Monument Lot or Monument Triangle

This small triangular site was the first monument and tomb for the many American Revolutionary War prisoners who died on British prison ships in Wallabout Bay. In 1808, their bodies were moved from burial along the East River shoreline to this site. The burial crypt and cornerstone were paid for by a public subscription campaign organized by the Tammany organization, and a ceremonial internment took place at the site. In the 1870s several caskets of bones were moved to the newly established Prison Ship Martyrs Memorial in Fort Greene Park.

Our thanks to Nicholas Evans Cato who submitted photos of the site, with this message: “These photos, taken in February 2006, show new construction underway on two properties located at the place known as Monument Lot or Monument Triangle. After recent archaeological excavation discovered that in fact all human remains seem to have been properly and completely removed to the permanent crypt in Fort Greene Park in the late nineteenth century, new construction was allowed to proceed. One photo shows stairs leading down to 91 Hudson’s basement, formerly the site of the crypt itself. Many people would like to see an explanatory plaque affixed to the new building when it is complete.”