Park Slope's Stone Farmhouse Ties 1776 to the Brooklyn Dodgers
Walk through a rebuilt Dutch farmhouse that saw a pivotal stand during the Revolutionary War's largest battle and later launched a ball club.
🏛 A House With Two Histories
A low stone farmhouse stands in the middle of a Park Slope playground, and the slides mostly hide what happened on this ground. On an August morning in 1776, four hundred Maryland soldiers charged two thousand British and Hessian troops in a pivotal stand during the Revolutionary War's largest battle, allowing the American army to retreat toward Brooklyn Heights.
The building is a 1934 reconstruction, raised from the stones of the Vechte farmhouse that stood here from 1699. It opens Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to four, though private events can adjust public hours—confirm before heading out. No reservations are needed, walk in entry admits up to ten visitors, and a three dollar donation is suggested.
A century after the battle the block became Washington Park, and this little house served as the clubhouse of the Brooklyn Base Ball Club, the team that grew into the Dodgers. The first home game here ended 13 to 6 over Trenton in May 1883, and Charles Ebbets sold tickets before he ran the club.
Inside, the permanent exhibit Witness to War traces a Lenape village, Dutch Brooklyn and the British occupation in ten sections.
