By Katie Vasquez
The Old Stone House in Park Slope offers visitors a glimpse into Brooklyn’s colonial past and the sacrifices made during the American Revolution.
The house is a reconstruction of the 1699 Vechte-Cortelyou House, originally built by a Dutch family who farmed the surrounding land more than 350 years ago.
“At that time, there wasn’t a park here,” said Father Anthony Andreassi, administrative vicar of the Oratory Church of St. Boniface. “A Dutch family built this house, and they were living in this area. They were farming the land with their family.”
At the time the home was built, Kings County was home to only about 3,600 residents.
Andreassi said the location was likely chosen because of its proximity to Gowanus Creek, now known as the Gowanus Canal.
“The family would have raised and grown whatever they wouldn’t have used for themselves,” he said. “They would have sold it and probably shipped it down.”
The site later became the location of one of the most significant battles of the American Revolution.
“The Battle of Long Island, or the Battle of Brooklyn, was the largest battle of the American Revolution,” Andreassi said. “It’s the first battle of the American Revolution. When the British ships arrived from Halifax, that was the largest flotilla of ships the world had ever seen up until that point.”
As British forces approached, Gen. George Washington ordered additional troops from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Among them was a small regiment known as the Maryland 400.
According to Andreassi, the soldiers carried out a rearguard action that distracted British troops and helped allow American forces to retreat.
“They sort of distracted the British troops,” he said.
Andreassi noted that Maryland was founded by the Calvert family in 1634 as the first and only Catholic colony. Although Catholics made up a relatively small minority of the colony’s population, he said some members of the Maryland 400 were likely Catholic.
Most of the regiment’s soldiers were killed or captured by the British, but their actions earned praise from Washington.
“He was amazed with the bravery of these soldiers from Maryland,” Andreassi said. “He spoke about them holding the line. That’s why Maryland is known as the Old Line State.”
Today, the Old Stone House serves as a reminder of the courage and sacrifice that helped establish the United States nearly 250 years ago.