Bethesda Terrace under Construction - 1859

Each of the four stone Balustrades was meant to represent a season,. To our left is Winter; to our right Autumn. On the other stairs are Summer and Spring.

Creating Central Park was no mean feat. It was one of the great engineering projects of the 19th century, and one of the last to be done without the help of hydraulic tools or dynamite. 2.5 million cubic yards of earth and stone were to be moved by shovel and oxcart. 6 million bricks were laid, along with 35,000 barrels of cement, 65,000 cubic yards of gravel, and 19,000 cubic yards of sand. Gardeners fertilized the ground with more than 40,000 cubic yards of manure and compost and planted 270,000 trees and shrubs. All told, some 20,000 men were employed, and $10 million was spent - more than 3 times the city's annual budget in 1860.

Jacob Wrey Mould, 10 September 1862

Timing
At right is a picture Jacob Wrey Mould, dated September 10th, 1862. He his leaning against the Spring Pier (the far pier in the above photo), which is symbolized by a nest of hatchlings breaking our of their eggs.

To put this moment in context, the Battle of Antietam - the bloodiest day in American history - would occur only 7 days later. As the war heated up in the late Summer of 1862, construction of the Park continued. Increasingly it was becoming the symbol of Northern culture, so that the park's budget was actually increased during the course of the War.

Later that year, the Union Flag was hoisted atop Vista Rock - the highest point in the Park and now the site of the Belvedere Castle - so that it could be seen from all around