Clement Clarke Moore Park

W. 22 St. and 10 Ave.

Manhattan, 10011

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

Scholar and poet Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) is the namesake of two New York City parks, each located on land previously owned by his family. The first is a playground in Newtown, Queens, known as the Clement Clarke Moore Homestead, because it was the site of the estate acquired by Clement’s great-great-grandfather, Captain Samuel Moore, in 1652. The second is this playground, located on a former farm purchased by Clement’s grandfather, Captain Thomas Clarke, in 1750. A retired officer of the British Army, Captain Clarke named his property "Chelsea" in reference to London’s Royal Chelsea Hospital for old soldiers. His daughter and son-in-law extended the acreage to what is now 19th Street, Eighth Avenue, 24th Street, and the Hudson River.