be used at the Battle of Gettysburg.

You can see outcroppings of the park’s bedrock throughout the park, especially near Belvedere Castle and Umpire Rock near 63rd Street and Central Park West. These outcroppings were dug up, revealed, and carved by the retreat of the massive Wisconsin Ice Sheet at the end of the last Ice Age around 20,000 years ago.