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WELCOME TO GOVERNORS ISLAND, NEW YORK

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Welcome to a little bit of Governors Island

Just a short ferry boat ride from one of the most congested and dangerous cities in the world is Governor's Island.  It  is a peaceful and beautiful island with a view of the Manhattan Skyline that is breathtaking.  As a member of the armed service, I was fortunate enough to stay at the Super 8 Motel.  My motel window looked out to a beautiful golf course, across the bay to the twin towers.  A site that will be forever in my memory.  Now the twin towers are gone and so is the privilege to stay at the Super 8.

The reason we were permitted to go onto Governors Island was that I worked for the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.  My daughter wanted to celebrate her 13th birthday in NEW YORK CITY!!!!  I was lucky to find that military personnel could take a ferry boat ride to Governors Island and stay a small Super 8 Motel.  I was not expecting very much but when we arrived I fell in love with this wonderful little island.  In one short weekend it became part of me.  I think of the beauty and serenity of this peaceful paradise and still get chills.  We were permitted to walk throughout Fort Jay.  We went up to the roof for the most fantastic views of the twin towers.  God I love this place.

I feel compelled to include Governors Island in my small collection of web pages.  The Coast Guard station is gone.  The island was turned over to the Department of Interior; so only DOI personnel are permitted to stay on the island.  Soon ownership will be transferred... and the peacefulness of the island will be no more.

Now let me tell you a little about the Island.  Governors Island has 173 acres (70 hectares), in Upper New York Bay, South of Manhattan island, South east N.Y.   It was bought from the Native Americans by the Dutch in 1637.  Itt was the site of an early New Netherland settlement. 

New Netherland, territory included in a commercial grant by the government of Holland to the Dutch West India Company in 1621. Colonists were settled along the Hudson River region; in 1624 the first permanent settlement was established at Fort Orange (now Albany, N.Y.). The principal settlement in the tract after 1625 was New Amsterdam (later New York City) at the southern end of Manhattan island, which was purchased from Native Americans in 1626. Colonization proceeded slowly, hampered by trouble with the native people, poor administration, and rivalry with New England settlers. In 1664 the territory was taken by the English, who divided it into the two colonies of New York and New Jersey.

The island received its name in 1698 (officially 1784), when the British set it aside as the colonial governors' residence.  Historic landmarks on the island include Fort Jay which was completed c.1800.  Castle William was completed in 1811.  It was a Civil War military prison.

Governors Island served as a U.S. military base until 1966, then becoming the east coast headquarters and training center of the U.S. coast guard. In 1988 it was the site of a meeting between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The coast guard decommissioned its base in 1997.

Governor's Island in New York Harbor, a now-discontinued Coast Guard base unseen by the public for 200 years, can now play a new role in New York's life.

On 172-acres just one-half mile offshore, 5 minutes from Brooklyn and Battery Park, the 2-mile wateredge faces spectacular skyline and harbor views.

A National Landmark District reveals the story of three historic fortifications that secured the city during two centuries of military and international activity.

Congress has directed the GSA to dispose of the Island in 2002, at fair market value pegged at $500 million. New York City and State have a right-of-first-offer on its land and substantial facilities, suitable to reuse for business, institutional and public purposes.

President Clinton and members of Congress offered to transfer the Island at no cost for a convincing plan that preserves for public benefit this unique historic environment.

The Department of Labor began offering tours twice daily, Tuesday through Friday. Tours begin in early June and continue up to the Labor Day weekend. Tours are be free, but tickets will be required and there is a $5 ferry transportation fee.

  Since May 26, 2004