On September 11, 1776, just over a year after fighting had begun, the American Revolutionary War could have ended. On that day, Admiral Lord Richard Howe of the British Navy met with three representatives of the Continental Congress—John Adams, Edward Rutledge, and Benjamin Franklin—to offer a deal. The house where this meeting occurred still stands in the southernmost town of New York City, Tottenville, Staten Island,
On April 17th, join Tottenville resident and author of 17th Century Tottenvile History Comes Alive, Angie Mangino, for a free virtual discussion of the town’s overlooked history! This talk is free for Untapped New York Insiders. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today and use code JOINUS for your first month free.
Known today as the Conference House, for that fateful day in 1776, this two-story stone manor home was originally built for Christopher Billopp around 1680. Billopp, a captain in the British Royal Navy, was Tottenville’s first resident (after the Lenape people who were already here) and for a time owned all the land in Tottenville. Dubbed the Manor of Bentley, his stone house sat on 1,600 acres on the shores of the Arthur Kill with views of Raritan Bay and the New Jersey shore.
Photo by Jaclyn Lurker
The home stayed in the family for four generations. In 1750, Christopher Billopp’s great-grandson—also named Christopher Billopp—inherited the home. Billopp was a loyalist and when war broke out, his home was commandeered for use by British troops stationed on Staten Island.
At the September meeting of British and American representatives, the men dined and discussed matters of war and independence for three hours. Lord Howe, representing the King, wished to end things amicably and with America back under British rule. The three men of the Continental Congress, having signed the Declaration of Independence just a couple of months earlier, stood firm on the point of American secession. No agreement was met and the war raged on for another seven years.
Photo by Jaclyn Lurker
Today, the Conference House stands as one of the oldest structures on Staten Island. Harmon National Real Estate donated the home and one acre of land to the City of New York in 1924. After extensive restoration work, it opened as Staten Island’s first house museum in 1927. You can visit the home and join a guided tour or attend one of the many cultural events that take place at the site.
Learn more about the Conference House and Tottenville’s early history in 17th Century Tottenvile History Comes Alive, the first book in a series of Tottenville history by Angie Mangino, a former investigative reporter for the Staten Island Register weekly newspaper and longtime Tottenville resident. Tottenville native Doug Eisengrein narrates the audiobook. The history follows the development of Tottenville from the time of the Lenape people to the turn of the 19th century, placing the events in a global context. Join Mangino for a live virtual talk on Tottenville’s forgotten history on April 17th! This talk is free for Untapped New York Insiders.
Nicole Saraniero is the Insider-in-Chief at Untapped New York, leading our Untapped New York Insiders membership program. Nicole graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science in Televis
