Chapter X
Half a Century Ago

LIKE many a landed estate, like
many a quiet village, like many
a battle-ground, like many a winding
and historic road, like so many other
places of interest of which the island
of Manhattan has been the scene in
days agone—Minniesland is not easy
to locate. Relentlessly and remorse¬
lessly the great masses of brick and
mortar have forged ahead in their
furtherance of the city's growth, seek¬
ing a level as they spread, dominat¬
ing the island, levelling the hills, and
stretching over valleys until the sur¬
face of the land is altered beyond all
knowing. Minniesland is one of the
almost buried districts of the great
city. Its last surviving relic, a square
189