Mill Rock Park

East River Opp E. 96 St.

Manhattan

Directions via Google Maps

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

Mill Rock Island, originally two smaller islands, lies about 1,000 feet off the eastern edge of 96th Street, in the East River. In 1664, William Hallet bought the two islands, later named Great Mill Rock and Little Mill Rock, as well as a nearby point of land on the other side of the river (known as Hallet’s Point in present-day Astoria, Queens) from local Native Americans. He apparently never occupied the islands, and sometime between 1701 and 1707, John Marsh is believed to have built a tidal mill on one of them, which may explain how Mill Rock got its name.

Show Disclaimer