History of Manhattan (via the NY Times)

Michelle and James Nevius, the authors of Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City answer questions about to what extent the Dutch promulgated religious freedom and suggest best places to get a feel for the history of New York City.

The Dutch were not particularly broadminded when it came to religion. The only official religion in New Amsterdam was Dutch Calvinism (now known as the Dutch Reformed Church). A small group of Jewish refugees were grudgingly granted the use of the upper story of an old mill, but no other Christian denominations were accepted. This led to violent clashes between city officials, led by Peter Stuyvesant, and religious dissenters, such as Robert Hodgson, a Quaker.

There are a lot of great places to “time travel” in New York. Here are five of our favorites:

1. The American Period Rooms at the Metropolitan Museum
   These rooms represent important eras in America’s development.
2. Stone Street
   Known to those who work and live in the financial district for its row of restaurants, Stone Street is the best-preserved block of 19th Century New York. (The name comes from the fact that it was the first paved street in New Amsterdam; those paving stones are long gone, however.)
3. The Wyckoff Farmhouse
   New York's oldest home and its first designated landmark.
4. The Merchant’s House Museum
   This museum is preserved, inside and out, including much of the Tredwell family’s original 19th-century furnishings.
5. Lower East Side Tenement Museum
   This museum captures the lives of New York’s immigrants in the six restored apartments.

The authors are speaking tonight at 6.00pm at The New York Historical Society (books available for purchase): admission free.