Milestone Park

On this site stood the Van Pelt House, portions of which dated to the late 17th Century. During the Revolutionary War, local farmers like the Van Pelts saw their homes used to quarter British and Hessian officers as well as American prisoners. The house was dismantled for the creation of the park in the mid-twentieth century, one of many such events that have marked the disappearance of Kings County's rural past.

The New Utrecht Milestone (erected in 1741) marked the juncture of the King's Highway (currently 82nd Street) and the Old Road (now 18th Avenue) which led to the Town of Flatbush and to Gowanus Bay. On August 22, 1776, the invading British troops followed the King's Highway to seize the villages of Gravesend and Flatlands to the east. They took the Old Road to Flatbush and proceeded north to engage the American forces.

Submitted by @lampbane