3cS2 The Story of The Bronx 



Not far from the end of the neck, we see a heavily wooded 

 knoll with several white monuments gleaming through the 

 foliage. This is the ancient burial place of the Hunt, Leggett, 

 and Willett families, now preserved as a public park under the 

 name of Rodman Drake Park. It is stated that George 

 Tippett, or Tibbett, the purchaser, with William Betts, of the 

 Betts and Tippett tract of the old patroonship of Adrien Van 

 der Donck, is also buried here. 



While we may be interested in deciphering some of the more 

 ancient and crumbling tombstones, our particular interest 

 lies in the white marble monument nearest the roadway, 

 under which are the mortal remains of the poet of The Bronx 

 and of The American Flag, — Joseph Rodman Drake. An 

 iron fence is supposed to keep off vandals, but the chipped 

 condition of the stone shows that the iconoclast has not been 

 deterred from following his favorite pursuit, a pursuit that 

 should shame a savage. The monument bears the following 

 inscription: 



"sacred 



to the Memory 



of 



JOSEPH R. DRAKE, M.D. 



who died Sept. 21st 



1820 



Aged 25 Years 



None knew him but to love him, 



Nor named him but to praise. 



RENOVATED BY THE 

 BROWNSON LITERARY UNION 



July 25, 1891."' 



■ The Brownson Literary Union was organized as a debating society in 

 1888; it resolved itself into the Brownson Catholic Club in 1894. 



