Hamilton Metz Field

Albany Ave., E. New York Ave., Lefferts Ave.

Brooklyn

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

This field honors United States founding father Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804), early 1900s legislator Herman A. Metz (1867-1934), and his wife Laura A. Metz.

One of the most influential military officers and statesmen in American history, Alexander Hamilton first arrived in New York in 1772 where he enrolled in King’s College (now Columbia University). As a member of the Continental Army in 1777, he saw combat at the Battle of Long Island (Brooklyn Heights), served as George Washington’s aide-de-camp, and led a regiment of New York troops at the Battle of Yorktown (1781).

After the war, Hamilton served with distinction as a United States Congressman (1782-1783) and Secretary of the Treasury (1789-1795). Hamilton also co-authored a number of the Federalist Papers. He died on January 31, 1804 from a gunshot wound inflicted by political rival Aaron Burr (1756-1836) days earlier.