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 […]