Madison Square Park New York City around 1900.
This photo was taken at some point around the turn of the century. The area where Madison Square currently is used to be a swampy hunting ground which was later named Madison Creek. It first came into use as a public space in 1686.
Boredom therapy
In 1847, the 6.2-acre Madison Square Park, which was named after President James Madison, opened to the public. It took only a few years for all the residential development to begin.