Conference House
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The Conference House, built in the 17th Century and located at the southern most tip of New York State in Staten Island, is famous for the Peace Conference held there on September 11, 1776.
In the early 1920's this beautiful manor house was about to be razed. Through the efforts of a group of concerned citizens, a non-profit organization, The Conference House Association, was formed, and the House was saved. In 1929 the Municipal Assembly of the City of New York placed the House under the Association's aegis.
The House, a National and New York City Landmark, is the only pre-Revolutionary manor house still surviving in New York City. It stands majestically in Conference House Park (the Park celebrated it's 75th anniversary in Spring 2001) overlooking Raritan Bay.
[edit] Before the American Revolution
Captain Christopher Billopp, after years of distinguished service in the Royal Navy, came to America in 1674, leading a landlubbing infantry company. The following year, he settled on the best part of Staten Island where he was granted a patent for 932 acres of land. As archaeological evidence suggests, there was an Indian village on the site.
As the legend goes, Capt. Billopp's seamanship secured Staten Island to New York, rather than to New Jersey: the Island would belong to New York if the good captain could circumnavigate it in one day - which he proceeded to do.
In 1677, the fortunes of colonial service took Capt. Billopp to New Castle on the Delaware River, where he commanded the local garrison. Upon appointment of Thomas Dongan as governor of the colony of New York, the good captain returned to Staten Island and became active in the local government. He was further rewarded by another patent, expanding his Staten Island property to 1,600 acres.
It's difficult to ascertain exactly when his manor house was built, but one surviving map shows that, before 1680, a building existed on the site of the Conference House. What is known for sure is that Captain Billopp's descendants lived in the house until the American Revolution.
