Until the Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, the only way for someone to travel from the western end of Long Island to Manhattan was via boat. For nearly 300 years, ferries brought people from one shore to another, connecting the two great cities of Brooklyn and New York. The ferry […]
Edgar Allan Poe’s New York City Haunts
Of the many misfits who have found their way to New York City in search of a better life, perhaps none better represents the pursuit than self-professed “magazinist” and poet Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote some of his greatest works while living in Gotham. Poe Cottage in Poe Park, where […]
Building the World of Tomorrow: Democracity versus Chaos
On April 30th, 1939, the New York Fair opened to great acclaim, with dignitaries and fairgoers arriving from places near and far. The 1939-40 World’s Fair marked a significant moment for Queens County, which, poised to grow tremendously and see considerable development, was now well on its way to becoming […]
Shucks! A half-history of Oysters in New York City
Anyone who has enjoyed a round of mouthwatering oysters on the half shell at Grand Central’s iconic Oyster Bar has something great in common with the native Lenape peoples who once lived in the area. An oyster stand at the Fulton Market, 1867. These stands would be extremely busy as […]
The Park Avenue Tunnel Wreck of 1902
In the first years of the 20th century, steam trains still ran into midtown Manhattan, a relic of the past that would soon be replaced by widespread electrification. In Brooklyn, the elevated lines were electrified beginning in 1898, followed by the Manhattan elevated lines in 1901. The great Pennsylvania Railroad […]
The Early History of Nieuw Haarlem: Manhattan’s Other Village
The burgeoning village of Nieuw Haarlem was situated on the banks of the Harlem River in a low-lying, marshy area with meadows, interspersed with rich soil and sandy plains, which provided excellent land for farming and growing tobacco. The Village of Harlem from the river, c. 1765. The Village stretched […]
The History of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day: Cookies, Calling, Church Bells, and Time Balls
New York used to have distinct traditions for both New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve, with the major celebration occurring on the former. In its importance New Year’s Day eclipsed that of Christmas for many years. New Year’s Day in Dutch New Amsterdam. From Harper’s Weekly, January 4th, 1868. […]
Unique New York Place Names
Have you ever walked around New York City and found yourself wondering about the name of a certain street, park, building or place? Although many features have been built over, demolished, or lost, there are still many traces of these places left in our modern cityscape. The Battery The Battery […]
The Mystery and Myth of the $24 Island
A view of a native village as it may have looked prior to the Dutch colonization of New Amsterdam. From Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York, edited by D.T. Valentine, 1858. One of the most well-known mysteries about New York, an irrevocable part of the city’s […]