Fort Independence Park

The Continental Army built Fort Independence in 1776 and occupied it intermittently for the next three years as it fought with the British. Today, you can visit Fort Independence Park and stand on the same ground that America’s creators stood on. This is what makes the Bronx SO AWESOME.
Fort Independence was built for its strategic location on top of a hill. Along with Fort Prince Charles Hill (now Marble Hill), it gave troops views of the Hudson and Harlem Rivers. Historic markers in and around the park tell the story of the Revolutionary War and the transformations of the land over the past 200 years. The park was founded by New York City in 1916, but before that, it was redrawn to accommodate the Jerome Park Reservoir, and before that, it was the Jerome racetrack.
Today, the park serves the West Kingsbridge neighborhood and is frequented by families and schoolchildren. The play area, previously wooden structures and cement, was renovated in 1997. It now includes colorful, smooth metal structures and rubber safety surfacing that are the standard for NYC playgrounds. This is a vast improvement, as my childhood was marked by splinters and knee scrapes. There were several semi-​dangerous play areas which were removed in the renovation, including tall overhead «monkey» (is that P.C.?) bars which kids would walk on top of or jump off, but usually fall off. Ouch.
The park also includes a swing area, two handball courts on either side of a free-​standing wall (shouts of «ball!» can be frequently heard in the summer), bastketball courts, a seasonal sprinkler, and a «comfort» station– though I probably wouldn’t venture into that comfort station unless my discomfort was extremely severe. There are a lot of trees in this park, which provide excellent shade in the summer and some nice colors in the fall. Nice sunrises over the reservoir.
You can walk there pretty easily from the 238^th St. station on the 1 train. It’s a 10-​minute walk up the hill. If you’re coming from Mosholu on the 4 train, it’s about a 20-​minute walk around the reservoir. You can also take the #1 or #2 bus from Mosholu, or the #1 bus from 231^st on the 1.