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AccessibilityThis playground is named for Old Town, the surrounding neighborhood which was the first European settlement in Staten Island, then known as Oude Dorp, Dutch for Old Town. After suffering through several destructive battles between the colonists and the Indians, Oude Dorp was abandoned in favor of a site just south of here, where the colonists rebuilt their settlement, calling it Nieuwe Dorp, Dutch for New Town.
Despite some uncertainty surrounding the exact year of settlement, Dutch fishermen and farmers occupied this land in the mid-17th century, building seven Dutch-style cottages with lumber from the untouched forest, and shells from the pristine seashore nearby. These settlers came into conflict with the Native Americans already living in the area, engaging in three battles known as the Pig, Whisky, and Peach Wars, which resulted in multiple topplings of this fragile pioneer’s hamlet.
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