Prior to Dutch colonization, the site of The Old Stone House sat near Marechkawick, a Lenape town with hundreds of inhabitants. The Lenape were almost entirely killed or displaced to Staten Island, the Hudson River Valley, eastern Long Island, and New Jersey by 1645.

The building here is a 1933 reconstruction of a farmhouse originally built in 1699 by the Vechte family. The farm grew produce, harvested oysters, and raised cattle; work that was primarily done by African slaves.

During the Revolutionary War, the site of The Old Stone House became one of the most important sites of The Battle of Brooklyn, the Revolution’s largest battle. As 2,000 British troops advanced on Washington’s army in Brooklyn Heights, Continental Army General Lord Stirling and 400 Maryland troops made a stand here. While 259 of the 400 troops were killed, it provided Washington’s army enough time to retreat across the East River and eventually go on to win the war. The burial location of the 259 Continental Army casualties remains unknown.

In 1898, Washington Park—the land surrounding The Old Stone House— became the first stadium for The Brooklyn Dodgers.