Owl's Head Park is a public park in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York. History The land that would become Owl's Head Park was first settled by the Canarsee. In the 17th century, Dutch settlers arrived in the area. The first European to claim ownership of the park's land was Teunis Van Pelt. On April 13, 1680, he sold a section of his land to Swaen Janse Van Lowaanen, whose farm on the water, north of what is now known as Bay Ridge Avenue, eventually became the park. The land passed through several more hands before ending up with Henry C. Murphy, who in 1856 built a large mansion on the property, creating a personal estate. Murphy was a state senator best known for writing the legislation that began construction on the Brooklyn Bridge. The famous bill was signed in his mansion at Owl's Head, which was a name he bestowed on the property. The source of the name has been a subject of debate, ranging from the shape of the land, to speculation that owls once lived in a barn on the property, to the fact that stone owls once graced its entrance gate. It seems likely, however, that the name was simply lifted from another property in the area, that of the Van Brunt family, whose land really was shaped like an owl. Murphy sold the property to Eliphalet Williams Bliss, founder of the E.W. Bliss Company. The park is known to some as "Bliss Park" for this reason. Bliss expanded the property by buying nearby land and added new structures to the estate. These structures included a long driveway, a keeper's lodge, a stable, and an observatory and tower. As early as 1894, Bliss embraced the idea of his property one day becoming a public park. After his death in 1903, his will stipulated that the property be sold to the city for a reduced price, but only if it was to be used as parkland. For various reasons, the city did not buy the property until 1928. These delays caused parts of the property to be lost to other purchasers, including the portion directly along the water, which has been home to a wastewater treatment plant since 1952. Financial limitations and lack of political will also led to the demolition of the property's mansion and observatory tower in 1932. By 1940, the stables were also demolished. In