View Petition from John Paeck and John Peter Zenger How was NYC built?, Who is a New Yorker? Handwritten petition by John Peter Zenger and John Paeck describing harsh conditions inside the City Hall jail.
View Property forfeitures in NYC after the Revolutionary War How was NYC built?, Who is a New Yorker? After the Revolutionary War, lands forfeited by departing Loyalists were resold by the state, with many parcels granted to widows across New York.
View An Indian Village of the Manhattans, 1859 depiction How was NYC built?, What makes NYC, NYC?, Who is a New Yorker? Woodcut illustration of a 17th-century Manhattan Indian village depicting longhouses.
View First page of Common Council records, 1675 How was NYC built? 1765 document signed by Governor Edmund Andros, listing appointed Mayor, Aldermen, and Sheriff of New York City.
View Roll of Freemen in the City of New York, 1683-1775 What makes NYC, NYC?, Who is a New Yorker? Parchment book titled “Freemen of the City of New York” with 17th-century handwritten entries of white male owners of property.
View Original lots comprising New Amsterdam, 1857 depiction What makes NYC, NYC? Colorful map of Dutch West India Company land grants with lot measurements, owner names, and labeled streets.
View Towne of Mannados (New Amsterdam) Longe Iseland, 1859 What makes NYC, NYC? Decorative map titled “Longe Isleand” with ornate border, ships in the harbor, gardens in green, and a large compass rose.
View Map of Graves End (Gravesend) and Deed, 1694 What makes NYC, NYC? Architectural grid drawing of a 16th-century town square with notes, alongside a faded 17th-century handwritten property deed.
View Coney Island Land Deed, Nyack tribe, May 7, 1654 How was NYC built?, What makes NYC, NYC?, Who is a New Yorker? 1654 deed transferring Coney Island from the Nayack tribe to Gravesend settlers, signed by Chief Guttoquoh and tribal elders.
View Estate inventory of Elizabeth Syffon, 1670 How was NYC built?, What makes NYC, NYC?, Who is a New Yorker? Ornate handwritten deed with decorative title page and interior pages listing an itemized inventory of belongings.
View Historical views of the waterfront, 1600s-1990s What makes NYC, NYC? A 17th-century illustration of New Amsterdam paired with a modern photograph showing the waterfront’s transformation.