[2] It was started by Father John Christopher Drumgoole, an Irish Catholic priest and founder of the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin in Manhattan, an organization to help poor and disposed children.

He purchased the Staten Island land for the orphanage in the 1880s and named it "Mount Loretto" in honor of one of the nuns who worked with him at the mission.

[citation needed] The bluffs are part of a terminal moraine of clay and gravel left by the Wisconsin Glacier, which reached its southernmost terminus in Staten Island.

Within the preserve, in addition to the bluffs, there are extensive brackish and freshwater wetlands including a large vernal pond.

The preserve contains a wide variety of native plants, shrubs, and trees, owing to the diverse habitats represented within the park.