Everywhere you turn and look in The Bronx, you’re bound to stumble upon a bit of history.

Some of it is pretty common knowledge but other bits of our past may surprise you.

Many people wouldn’t think that The Bronx would have any role in America’s independence but not only does our borough indeed play one but it is much bigger than you think!

Let’s start with our nation’s first president, George Washington.

On October 12, 1776, the British landed in Throgg’s Neck with 4,000 troops who were later met with the resistance of 350 Americans who were able to hold them off at Pell’s Point in Pelham Bay Park.  This allowed Washington and his troops to safely reach White Plains.  Think about that.  350 Americans against 4,000 British troops!

But it wasn’t until 1783 that George Washington left Van Cortlandt House in The Bronx with his troops in what is considered the final act of the American Revolution which was the recapturing of New York City.  Known as ‘Evacuation Day‘, November 25th, 1783 was that historic day when Washington triumphantly left The Bronx, crossed the Harlem River into Manhattan and headed down the island to New York as the last bit of British Authority fled the shores of America. It should also be noted that sadly, the British army slaughtered Native Americans fighting for American Independence, The Stockbridge Indians in present day Van Cortlandt Park where they are buried and memorialized in Indian Field.

Here are some other historical facts on our borough’s role in the founding of America:

1: Morrisania and Morris Avenue get their names from the Morris family of the Bronx of which Lewis Morris was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence of our country.  He is buried in the family vault at St Ann’s Church on St. Ann’s Avenue and E 142nd Street in Mott Haven just south of St. Mary’s Park.

2: Lewis Morris half-brother, Gouverneur Morris who not only was a signer of the Constitution but is also the author of large sections of this treasured document and is considered the ‘Penman of the Constitution’ and the author of its preamble:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Gouverneur Morris also was, “Among the most vocal participants of the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Morris argued for granting Congress veto powers over state laws, direct election of the president and proportional representation in Congress based on taxation.”

3: The iron dome of the United States Capitol in Washington DC was made right here in the Bronx.

4: Right across from the Jerome Park Reservoir we have Old Fort Four Park which according to NYC Park’s Department:

“As Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, General George Washington ordered the construction of outer defenses throughout the Kingsbridge area. Fort Four was built under the direction of Colonel Rufus Putnam in 1777 to protect the American army and to safeguard the line of the Harlem River. The largest of all fortifications in the neighborhood, Fort Four was admirably situated, commanding a view for miles in all directions. In the fall of 1779, the fort was destroyed by the British forces led by Sir Henry Clinton.”

5: Here’s another one submitted by Bronxite Sally Dunford:  “Also according to NYC Parks: “Gun Hill Meadow is named for a January 25, 1777 Revolutionary War battle that took place near this site. Gun Hill Road, then known as Kingsbridge Road, was an important east-west thoroughfare, which the British and the Americans fought fiercely to control. During the battle, the British were chasing the Patriots east towards the river. While in retreat, a group of soldiers, led by Captain Bryant of the artillery, dragged a cannon atop a nearby hill and fired upon the charging Brits. That strategic position, which then became known as “Gun Hill,” forced the Brits to retreat west to Kingsbridge, allowing the Patriots to escape.”

6: And Bronxite Nick Leshi reminded us about Glover’s Rock in Pelham Bay Park and the Battle of Pell’s Point:

According to New York City Parks Department:

Before the American Revolution, the Siwanoy Native Americans used the rock as a lookout point along their trading route.

On June 21, 1775, the British ordered Glover and his Marblehead Militia to Cambridge, but the next day he and his regiment defected to the Continental Army. General George Washington (1732-1799) organized the Continental Army on July 3, 1775, and on January 1, 1776, the Marblehead regiment became the 14th Continental Regiment, led by Colonel Glover. Colonel Glover soon commanded a brigade, and on September 13, 1776, he safeguarded the evacuation of New York City through Harlem, across the King’s Bridge, and into the Bronx and White Plains. General Howe and a British fleet had landed on Kip’s Bay, and the British Army was threatening General Washington’s position in White Plains. Glover spied the fleet off Pell’s Point, the site of present-day Rodman’s Neck.

There were four regiments in Glover’s brigade, one being his own Marblehead regiment, the other three under the command of Colonel Joseph Read (b. 1731), Colonel William Shepard (1737-1817), and Colonel Loammi Baldwin (1745-1807). On October 18, 1776, Colonel Glover separated each regiment, spreading them along Split Rock Road behind the stone walls that marked property lines. He then led 40 men in a direct attack on the British. After an exchange of fire, two Americans were killed and Glover retreated north along the path with the British in pursuit.

Soon, the British forces hit the other three Continental Regiments, and, surrounded, they retreated back to Pell’s Point. Only 12 Americans were killed, yet between 800 to 1,000 British soldiers were killed or wounded in the battle. Colonel Glover thus enabled General Washington to position and hold his forces in White Plains before moving south. Glover’s “Marbleheaders,” with their experience as sailors, were also essential in Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware River on December 25, 1776, for the Battle of Trenton. Glover was promoted to Brigadier General on February 23, 1777. While General Glover was stationed in Rhode Island, his wife died on November 13, 1778. After the war, Glover returned to Massachusetts and was elected to the state legislature in 1788 and 1789. He died in Marblehead on January 30, 1797.

Here’s one last bit and a fun fact: Lewis Morris tried to convince the newly found nation to make Morrisania the Capital of The United States in 1790…but we know how that went.

Check out MORE Bronx Facts here!

MELROSE — Tens of thousands of people came from The Bronx and across New York City to kick off World Pride celebrations at Bronx Pride which marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and Uprising in the queer liberation movement.

Hosted by the Third Avenue Business Improvement District and Destination Tomorrow—The Bronx’s official LGBTQ center — the 1 Bronx Festival is now in its 3rd year bringing the LGBTQ community to the forefront of the borough’s busiest intersection at 3rd Avenue and 149th Street.

The event featured dozens of performers and was headlined by the legendary Deborah Cox and La Insuperable from the Dominican Republic.

Thousands enjoyed the performances throughout the event and it wasn’t just the LGBTQ community but a good mix of local residents who came out to support and just have a good time.

Before the festivities began, however, hundreds gathered at the Bronx County Courthouse for some rallying speeches by local LGBTQ leaders and elected officials including New York City Councilmember Vanessa L. Gibson and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Last year was the first time the march was held after a decades of inactivity and this year’s march was considerably larger with hundreds of participants going down the Grand Concourse from 161st Street to 149th Street and then marching towards 3rd Avenue to the newly painted Pride Crosswalk where the festival took place.

Oh and did we mention that the march was the longest pride march route outside of Manhattan too?

It seems like The Bronx just kept making queer history this weekend.

And we’re not stopping anytime soon.

Melrose—Last night, The Bronx became the first borough in New York City outsfirst reached out to our local New York City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. to see if we could get rainbow pride crosswalks in The Bronx, we didn\’t think it would actually happen.\nide of Manhattan to get a Pride crosswalk which were installed at 149th and 3rd and Melrose Avenues—the busiest intersection in The Bronx.

When we first reached out to our local New York City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. to see if we could get rainbow pride crosswalks in The Bronx, we didn’t think it would actually happen.

We also didn’t realize that if it did happen, it would be a historic moment for the LGBTQ community in The Bronx and the rest of the city.

This is truly a momentous occasion for our community and borough in acknowledging our visibility.

For too long the queer community of The Bronx was not just marginalized but treated as an obscure footnote.

But we won’t take that anymore.

The Pride Crosswalks is a signal to the world that we will not be invisible and we will not be forgotten.

It’s also a signal to the world that queer life does indeed exist outside of Manhattan well above the confines of the Village, Chelsea, and Hell’s Kitchen.

It’s also a signal to the world that queer people of color exist in a predominantly borough of people of color like The Bronx.

Now join us tomorrow at 10:30AM at the Bronx County Courthouse on 161st and Grand Concourse as we hold our pride march down to 3rd Avenue and 149th Street as we kick off our Bronx Pride Festival.

19 year old Lucas Silverio, The Bronx hero who rushed into a burning building and rushed up 14 flights to save a little girl has succumbed to his injuries.

The Belmont teen had just helped his grandmother out of the building and decided to race back up to the little three year old girl who had gotten separated from her family during the panic of the fire which occurred this past Sunday.

Sadly the baby didn’t make it and she passed away yesterday.

Today, her would be hero died as well.

Silverio was described as a “wonderful human being,” by his cousin Jesse Alvarez according to WABC.

A quick look at his Facebook timeline showed a kid who was very interested in the environment and the threat of climate change as well as mental health awareness.

Although we never knew you, we will never forget you, Lucas. You are the true embodiment and spirit of The Bronx. You put community before your own life.

Our condolences to the families of those lost as a result of this blaze.

We’ve lost too many to the fires over the past decades and each one reopens those wounds.

After a lengthy study and community engagement, the MTA has released its Draft Plan for the much anticipated Bronx Bus Network Redesign Plan which seeks to improve bus service in our borough.

We took a look at the plan over the weekend and most seem to be pretty good changes from eliminating stops and adding some to changing the routes of others.

Hundreds of bus stops are proposed to be removed and many more added or adjusted to accommodate the changes to improve speed and reliability across The Bronx.

But one particular neighborhood will get the short end of the stick if this draft plan goes through.

Co-op City, home to over 43,000 residents of which a great number are seniors, will see worse service rather than better at least how we see it and several others do as well.

Amelia Zaino, who lives in Co-op City, says that the draft plan as it stands will force residents to transfer just to get to the subway in a single ride unless you’re heading to the 6 train.

She further adds that all Co-op City residents who are taking the Bx 26 or Bx 28 bus will be forced to wait in one spot that currently has no amenities or space for waiting if these changes are implemented.

Zaino also points out that, “…dependency on the Bx23, which runs along I95, in the event of major traffic problems on I95, the neighborhood would be at a standstill with no alternatives.”

Another drastic change would be the elimination of the express bus BxM4 into Manhattan from the Grand Concourse and rerouting it onto the Major Deegan Expressway and into Manhattan bypassing all the neighborhoods it currently serves along its existing route.

The Express Bus Advocacy Group plans on fighting some of these changes and cited concerns about removing the BxM4 from the Grand Concourse.

The MTA’s logic is that area is already served by the B and D line and they feel that it’s redundant to have an express bus serve that area but local resident Lisa Wright notes that these stations are not accessible for people with disabilities.

And she’s correct. Only Kingsbridge and 161st Street are accessible and if the BxM4 is removed from the Concourse it would leave a huge swath of the borough with less options for travel for people with mobility issues.

This is something that the Express Bus Advocacy Group will fight the MTA on based on Americans with Disability Act grounds according to comments on Welcome2TheBronx’s Facebook Group.

But as we mentioned before this is only a draft proposal and Bronx residents will have plenty of opportunities to voice their concerns at a number of hearings throughout our borough before the MTA moves forward with any of these changes.

There are a total of 8 hearings scheduled for the month of June to discuss these changes and we STRONGLY urge Bronxites to attend and make sure their voices are heard.

Once the changes get implemented they won’t be going anywhere for a long time.

Other notable proposed changes are:

• The elimination of the Bx4A between Southern Boulevard and The Hub. The Bx4 will remain in place.
• The Bx6SBS will be rerouted to start/end in Soundview/Castle Hill and eliminate its route through Hunts Point. Hunts Point will still be served by the Bx6
• The Bx8 serving Williamsbridge/Throggs Neck will be shortened to start/end in Country Club thus eliminating its service into Locust Point. Locust Point will then be served by an extended Bx24 which currently operates between the Hutchinson Metro Center and Country Club.
• The Bx11 will no longer start/end in West Farms but would be rerouted into Parkchester
• The Bx15, which currently runs along Fordham Road down Third Avenue and across 125th Street in Manhattan to the Hudson River, will be drastically changed to only operate between Fordham Road and The Hub at 3rd Avenue and 149th Street. A new route for the M125 would extend into The Bronx and start/end at The Hub to replace the Bx15 route that will be removed thus still maintaining the connection between both boroughs along the same route albeit by different means.
• The Bx18 will be extended to form a loop around and between the Morris Heights and Highbridge neighborhoods for better and faster service.
• The Bx26 will be shortened thus eliminating most of the current Co-op City route.
• The Bx28 will be also be shortened through Co-op City as well as eliminated from Mosholu Parkway and rerouted down across Bedford Park Boulevard instead.
• The Bx38 will be completely eliminated with service to sections 1-4 of Co-op City to be served by an “enhanced” Bx23 service. According to the MTA, by removing this line, they can reallocate resources to increase service on the Bx23 and Bx28 to better serve residents of Co-op City.
• City Island’s Bx29 will be shortened from Co-op City to Pelham Bay 6 terminal and overnight service is finally being proposed.
• The Bx30 will no longer travel from Co-op City to Norwood but instead would end at Pelham Parkway and White Plains Road to connect to the 2 and 5 trains there and will also eliminate practically its entire route in Co-op City (see a trend here? The MTA says it’s improving service for residents of Co-op City but instead it appears they’ll be getting a lot less options for getting out of the area.
• The Bx34 will be rerouted to go down Webster Avenue instead of Bainbridge and Valentine Avenues. The service will still end at Fordham Road but commuters will be able to easily transfer to Botanical Garden and Fordham Road Metro North stops and vice versa.
• The Bx36 will have a more direct route in between points by no longer traveling across portions of E 180th Street and E 174th Streets but instead via East Tremont most of the way and down White Plains Road.
• The Bx40 will run via E 180th instead of East Tremont in the West Bronx and will end at Harding in Throggs Neck and eliminating its route along Harding and Pennifield.
• Another drastic change is set for the Bx42 which will no longer to Morris Heights but instead will be shortened to run between Westchester Square and SUNY Maritime in Throggs Neck.
• Co-op City will lose its direct connection to Queens as the Q50LTD will end at Pelham Bay 6 station. (See? Co-op City is getting SHAFTED).
• The BxM2 will run from Riverdale down Riverside Drive and the Henry Hudson instead of the Deegan and operate exclusively on the West Side of Manhattan instead of serving the East Side of Manhattan.
• The BxM4 will be extended further north into Wakefield and rerouted to go down the Major Deegan Expressway and eliminating its route along the Grand Concourse.
• The BxM5 would replace the BxM11 and run down Bronxdale instead of White Plains Road to avoid duplicate service along subway routes.
• City Island will get faster express bus service as the BxM8 will no longer run on Westchester Avenue and will run to Manhattan through the highways instead.
• The BxM17 will be a new route between Co-op City and Downtown Manhattan which will travel over the Whitestone Bridge along the Long Island Expressway to South Ferry Terminal.
• Another Riverdale express bus, the BxM18 will no longer go down the Deegan and Manhattan’s East Side but instead will go down and serve the West Side of Manhattan.

Don’t forget to attend one of the Redesign Open Houses below to voice your concerns:

You can also submit your comments HERE if you can’t make these meetings.

To view the entire draft proposal go here (warning: PDF).

The first of five buildings at the massive La Central development in Melrose at The Hub is almost complete and you can now apply for one of 63 studio apartments for only $650 a month.

Located at 626 Bergen Avenue at 152nd Street, the building actually has 160 residential units of which 60% have been set aside as supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals with special needs.

This particular lottery is for the remaining 40% of the units.

We’ve seen the building each day as it’s been rising and we’re pretty impressed with the quality of this particular development. The lobby itself, which will be attended 24 hours, looks like something you’d see in a luxury development building but this particular building is anything but as it’s for low income residents.

Sadly, their definition of low income doesn’t mach the actual area median income of just above $19,000 a year.

In order to qualify for these “afforable” studios, you must make anywhere from $22,240 to $44,820 which is far above what the average local makes.

Lucky residents will be able to enjoy such amenities like a fitness center, garden, courtyard, computer lab, a bicycle storage room, and on-site laundry.

Once La Central is completed, it will consist of 992 apartments spread across 5 buildings with one reaching 25 stories.

The development will be home to a new 20,000 square foot YMCA as well as BronxNet’s newest television studios in the neighborhood as they expand into the South Bronx.

Transportation is around the corner just a couple of blocks away from the development at 3rd Avenue and 149th Street on the 2/5 lines.

As for shopping, the development is going up right in the heart of the The Hub, The Bronx’s oldest shopping district which is part of the Third Avenue Business Improvement District. (Full discloser, we sit on the Board of Directors of the Third Avenue BID).

The face of the shopping district will most likely change as thousands of new residents will live in the district which never had this many residential developments in its history.

What that looks like, we don’t know but we hope we can keep as many of the mom and pop shops around to benefit from the influx of new residents.

To apply, head over to Housing Connect and good luck. Do NOT contact us as we are not part of this development nor are we a real estate agency. All contact information is provided at Housing Connect.

Good luck!