Pre-school may be built on possible war memorial

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There is a new Battle of Brooklyn being fought, but this time it's not the Redcoats and Continental Army, it is historians and a school for pre-kindergarten.

New York City wants to build a pre-kindergarten school on land where Revolutionary War soldiers may have been buried after the Battle of Brooklyn.

Some believe the site in Gowanus might be the final resting place of the Maryland 400, whose sacrifice enabled the Continental Army to flee to Manhattan and advance the war.

Kim Maier, Executive Director of the Old Stone House, said there is no historical evidence of a mass grave at the site.

“One of the great mysteries of the battle is where the Maryland 400 are buried. 258 of them are listed as killed or missing and there’s no primary source documentation to say where they lay,” Maier said.
 
On the other hand, local historian Bob Furman is certain this is where the remains are.

He has petitioned the state to purchase the land and transform it into a commemorative park called Marylander Memorial Park.

Currently, the city has filed papers to install a 180-seat educational institution for 4-year-olds, which according to residents is desperately needed to help with school overcrowding.