The Murphy Estate, which sat in present day Owl's Head Park, in 1915 (nycgovparks via Brownstoner)

The shoreline of New York Bay, specifically the Narrows, in Bay Ridge, near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, is one of Brooklyn’s most naturally beautiful places. Even today, with the highways, the buildings, and the bridge itself, it’s still easy to imagine what Canarsee Indians, then the Dutch, must have thought when seeing it. The bay is a truly beautiful sight.- Montrose Morris

Yesterday, Brownstoner’s Montrose Morris treated readers to another glimpse of Brooklyn’s little-known yet historically rich past. This time, the story was [partially] focused on a spot that should be familiar to Bay Ridge residents – Owl’s Head Park.

And the man who originally developed the land as a private country villa was none other than Henry C. Murphy, who as Montrose shows,”was one of Brooklyn’s most impressive individuals.” Continue reading »