Lower Manhattan: How the Money Started

The first US capital was born on a street built on a wall built on a slave market. Finance and erasure, cast together.

4.55|95 minutes|3 km|8 Stops

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Battery Park: Where the Defensive Logic Began

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Battery Park: Where the Defensive Logic Began

The southern tip of Manhattan, named for the cannons that once defended the colony's harbor.

Bowling Green: The Founding Receipt That Never Existed

Manhattan's first park and the legendary site of the 1626 land transfer with the Lenape. The deed does not survive.

Wall and Pearl: The Auction Block

The site of New York's official municipal slave market, established 1711, operated 51 years. Marker dedicated 2015.

Stone Street: The First Paved Street

The first cobbled street in New Amsterdam, paved in 1658 by Dutch council order. Restored 2000.

Federal Hall: The Republic Arrives

The site of Washington's 1789 inauguration and the first US Congress. The current building dates to 1842.

African Burial Ground: The Ground Underneath

The 1991 rediscovery of an 18th-century African burial ground. National Monument designated 2006.

Foley Square: The Geometry of Cover-up

A civic plaza between the African Burial Ground and City Hall. Two blocks apart, by design.

New York City Hall: The Thesis Stated Plain

Cornerstone 1803, completed 1812. The oldest US city hall in continuous original use.

Best Time to Visit

Tuesday through Thursday, mid-morning. The African Burial Ground visitor center is closed Sundays and Mondays per NPS, and Tue-Thu gives you reliable interior access. Federal Hall interior is also weekdays only.

Pro Tips

•Schedule the walk Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday so the African Burial Ground visitor center is open
•Federal Hall is free but interior access is weekdays only, 9am to 5pm
•The 2015 slave-market marker is at the southwest corner of Wall and Water, not at Wall and Pearl. Stand at the marker; the actual auction block sat slightly west between Pearl and Water
•Stone Street is pedestrian-only and lined with restaurants. Enter from the Hanover Square end for the strongest cobblestone walk
•Bring water. The corridor is mostly shaded but the granite plazas at the Burial Ground and Foley Square get hot in summer
•Allow time to sit inside the Ancestral Chamber. It is the most physically affecting part of the walk

Safety & Precautions

Lower Manhattan sidewalks are busy on weekdays. Stay aware at the Wall and Pearl marker corner, which sits at an active crosswalk
City Hall interior tours require advance reservation through NYC.gov. The exterior and surrounding park are the audio anchor; the interior is not required
The African Burial Ground outdoor monument is open 24/7, but the indoor visitor center is closed Sundays and Mondays

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