7. The fence at Bowling Green is one of the oldest standing structures in Manhattan
Looking at the iron fence surrounding Bowling Green, the oldest public park in New York City, you wouldn’t necessarily realize just how old it is, but it actually dates back to 1771. It was installed when colonists began to vandalize the statue of King George III as Marcus Aurelius on horseback that the king placed there.
The posts of the fence had crown insignias of King George III, which were sawed off by revolutionaries in 1776, on the same day when they tore down the statue of King George and sent it off to be melted down for musket bullets used against the redcoats. However, a few fragments of the statue survived — possibly hidden by Tories — and can be seen at the New York Historical Society today.
