area referred to the general vicinity around Hunter Island as "Laap-Ha-Wach King", or "place of stringing beads". One notable boulder, the "Gray Mare" at the northwestern shore of the island, is a glacial erratic where the Siwanoy would conduct ceremonies. Another boulder was the "Mishow", another important ceremonial site for the Siwanoy, as well as the burial sites of two sachems. Fishing was once conducted on Hunter Island's eastern shore (though not necessarily by the Siwanoy), and on some days, fishermen netted over a thousand pounds of fish. Sources indicate Wampage II, Siwanoy sachem and son of Wampage I, had a stockaded "castle" on Hunter Island in the late 17th century. The earliest building to be built on the island was the Old Stone House, a small outbuilding that was believed to have been built by an unknown Huguenot prior to 1700. What was later known as Hunter Island was originally part of the Pell estate, and Joshua Pell, a descendant of Thomas Pell, took ownership of the island in 1743. According to a newspaper article from 1933, the Old Stone House was the Pells' residence. The island was subsequently owned by the Hunter and Henderson families. The island was briefly called Henderson's Island after Alexander Henderson, the third owner of the island. Upon Henderson's death in 1804, the island was offered for lease. John Hunter, a successful businessman and politician, purchased the property shortly afterward. Hunter, his wife Elizabeth, and his son Elias moved to the island in 1813. The Hunters built their own mansion on the island. The Old Stone House, which by then adjoined the mansion, was used as a barn. John Hunter lived on the estate until his death in 1852. Ownership of the mansion then passed to Elias Hunter. Upon Elias's death in 1865, his son John III was supposed to inherit the land only if he lived on it, as per the senior John Hunter's will. John III, who lived in Throggs Neck instead, sold it to Mayor Ambrose Kingsland in 1866. The land then passed in succession to Alvin Higgins, Gardiner Jorden, and Oliver Iselin. The city then bought the land in 1889 for $324,000 (). In 1892, Stephen Peabody was given the right to occupy the Hunter Mansion, paying $1,200 a year in rent, in conjunction with his new role as groundskeeper of Hunter Island. Soon afterward, the mansion became a shelter