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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Builders working on a new subway station at the southern tip of Manhattan have found the remains of a stone wall thought to be part of a fort that protected the city in the late 17th century.

New York City authorities said on Thursday the 40-foot (12-meter) section of wall had been found at a depth of around 10 feet in Battery Park, a green area that looks out on New York harbor and the Statue of Liberty. "This wall most likely is a portion of the gun batteries that once protected the city in the late 17th and 18th centuries and gave rise to the modern park name," said Robert Tierney, chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

He said the city and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority would work together to preserve the remains, which were described as "an important remnant of the history of New York City."

Among the artifacts found in the area -- where a series of forts were built between 1625 and 1780 -- was a 1744 George II half penny in very good condition, city authorities said in a statement.

The wall was found during construction work on the new South Ferry Station underneath the park. "Because this project was within a historically significant area, archaeologists considered it likely that archaeological resources would be found, although no one guessed that such a large portion of the Battery could have survived," the statement said.