Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
Conference House Park
The Pavilian at Conference House Park
On the southern most tip of Staten Island lies Conference House Park, site of a 1776
peace conference between representatives of the Continental Congress and the
Commander of British Forces during the Revolutionary War.
Captain Christopher Billopp of the British Royal Navy settled on this site in 1675.
Legend has it that when New York and New Jersey competed for ownership of Staten
Island, Captain Billopp secured Staten Island for New York by circumnavigating the
Island in one day.
As the revolutionary war broke out, Captain Billop’s son, Colonel Christopher Billopp, a
Loyalist, defended England's government of America. Staten Island housed many English
troops, and some had even set up tents on Colonel Billop’s property, surrounding the
manor house.
Admiral Lord Howe, King George’s Peace Commissioner, invited American delegates to
a Peace Conference to be held at the Billopp Manor House on Staten Island on September
11, 1776. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Edward Rutledge attended as American
delegates.
However, the Manor House in Conference House Park be the site of the last conference
between the British Government and the American Colonies.
When the colonies declared their independence, the insurgent State of New York
confiscated the property of pro-British colonists. Colonel Billopp, the ardently pro-British
owner of the House, fled to Nova Scotia where he and his family were given property by
the King of England in recognition of his loyalty to the Crown.
For the next 150 years, the House would pass from one private owner to the next and
remain in obscurity. One of the owners turned it into an inn, others made structural
alterations.
In 1929, the newly formed Conference House Association was granted control of the
property, thereby saving the Manor House from destruction. Since taking control of the
Manor House and surrounding property, the Conference House Association has restored
and maintained the Manor House for visitors to enjoy.
Today, the Conference House is now part of a public waterfront park that overlooks
Raritan Bay and the New Jersey coast. First built in 1680, it is the only pre-
Revolutionary manor house still surviving in New York City and is both a New York
City and National Landmark.
Address: 7455 Hylan Boulevard
Phone number: 718-984-6046
Admission: Free, Guided tours cost $2 for children and seniors, $3 for adults
Hours of Operation: Guided tours available April –mid December 1-4pm
Conference House Website:
www.theconferencehouse.org
Photo by Vinnie Amesse