Joseph Rodman Drake Park & Enslaved African Burial Ground

Oak Pt. Ave. bet. Hunts Pt. Ave. and Longfellow Ave.

Bronx

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

The property of Joseph Rodman Drake Park in the Hunts Point area of the Bronx is located in what was once a Weckquaesgeek Indian settlement. In the late 17th century Thomas Hunt--for whom the neighborhood is named--acquired a large estate that encompassed this modest site, and built his stone residence, "the Grange", down by the shoreline point.