| Peter Stuyvesant came to Manhattan Island in New York City in 1647, and ruled a large plot of land in the areas now known as the East Village and the Bowery.
A former commander of the Dutch West India colony in Curacao, he lost his leg in a battle at St. Martin's. A European hospital replaced his lost limb with a wooden leg which Stuyvesant later wrapped with gaudy silver studs - from which he received the nicknames Peg-Leg Peter and Old Silver Nails.
He owned a large mansion that stood amongst a huge, sprawling farm and he owned his Bouwerie chapel stood in the current location of the St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery - a site reputedly haunted by his ghost to this day.
The first Governor of New Amsterdam and New York was known for his strong will and harsh character - as evident by his refusal to depart the lands he once roamed. | 
