3. The Battery Cannon Mount
Untapped Cities’ Chief Experience Officer and leader of our Remnants of Dutch New Amsterdam Tour Justin Rivers believes that this artifact is the oldest European artifact in Manhattan, meaning the oldest item that was built here by Europeans, not brought over from Europe. The Battery Cannon was dug up in 1892 at Exchange Alley and Broadway during construction. A plaque on the cannon’s mount notes that Exchange Alley was formerly used as the path to British fortifications called “Oyster Pasty.”
Rivers says that the Oyster Pasty mount can be seen on the Castello Plan which dates back to Dutch New Amsterdam in 1660. The cannon was donated to the City of New York by William Henry Mairs and relocated to Battery Park in 1914. You will find the cannon at the perimeter of the park on State Street between Bridge and Pearl Streets. It is not uncommon to find people using it as an unconventional seat (though we advised against this!). Discover more historic cannons around New York City here!
