Open tedbarnett opened 2 months ago
1664 map of New Amsterdam shortly after British control:
Based on the measurements provided in the plan, the inlet on the top right of the map is most likely around current day Beekman Street.
According to various historical accounts, the treeline was as far back as present day Bowery and Greenwich village (perhaps even further than that).
Historical accounts from the 1600s mention plantations and farms being located in these areas:
i.e. crop fields were most likely on the western side of Manhattan island, and animal farms were located on the western side of the island (present day Bowery)
Based on some first-hand accounts of 1600s New Amsterdam, I annotated a map as follows:
The area outlined in red at the top left is where crop farms/plantations were located in 1664. They included food crops, but also had tobacco as well. On the bottom right were the 'boweries' which were farms specifically for livestock (especially pigs). When designating locations for crops in the 1660s level, we should follow this general outline.
Where were the crop fields? Where did the forest end?