LaTourette Park & Golf Course

Accessible by LaTourette's Red Trail, Heyerdahl Hill stands at 241 feet and is topped with the remains of a historic stone building. In 1861, Thorwald Heyerdahl leased a plot of land from George G. Byron and built a stone house. He later purchased the property in 1866, as well as two adjoining parcels in 1871 from J.W. Johnson and D.J. Tyson.  

Over the next couple of years, Heyerdahl built a vineyard around the stone home, complete with an orchard, two ponds, and cottages. However, his dreams for a vineyard were dashed by the rocky, magnesium-rich soil. He had died by 1875, and the property was transferred to his widow, Caroline Heyerdahl. Three servants lived on the property with her, likely in the cottages next to the stone residence. Mrs. Heyerdahl later remarried and sold the property. By 1914, Eugene Graf owned this piece of property, which was ultimately sold to the City of New York in 1928 and transferred to NYC Parks in 1955. All that remains of Heyerdahl’s ambitions are the remnants of a stone foundation and staircase, and a well.