This article was written by Alex Schatzberg with help from the Village Preservation Society and first hand interviews with the buildings owner.. Present day Manhattan was originally inhabited by the Wappinger and Lenape Native Americans who used the land as a seasonal hunting ground and established villages there. In 1625 New Amsterdam was established at the southern tip of present day Manhattan as the capital of the Dutch Colony New Netherland. Just north of New Amsterdam a farm known as Bowery #1 was established to support the troops stationed at the capital. Bowery #1 was located at the site of what is today known as “the Bowery,” and the East Village. The word “Bowery” is an anglicization of the archaic Dutch word for “farm” spelled bouwerie. In 1645 Peter Stuyvesant was appointed Director of New Netherland, and in 1651 Stuyvesant purchased the farm and structures at “Bowery #1.” The land subsequently became known as Stuyvesant Farm and remained in the Stuyvesant family for over 150 years.