How Bowling Green got its name

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — New York City is full of amazing parks, but one park in particular caught the eye of WNKY’s Tej Joshi in a recent visit to the city.

Located in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, Bowling Green Park is relatively small in size but features well-manicured greenery, a centerpiece fountain, and a smattering of park benches.

The park is located adjacent to the iconic Charging Bull Statue: a popular and ‘Instagramable’ stop for tourists.

Bowling Green Park is considered to be the oldest park in New York City, and it received official park designation back in 1733. At that time, the park was a literal green space for people to bowl.

As New York resident Michael Sherer explained, the historical nature of the park is attractive for some longtime New Yorkers:

“I enjoy, like, old history, and the origins of things. Like old-New York. And I like knowing that this was, you know, the first park,” Sherer said.

Back in 1776 — after the signing of the Declaration of Independence — a group of revolutionaries destroyed a statue of King George III that was housed in Bowling Green Park according to the City of Bowling Green’s website.

At the first Warren County Commissioners meeting in 1798, settlers of South Central Kentucky decide to name a town Bowling Green in honor of the destroyed statue of King George, thus making a park in New York City the namesake for Bowling Green, Kentucky.

For information on the history of the park and Bowling Green visit these sites:

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/bowling-green/history

https://www.bgky.org/history/early-history