Tombstones, wooden ships, mastodon teeth and bones—construction crews over the years have come upon some pretty wild artifacts while digging into the ground beneath New York City.
But here’s a fascinating relic uncovered in 1929, when excavation was underway for the apartment buildings on the far East Side that would eventually become Tudor City.
It’s a Hessian sword, described as a “slightly curved, single-edged iron blade” with a wooden grip and “helmet-shaped iron pommel” by the New-York Historical Society, which has the sword in its collection.
How did it end up underneath Tudor City? The story begins back in 1776. New York was a Revolutionary War battleground, and mercenary German soldiers were paid to fight alongside the British.
That September, thousands of British and Hessian soldiers sailed across the East River and invaded Manhattan at the shores of Kip’s Bay.
Watching from a fortification at about today’s 42nd Street, George Washington and his army fled across Manhattan to Harlem Heights.
Eventually the Americans were driven out of Manhattan (temporarily, of course)—and at some point, a Hessian soldier must have dropped his sword, where it remained buried for 153 years.
Fred French, the developer of Tudor City, donated the sword to the New-York Historical Society.
[First image: Wikipedia; second image: Tudor City Confidential; third image: Wikipedia; fourth image: NYPL]
Tags: east river, Kips Bay Invastion British, Kips Bay NYC, Revolutionary War New York City, Tudor City, Turtle Bay NYC, war artifacts in NYC
February 20, 2017 at 7:37 am |
What, no picture of the sword?
February 20, 2017 at 3:33 pm |
I tried and tried . . . it’s part of the collection of the N-Y Historical Society, but I couldn’t find it in their digital collections. There’s a link above in the text.
February 20, 2017 at 10:22 am |
Wondering if the NY Historical Society still has this sword in its collection? Any chance you could publish a photo of it?
February 20, 2017 at 3:36 pm |
They do have it in their collection, see the link in the text. I could not find and identify a photo though, unfortunately!
February 20, 2017 at 10:23 am |
PS What is that oblisk monument in front of the Tudor City buildings?
February 20, 2017 at 3:36 pm |
I still don’t know either, it’s curious though.
February 21, 2017 at 1:20 pm |
I believe that obelisk is a decorative element atop the Tudor City building on East 41st Street where the photographer was positioned.
February 21, 2017 at 6:00 pm |
[…] A Revolutionary War Sword Turns Up in Tudor City [Ephemeral NY]: A fascinating relic uncovered in 1929, when excavation was underway for the apartment buildings on the far East Side that would eventually become Tudor City. It’s a Hessian sword, described as a “slightly curved, single-edged iron blade” with a wooden grip and “helmet-shaped iron pommel” by the New-York Historical Society, which has the sword in its collection. […]
February 22, 2017 at 6:21 pm |
[…] A Revolutionary War sword turns up in Tudor City [Ephemeral New York]: Tombstones, wooden ships, mastodon teeth and bones—construction crews over the years have come upon some pretty wild artifacts while digging into the ground beneath New York City. But here’s a fascinating relic uncovered in 1929, when excavation was underway for the apartment buildings on the far East Side that would eventually become Tudor City. […]