Morrisania 377 



of the national flag, which, under the old additions of a star 

 and a stripe for each new State, was becoming of very awkward 

 shape. The law stated that, after July 4, 18 18, the flag 

 should contain twenty stars for the number of States then form- 

 ing the Union and thirteen stripes, alternate white and red, 

 and that, upon the admission of a new State, the constellation 

 should be increased by one star on July Fourth following 

 such admission, so that the stripes would show the original 

 thirteen States and the number of stars the number of States 

 then in the Union. Congressman Wendover, then, may be 

 said to be the father of the present flag. 



Crotona Park, containing the Borough Hall for the offices of 

 the Borough government, lies near the upper end of the town- 

 ship ; the park was taken from both Morrisania and West Farms. 

 Just beyond, in Tremont, the unfortunate Charlotte Temple 

 is said to have lived ; but she seems to have had as many stop- 

 ping places as Washington or a modern flat dweller, as the 

 chroniclers of Manhattan give quite a list of her various homes. 



It was the original intention of the "New" Parks Com- 

 mission of 1883-84 to have named the park Bathgate Park 

 after the family from whom the property was obtained. It 

 seems that the Bathgates had some dispute with the Com- 

 mission's engineer, and he determined not to perpetuate the 

 name of the family in the new park; he therefore manufac- 

 tured the name of Crotona from Croton. The ancient and 

 classical Crotona — the home of the philosopher Pythagoras — 

 was a Greek colony located in Southern Italy, whose athletes 

 were famous throughout the Grecian world, and who were 

 many times victors at the Olympic Games. In view of the 

 amount of space in the park given up to tennis-courts, base- 

 ball, and athletic fields, the name of Crotona appears to be 

 particularly applicable. 



