Information/History

Conference House Park is a sight to see, with a view of the ocean and many historic landmarks to visit. There is much historical significance in this park; the Lenape, a Native American tribe, used to reside there, and the Conference House hosted a Peace Conference that could have been pivotal in the Revolutionary War. Nature surrounds this park, with a significant view of New Jersey from the Staten Island coast, and visitors take in many beautiful views.

Lenape People

The Lenape tribe that lived there mainly hunted deer. They utilized the entire body of a deer, wasting nothing. There is a common game in the Lenape culture where children will try to poke a stick through a string loop that is attached to the stick. This helps the children train their hand-eye coordination that could be used to hunt deer.  

Peace Conference

During the Revolutionary War, Christopher Billopp, a loyalist who owned the house that was later named the Conference House, helped to organize an unsuccessful peace talk that occurred on September 11, 1776. Some important figures who attended this meeting included Benjamin Franklin,  John Adams, Lord Admiral Howe, and Edward Rutledge. 

Fast facts:

• Deer can swim--that's how they got here from New Jersey!

• Bald eagles in the area died out due to the use of DDT on the plants in the past. Their numbers are slowly returning.

• This structure is the oldest standing colonial house on Staten Island.

• The screech of the bald eagle is greatly exaggerated in Hollywood films; the sound we associate with the bald eagle is really from a red-tailed hawk.

• Ward's Point is the southernmost tip of New York State.

Photo gallery

Student Quotes

• "I think it is a good place to visit to learn about the history of our island and the people who settled it. We also got to see the weapons that the Native Americans used to live on the land. " - Lee