Brooklynology

Fascinating Brooklyn stories from our local history archivists.

The Migration of Mexican Cuisine

Old Mexico Restaurant[Old Mexico Restaurant, 115 Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights.], 1959, V1974.4.295; John D. Morrell photographs, Brooklyn Historical Society.

Summer Archives Internship Reflection from Sophia Terry

Schwarren, Litchfield VIlla, circa 1880, arc.202.box17.113; Photograph and illustration collection, ARC 202, Brooklyn Historical Society.

Summer Archives Internship Reflection from Fiona Wu

BHS staff with exhibition model

Sorting Mail at the Post Office

Men sorting mail at Vanderveer Post Office, circa 1925, V1973.5.630; Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection (ARC.202); Brooklyn Historical Society.

Supplementing Curriculum with Primary Sources

Brooklyn Connections is the education division of  the Brooklyn Collection where we focus on cultivating 21st Century learning skills in students and supporting teachers on the incorporation of archives materials into curricula. 

Mapping New York City's Waterways

A draught of New York from the Hook to New York Town: by Mark Tiddeman [1773-1780]; NYC-[177-?].Fl.RA; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Building NYC's Water Infrastructure

Profile of lower part of Croton Aqueduct: compiled under the direction of John B. Jervis by Theophilus Schramke. Ground plan of the lower part of Croton Aqueduct; [1846], Map Collection, M-[1846].Fl.Folio; Brooklyn Historical Society.

A Bungalow by the Bay

Auction notice of valuable real estate at Sheeps Head BayAuction notice of valuable real estate at Sheeps Head Bay; [1879], Map Collection, B P-[1879].Fl; Brooklyn Historical Society.
This 1879 auction notice advertising lots for sale in Sheepshead Bay sought to lure potential buyers to Brooklyn's southern limits with the promise of "bathing, boating, and fishing."

No To-Go Cocktails Allowed: Brooklyn's Temperance Village

Map of South Brooklyn Temperance Village in the 8th Ward of the city of Brooklyn; Map No. B P-[184-?].Fl
Before Prospect Park, before the “Slopes,” before the brownstones, there was “Temperanceville,” or the “South Brooklyn Temperance Village.”

On the Rail: the Behr Monorail that Never Was

bhs_bc003516268_aMap showing Behr Monorail route, Brooklyn; [1889], Map Collection, B C-[1889?].Fl; Brooklyn Historical Society.

A Grave Tale: Roswell Graves, Jr. and the Cemetery of the Evergreens

Cedar Knoll, from map 161, Cemetery of Evergreens: [by Robert] Graves, surveyor, Robert Graves, 1860; B A-1860.Fl; Brooklyn Historical Society.

A Litigious Legacy: the Story of a Gravesend Map

Map of the western part of the Township of Gravesendoriginally laid down by a scale of five chains or 20 rods to an inch, 8th August 1788 by Herman Lefford & Roger Strong: April 16th 1806; [18??]

Lesson Learned? Considering the Draft Riots of 1863 for Today

The arrival of 4,000 Union troops in Manhattan on Thursday, July 16, 1863, marked the beginning of the end to four days of civic unrest and racial violence throughout New York City, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. That week, hundreds of buildings had been ransacked and burned. 119 people had been killed (although some estimates push that number closer to 500) including 19 African Americans, 11 of whom had been publicly lynched.

Start Exploring with the BHS Map Portal

Average monthly rent by blocks, Brooklyn: supplement to Survey of the New York City market: prepared by Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. and its system companies. [1940]; B B-[1940].FL; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Brooklyn Connections Student Projects, an Online Gallery

Brooklyn Connections is the education division of  the Brooklyn Collection where we focus on cultivating 21st Century learning skills in students and supporting teachers on the incorporation of archives materials into curricula. Click here to view a selection of this year's Brooklyn Connections final projects.

Announcing the Launch of the BHS Map Portal!

Map of land of … situate[d] in the town of New Utrecht

A Summer Day at Dreamland

v19721771Eugene L. Armbruster, Dreamland, 1904; V1972.1.771, Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection, ARC.201; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Eugene L. Armbruster's dreamlike photograph shows a mother and daughter in Coney Island's Dreamland amusement park in 1904, the year the park opened.

Quarantine Summer

Otto Dreschmeyer, Sunset, Coney Island, August 23, 1966, v1988.12.92, Otto Dreschmeyer Brooklyn slides, v1988.12, Brooklyn Historical Society.

A Teacher Grows in Brooklyn: Sarah J. Smith Tompkins Garnet

In March 2020, just before the closure of Brooklyn Public Library’s physical spaces, the Brooklyn Connections team had the pleasure of spending a day at the Brooklyn College Archives with their archivists and a group of New York City school teachers for a day-long professional development workshop on women in Brooklyn.

A Reckoning for Brooklyn's Philip Livingston: Slaver, Trader, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Attributed to Thomas McIlworth, Philip Livingston, circa 1764; M1974.72.1, Brooklyn Historical Society

Transforming Brooklyn's Legal Landscape

Demolition of the Old Kings County Courthouse, Matthew Black, 1961, gelatin sliver print, V1973.5.609; Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection, ARC.202; Brooklyn Historical Society.
The photograph featured in today's photo of the week shows the demolition of the old Kings County Courthouse in 1961. Only the portico of the once Palladian structure--now a carcass of stone and marble--remains.

In Honor of Black Life

What does remembrance look like? As an archivist, special collections manager and lover of history, a large part of remembrance for me is representation. This and other similar threads are constantly a part of how I think about the work we do at the Brooklyn Collection. Who are we representing? Who has enough, and who does not? I ask this every time I think about a possible donation or addition to our collection.

Grammar School Graduation, 1900

Graduating class, Public School 15
With this week's Photo of the Week, we congratulate the graduates of 2020!

Processing Privilege and Moving to Action: Watch, Listen, Explore

Conversations to Inspire as We Grapple with Our Long History of Racism, Part 3

Structural Racism in America: Watch, Listen, Explore

Conversations to Inspire as We Grapple with Our Long History of Racism, Part 2

Confronting a History of Injustice: Watch, Listen, Explore

Conversations to Inspire as We Grapple with Our Long History of Racism

Black Lives Matter

bhs_V1989.22.7_a-1Bob Adelman, Civil rights demonstration, circa 1962, v1989.22.7; Bob Adelman photographs of Brooklyn Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) demonstrations v1989.022, Brooklyn Historical Society.

Finding your Brooklyn Roots in Brooklyn Historical Society's Beginnings

With its "Finding Your Brooklyn Roots" initiative, BHS invites its followers to submit questions about their Brooklyn ancestors. In this post, we share one of our recent discoveries based on one of your inquiries.

Brooklyn is not a Place, It is a People

Teaching Ballet Class Remotely, March 2020.Lauren Jaeger, Teaching ballet class remotely, March 30, 2020, 2020.003.222; Brooklyn Historical Society COVID-19 collection, 2020.003; Brooklyn Historical Society.

My Mother's Sisters

After singer-songwriter John Prine died on April 7, 2020 from coronavirus complications, local radio stations and media outlets created playlists of his “essential songs”. Listening to WFUV-FM, I heard When I Get to Heaven for the first time. The song, from Tree of Forgiveness, his 18th and last studio album in 2018, begins humorously, but then turns serious. Some of Prine’s lyrics really struck home for me: “I wanna see all my mama’s sisters because that’s where all the love starts. I miss ‘em all like crazy, bless their little hearts.”

Class Portraits from Clinton Hill

Group portrait of Miss Stanton and girls
This week we honor Brooklyn's teachers. To all the educators who have rapidly adapted to a remote learning environment, thank you for continuing to provide educational opportunities and a crucial sense of routine to our children.

“Spanish Influenza” in Brooklyn and What We Can Learn from Our History

We turn to the history of the “Spanish” influenza pandemic, which swept through New York City in several waves between 1918 and 1920. Today, insights from this past may help us cautiously begin this next chapter in our present.

Cleaning Up in Brooklyn

Operation Clean Sweep Demonstration, circa 1962, v1989.22.2; Bob Adelman photographs of Brooklyn Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) demo, v1989.22, Brooklyn Historical Society.
This week we’re honoring our borough’s cleaners and sanitation workers. To the people who are cleaning hospital rooms, grocery stores, buses and subways, and picking up garbage and recycling, thank you for doing this important work to keep us safe and healthy!

Backgrounds of Brooklyn: Historical Flair for Your Video Calls!

Keeping New York in Motion

Flatbush car barn, circa 1885; Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection (v1972.1830), Brooklyn Historical Society

Moving Day: When All of Brooklyn Moved at Once

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Saturday May 5, 1888
  Moving. No one enjoys moving – lugging all your furniture into the van, heavy boxes full of books, exhausted family members, crying kids. It’s stressful and miserable moving at any time of the year. 

Changing with the Times, Always First to Respond

Engine 202 Ladder Company 101 fire fighters on truckEngine 202 Ladder Company 101 fire fighters on truck, 1925 ca., gelatin silver prints, v1973.5.593; Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection, ARC.202; Brooklyn Historical Society.

"Indian Villages": The Story Behind a Map

Indian villages, paths, ponds and places in Kings Cou

Taking Stock of Staying Stocked

Interior of Sahadi Importing Company, Brooklyn, N.Y[Interior of Sahadi Importing Company, Brooklyn, N.Y], circa 1983, v1992.35.5; Jim Kalett photographs for "Brooklyn -- and How it Got that Way", Brooklyn Historical Society.

HIV in Our Communities

Health Center, Mid-Brooklyn Health Society, Inc.,1977;V2007.042.83;Brooklyn Historical Society
Everybody gets sick. For most of us, our health is a deeply personal and even private topic.

The Evolution of a Brooklyn Block

[Christmas mail delivery], circa 1925, gelatin silver prints, V1973.5.640; Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection, ARC.202; Brooklyn Historical Society.
This week we honor all the postal, shipping, and delivery workers who continue to deliver our mail, packages, and food throughout our vast city, come rain, shine, or pandemic.

Online Instruction and Office Hours with Brooklyn Connections

To all the teachers who are teaching online right now, the Brooklyn Connections team wants to say: thank you for everything you are doing! We recognize how exceptionally challenging, time consuming and emotionally and physically taxing this work is and we are here to offer support. Let us know if we can help in any of the following ways:

A Flatbush Pharmacy

Interior of Cutler's Drug StoreInterior of Cutler's Drug Store, 1887, V1972.1.587; Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection; Brooklyn Historical Society.
This week we are honoring all those employed in pharmacies who continue to work throughout the pandemic, ensuring that New Yorkers can obtain the medications they need.  We thank you!  

Poison for Profit

Everybody gets sick. For most of us, our health is a deeply personal and even private topic. But sickness and health are also public issues that have long shaped Brooklyn’s economy, its built environment, its laws and institutions, and its diverse communities.

Stay Connected! Online Research Tutorials for Brooklyn Newsstand and our Digital Collections

Looking for tips for digging into your Brooklyn history research online? Check out our new video tutorials for Brooklyn Newsstand and the Brooklyn Collection's Digital Collections.  Brooklyn Newsstand is a collection of digitized Brooklyn newspapers made available through a partnership with Newspapers.com. Right now, the full content of Brooklyn Newsstand is available for free from any location.

Cooking for Brooklyn

Pilgrim Laundry CookPilgrim Laundry cook, circa 1910, v1989.003.3; Pilgrim Laundry photographs, v1989.003, Brooklyn Historical Society.

Contraception, Control & Care

Everybody gets sick. For most of us, our health is a deeply personal and even private topic. But sickness and health are also public issues that have long shaped Brooklyn’s economy, its built environment, its laws and institutions, and its diverse communities.

Doing Your Part to Take Care of Brooklyn

Annual Report, American Red Cross, Brooklyn Chapter, 1943-44; American Red Cross, Brooklyn Chapter collection (1985.091), Brooklyn Historical Society
Are you Taking Care of Brooklyn? In these unprecedented times, support our front line healthcare providers by doing your part: Practical Social Distancing; Stay home; Wash your hands; Avoid touching your face.

The Recap: Toxic City

An ad for Dutch Boy brand lead paintUsed in Dr. David Rosner's presentation for this program.
Each Recap post highlights a recent public program featured at Brooklyn Historical Society.  Scroll to the bottom of the page to hear the program in its entirety.How can we combat a toxin that is all around us?

Photographs and Reflection in the Time of Quarantine

I’m restless. I’m 72 years old and have been “sheltering at home” since March 7th. I’m not sure which I miss more – seeing my grandchildren or exploring the outskirts of New York City. I’ve spent many quiet hours photographing its waterfront and abandoned interiors.