Thousands of years ago, Staten Island was inhabited by Native Americans. The Raritan Indians settled in the southern part of Staten Island, which resulted in the nearby Raritan Bay being named after them. Evidence of their stay is found at Burial Ridge, the largest pre-European burial ground in New York City. Burial Ridge is located on a bluff which overlooks Raritan Bay.
In 1676, James, Duke of York, granted Christopher Billopp, a captain of the Royal Navy, 932 acres of land on Staten Island. Here, he erected a two-story fieldstone house, which he named Bentley Manor, after a ship he had commanded. Bentley Manor was later inherited by Christopher Billopp's great-grandson, who bears the same name. During the Revolutionary War, great-grandson…
