William Bayard Sr. had lost his lot. The wealthy New York merchant had been part of the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 and even joined the Sons of Liberty. But the push for independence was too much, and Bayard sided with the Loyalists in 1776. For this, his lands across the Hudson River from Manhattan were confiscated. With the War for Independence over, Bayard’s confiscated property was auctioned off in 1784. Col. John Stevens offered 18,360 pounds sterling for Bayard’s 564-acre lot and an additional 125 acres. Four years later, Stevens purchased another 125 acres along the Hudson in Weehawken.
John Stevens by an unidentified artist, circa 1830, oil on canvas, from the National Portrait Gallery. Public Domain
