Dutch colonization of the Americas In 1624, the first colonists, mostly Walloons and their slaves-bound servants, arrived to New Netherland by the shipload, landing at Governors Island and initially dispensed to Fort Orange, Fort Wilhelmus and Kievets Hoek. In 1626, Director of the WIC Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from the Lenape natives and started construction of Fort Amsterdam, which grew to become the main port and capital, New Amsterdam. The colony expanded to outlying areas at Pavonia, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Long Island. On the Connecticut River, Fort Huys de Goede Hoop was completed in 1633 at present day Hartford. By 1636, the
New Amsterdam Plein and Pavilion to make room for a larger South Ferry Terminal. This paved the way for the creation of Peter Minuit Plaza, a plaza named after the Dutch merchant, representative of the Dutch East India Company, who is known for brokering the deal between the Dutch and the Lenape Indians to share the island. When Henry Hudson first arrived on the island in 1609 it was named Manna-Hata by Native Americans and was soon established as a desirable location for the new Dutch settlement. The first Dutch settlers arrived in 1626 and renamed it New Amsterdam. The Pavilion is geographically located at