Delavan : The Marble House 27 



kins chose a point just southeast of this fort as the site of the 

 mansion which he erected, and in which he resided up to the 

 time of his death. His house was owned and occupied for many 

 years by the late Dr. John S. Westervelt, and was destroyed by 

 fire in the year 1874. It stood slightly southwest of the present 

 home of Mrs. L. Benziger on Fort Street, better known as Fort 

 Place. The location of the old building is indicated on Plate 4, 

 Beer's Atlas of Staten Island. 



The year 1816 was marked by many important events in the 

 History of Staten Island. On March 31, the legislature of the 

 State of New York incorporated the " Richmond Turnpike Com- 

 pany ", by which company the road still known as the Richmond 

 Turnpike was laid out and opened from Arrietta Street to the 

 new Blazing Star ferry, its purpose being to shorten the stage 

 route between New York and Philadelphia. 



On September 14, Daniel D. Tompkins acquired an interest in 

 the steamboat monopoly of Livingston and Fulton. (Gibbons vs. 

 Ogden 17 Johnson 488, 491.) In October the small tract lying 

 in the south glebe, and bounded northerly by Arrietta Street and 

 Richmond Turnpike, west by Sarah Ann Street, south by Van 

 Duzer's land, and east by the Bay of New York, was divided into 

 lots upon a map made by Uzal W. Freeman (Map No. 2). The 

 location of Nautilus Hall is indicated on this map, and it was 

 probably erected about this time ; a triangle is also shown on 

 which there was later erected the brick edifice of the Dutch Re- 

 formed Church which was recently torn down. Among the first 

 grantees of the lots laid down on this map we find the names of 

 De Forest, Murray, Van Duzer, Standerwick, Van Clief, Har- 

 court, Perine, Martino, Jarvis, Burger, Eddy, Guyon, Lockman, 

 Van Beuren, and " John Gough of Albany, steward of the steam- 

 boat Richmond". (H Deeds 267.) In November Daniel D. 

 Tompkins was elected vice president of the United States under 

 James Monroe. 



The steam ferry boat Nautilus, owned in whole or in part by 

 Daniel D. Tompkins (Clute, 318), is said to have begun her ser- 

 vice between Staten Island and Whitehall wharf in New York 

 on November 29, 181 7. (2 Morris 264.) 



