pie
in winter resorted to the overflowing Collect and Lispen-ard meadows,
the marshy land of the latter extending then down Chapel Street quite
to Thomas. In winter these meadows were a great skating pond for the
public.
A
verbal sketch of extreme interest, prepared by Valentine, exacts an
attentive perusal. It was written in 1857. " The superficies of the
lower as well as other portions of the island was originally graceful,
varied, romantic and prepossessing, diversified in all the forms of
hill and dale, and valley, of brook and rivulet, and winding stream of
limpid water, which made up numerous views and prospects most
captivating. The higher line of lands was from the Battery along where
now is Broadway (a bluffy height south of Trinity Church, then
commanded an extensive prospect) far on to the north, in varied degrees
of elevation. But like a backbone, in the center it was uniformly
highest, and fell off gracefully to the east and west, except where the
brook crossed it; where it fell to a valley from the south and
north—the Collect of freshpond being on the east and Lispenard Meadows
being on the west, in both of which were large springs, which kept the
water fresh and flowing. The water was very deep at where now is the
corner of Grand and Greene Streets. About 1809 or 1810 a gentleman
named White was there drowned by walking there by mistake at night.
"
At the corner of Grand Street and Broadway was a high hill, from which
the land gracefully fell off toward the brook at Canal Street, and up
which Broadway or the King's Bridge road was. From that hill was a view
which in majestic loveliness was very captivating. Below in the
valley, on each side the road, the waters were seen flowing toward each
river, those on the east side finding their way through and over the
lowlands where now is Roosevelt Street, and those on the west finding
their way through the lowlands of the meadows of Lispenard to the North
River through a sewer made through a dike, where now is Greenwich
Street, and the ponds on each side varying in width, and each
presenting a beautiful sheet
