Highest Point in Manhattan & Journalism History!

Over the Fourth of July weekend in our neighborhood of Washington Heights in Manhattan we trudged up the hill to a local park, Bennett Park, the site of one of George Washington’s camps and also where the Battle of Fort Washington took place (which the British won). This is where Washington Heights takes its name. It also marks Manhattan’s highest natural point of elevation, 265 ft (80.8 m) above sea level, which Vivi (left) conquers occasionally. Fort Washington was built in 1776 and was the last stronghold for the Americans as the battle for New York swept northward on Manhattan Island. If you scroll down past the real estate section of  this link there is a good write up about the history of Washington Heights. http://navitimes.com

While digging through history I also discovered who Bennett Park and Bennett Ave were named after  - interesting since I’m a journalist and my father-in-law is Scottish. Below is an excerpt for an article about Bennett Park:

In 1871 the land that is now the park was purchased by James Gordon Bennett (1795-1872), the prominent newspaper publisher and editor who is widely recognized as a pioneer of American popular journalism. Born in…Scotland, Bennett emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1819 and settled in New York City four years later. He worked as the Washington correspondent for the New York Enquirer in 1827-28 and became associate editor for the Courier and Enquirer in 1829.

Bennett launched the New York Herald in 1835, assuming the responsibilities of editor, reporter, proof-reader, folder, and cashier. Because of his independent and opinionated style, Bennett was lambasted in other publications and was physically assaulted by two of the targets of his critical pen. Nevertheless, the newspaper’s coverage of finance and politics, crime and scandal, and national and international news, along with Bennett’s bold and often controversial editorials, made the Herald one of the most successful daily newspapers in the United States. Bennett retired in 1867 but continued to write for the Herald until he died on June 1, 1872.