Staten Island Timeline

Staten Island Timeline - 1500s - 1600s

1524: April
Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian explorer sailing under the Sponsorship of King Francois I of France, anchors his ship Dauphin in New York Bay. He had hoped to discover a new route to Asia.

1525
Estevan Gomez a Portuguese explorer of African descent sailing under the sponsorship of Spain, sails the East Coast of the United States and Canada in the ship La Anunciada passing or entering New York Bay.

1609: September 3
Henry Hudson, an English explorer sailing under the sponsorship of Holland, enters New York Bay in the ship Halve Maen (Half Moon). He names the island Staaten Eyelandt in honor of the Dutch Parliament - the States General or Staaten.

1639: January 5
From the journal of Captain David Pietersen De Vries: "Anno 1639 The 5th January I sent my people to Staten Island to begin to plant a colony there and build." This is the beginning of the first European settlement on Staten Island. By 1641 the colony is abandoned due to conflicts with the Native Americans (The Pig War).

1642
A second colony is established under the sponsorship of Cornelius Melyn. It is also abandoned due to Native American opposition in 1643 (The Whiskey War).

1650
Baron van der Capellan toe Ryssel makes a third attempt at colonization but only manages to sustain his colony until 1655, again due to Native American opposition (The Peach War).

1661: August 20
Nineteen Dutch and French Huguenot colonists form the first permanent European settlement on Staten Island at Oude Dorp, near present day South Beach.

1664: August 18
English forces capture the Dutch Blockhouse (at the present site of Fort Wadsworth) defending Staten Island. By August 29 the Dutch surrender all of New Amsterdam.

1663
Western organized religion debuts on Staten Island as the Reverend Samuel Drisius starts bi-monthly visits to the Oude Dorp colonists.

1670: April 13
Native Americans give up Staten Island in an agreement with the English Colonial Governor Francis Lovelace. Native American concepts of allowing the use of land without granting ownership (which they felt no individual was entitled to own) cloud the validity of such land agreements.

1676: March 25
Captain Christopher Billopp granted ownership of the southern portion of Staten Island where he builds the house that will become known as the Conference House after the Revolutionary War.

1683: November 1
King Charles II of England renames Staten Island Richmond County after James the Duke of Richmond.

1695 (approximately)
Voorlezer's House, thought to be the oldest existing school building in the United States, is built by the Dutch Reformed Church. It is now part of Historic Richmond Town.