7. 91 Hudson Ave was the location of the first Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument
The Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument in Fort Greene Park commemorates the more than 11,500 American prisoners of war who died in captivity while on British prison ships during the Revolutionary War. More Americans died in British jails and prison ships in the Harbor than in all Revolutionary War battles, and many bodies were thrown overboard in Wallabout Bay. During the construction of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, many of these remains were uncovered and put into boxes and casks, and Stanford White designed the 149-foot-tall granite Doric column memorializing these lives lost.
Before the construction of the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument, there was a vault housing some remains that stood at what is today 91 Hudson Ave. On May 26, 1808, a re-internment ceremony was held, and a small square building stood above the vault. A monument was never built on-site because Tammany Hall, which was given $1,000 to build the monument, pocketed the money. Surrounding the triangular plot of land was a wooden fence with thirteen posts painted with the names of the original 13 states. Little was done to maintain the vault, which soon after fell into disrepair.