Three Museums of Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan is so narrow in width, that much can be seen in one full day. The following is information about three museums located within an easy walking distance of each other. First, is the New York City Police Museum, located at 100 Old Slip.




Some information from their web site:

"The Police Museum gives visitors an insider’s look at the history and traditions of the largest police force in the country and its role in the history of New York City. With artifacts that date all the way back to the Dutch settlers, visitors can discover the impact of the NYPD over the last three centuries. They will find out the reason police precincts around the nation are marked with green lights outside their doors, why officers are called “cops,” why their bosses are called “brass” and which came first, the Model T or the Highway Unit?
Visitors will hear the moving stories of officers responding to the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, and learn how the NYPD now works beyond the borders of New York City to ensure the safety of every citizen.
They will also view the shields of every officer killed in the line of duty since 1845, and can contemplate the bravery and dedication it takes to be one of New York's Finest.
Kids always uncover something cool at The New York City Police Museum. They can test out the sirens used in an NYPD patrol car, take their friend’s “mug shot” in a police line-up and see what life is like on the other side of the bars in a real jail cell. On display in the Weapons and Notorious Criminals, on exhibit is Al Capone’s Tommy gun, an infamous bank robber Willie Sutton’s handmade lock-picking kit. Baseball fans will discover the origin of the New York Yankees logo in the original NYPD Medal of Valor."

This museum is housed in an original 99-year-old police station, a very narrow building three stories tall.


It is a very interesting place to visit, even if no one in your family is involved in law enforcement, as you will learn quite a bit early vintage New York City history, and quite a bit about the city's agencies response on the tragic day of 9/11 through their exhibit, entitled "United Response: Commemorating 9/11." It features over 55 still and multimedia images are drawn from the collections of the New York Police Department Photo Unit, the New York Times, and the New York Daily News, highlighting extraordinary acts of heroism and courage and touching moments of generosity and kindness in New York City on that day.

The second museum is The National Museum of the American Indian, which is located in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, a magnificent Beaux-Arts building with a grand front staircase. It is located at One Bowling Green, between State St. and Whitehall St., adjacent to the northeast corner of Battery Park and just below Bowling Green Park.



The National Museum of the American Indian is the sixteenth museum of the Smithsonian Institution. It is the first national museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. Established by an act of Congress in 1989, it comprises three facilities, one in New York, Maryland, and Washington DC; each was designed following consultations between museum staff and Native peoples.




As you enter, you walk through a magnificent rotunda, with its elliptical 140-ton skylight and multicolored marbles. There are some exhibits which tell about the period of time that this building was used as a customs house, over 100 hundred years ago. 
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, housed on its first three floors, and the exhibits are always changing.

Not a museum, but still of great photographic interest, is "Charging Bull" at Bowling Green Plaza. (customs house in the far background). After a fall of the Stock Market index in 1989, sculptor Arturo Di Modica illegally placed this huge bull (the symbol of an upmarket) outside the New York Stock Exchange. The sculpture was so popular it was moved to this location, where it remains on extended loan.



The last museum in this entry will be Fraunces Tavern, New York's oldest surviving building located at 54 Pearl Street, which has witnessed three centuries of American history!




(I'm sorry I could not get a better picture than this, but the streets are very narrow in this part of the city, and a big US Mail truck was parked outside the front entrance blocking the view.)

George Washington and other American leaders gathered at this tavern to celebrate the evacuation of the British from New York on November 25, 1783. Washington visited again on December 4th for a farewell banquet with his officers. After Washington became president, the tavern's owner, Samuel Fraunces, served as his chief steward in New York. Today Fraunces Tavern houses a museum as well as a restaurant.

A major part of the museum's collection is from the Revolutionary War period including weapons, documents, and historic relics --such as a lock of Washington's hair and one of his false teeth! Another portion of the collection is made up of art inspired by the events and characters of the Revolution, and early American and New York City history.

There are many other museums in lower Manhattan, all of them interesting and worth visiting if you enjoy history. 
Next post, I'll finally take you along on my Big Onion Walking Tour of the old "Five Points" of New York City.
Thanks for all the compliments about my being a good tour guide. I love my city, so it is a pleasure for me to learn more about it and share it with all of you!