of deciduous trees that date back centuries. However, logging and forest fires have killed some of these trees. Pioneer species, which inhabit the plots of the forest destroyed by logging and fire, include sumac and black locusts. There is also an outcropping of Fordham gneiss, the last vestige of a giant mountain chain that used to run through this area until the Wisconsin glaciation. The exposed rocks also contain mica and quartz. There have been many sightings of bird species along this trail, such as those of woodpeckers, owls, quail and pheasants. This trail repeatedly crosses a cross-country trail. A bikeway runs east from the golf course's clubhouse to connect to the Mosholu Parkway bike path. Some trail sections are a part of the East Coast Greenway, a trail system connecting Maine to Florida. Landmarks The Van Cortlandt House in the southern part of Van Cortlandt Park was erected by Frederick Van Cortlandt in 1748. This house still stands, making it the oldest surviving building in the Bronx. The estate the house sits on was of major importance during the American Revolution. Troops from both the British and Colonial American armies rested in this house during the time of war. The Van Cortlandt family owned the property until they decided to sell both the house and land to the City of New York in 1886. Ten years later, the house was restored as a museum displaying the culture and lifestyle of 18th-century families. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1967 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Near the museum is a 15-mile marker for the old Albany Post Road, which was relocated to its current position in 1934 after the road was rerouted. In 1938, officials at San Francisco's Golden Gate International Exposition gave a walnut tree to the City of New York, who then planted the tree outside the museum in the place of another tree that had died. Vault Hill, the family burial ground, still exists. Located above sea level, it is northeast of the Parade Ground and west of Tibbetts Brook and the Van Cortlandt Golf Course. The Memorial Grove honors Bronxites who served in World War II and the Korean War. It is located by the road to the Van Cortlandt House, close to Broadway. Created in 1949, the grove contained a tree and a bronze plaque for each