Manhattan Sites Tour➢

In June 2025, I took advantage of a day off to complete the New York City National Park Service units, starting with an early subway ride to Lower Manhattan. I joined the first ranger-led tour of the day at Castle Clinton National Monument. Although I had passed through several times when it served as the security checkpoint for the Statue of Liberty ferry, this was my first true visit to the historic fort itself. From there, I walked north to Trinity Church, exploring the cemetery with the goal of finding Alexander Hamilton’s grave, before revisiting Federal Hall and continuing on to the African Burial Ground National Monument.

From the African Burial Ground, I took the subway uptown to Stonewall National Monument. This was my first visit to the site, and I spent time exploring the new visitor center, including watching the park film. Afterward, I walked through Christopher Park across the street and took photos of the exterior of the Stonewall Inn before heading home, bringing a full and meaningful day of exploring New York City’s National Park Service sites to a close.

African Burial Ground➢

African Burial Ground National Monument preserves the oldest known burial ground for free and enslaved Africans in New York City. Between the late 1600s and the late 1700s, an estimated 15,000 people were buried here outside the boundaries of the colonial city.

For many years, the burial ground was forgotten and built over as New York expanded northward. In 1991, workers constructing a federal office building uncovered human remains. Archaeological investigations revealed the remains of hundreds of men, women, and children, bringing renewed attention to an important part of the city’s history.

The site became a National Historic Landmark in 1993. Congress established African Burial Ground National Monument in 2006. Today, the monument honors the contributions of Africans and African Americans to the development of New York City and the nation.

I arrived at the site after visiting Federal Hall. Outside, I spent time viewing the memorial and reading the interpretive panels. The memorial’s design encourages visitors to reflect on the lives of those buried here and the hardships they endured.

Inside the visitor center, exhibits tell the story of the burial ground, its rediscovery, and the archaeological work that followed. Displays explain daily life in colonial New York and describe the role enslaved Africans played in building the city. Several exhibits also highlight the scientific study of the remains and the effort to identify those buried here.

After exploring the monument, I headed uptown to visit Stonewall National Monument, my final National Park Service site of the day.

Manhattan Sites➢

15. Castle Clinton NM
16. Trinity Church
17. Federal Hall NMEM
18. African Burial Ground NM
19. Stonewall NM

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Location: 290 Broadway, New York, NY
Designation: National Monument
Date designated/established: February 27, 2006
Date of my visit: June 3, 2025