Long Island Girl Meets Brooklyn
Brooklyn, also known as Kings County is the most populated borough in NYC and is the second most densely populated in the United States, after Manhattan. Brooklyn was originally Lanape Land and then was sold to the first Dutch Settlers. The earliest Dutch settlements were established in 1634. The name 'Brooklyn' is derived from the Dutch Province of Breukelen. In 1833, Brooklyn had an opportunity to become part of NY, but refused and became it's own city in 1834. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883 and connected Brooklyn and Manhattan physically, economically, and culturally. NYC was consolidated in 1898 when all 5 boroughs, including Brooklyn comprised what we now know as NYC.
Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge
The first major attraction that we visited was the Brooklyn Bridge. Usually, Mike saves the crossing of the bridge for last, but because we were expecting rain later that day, he decided to do it early. We started in Manhattan, and we crossed the bridge via a boardwalk built for pedestrians and bicyclists. The Boardwalk floor is made of wood planks and crosses the bridge above the motor traffic lanes crossing the bridge. The walk itself is a little over a mile long, but it was very enjoyable. It was a very emotional experience for me because my dad worked on the Brooklyn Bridge many years ago. He replaced some of the suspension cables and brought a piece home. It is about two and a half feet tall and 6 inches wide, but it weighs over 100 pounds. I like visiting places and seeing structures that my dad worked on. It is his legacy and he became part of NYC history. As you cross the bridge, you get a terrific view of Manhattan, edges of Brooklyn, the Manhattan Bridge, and the East River. In the East River, you can watch tug boats, fishing boats, police boats, and the Water Constable pass by in the River. If you look up while crossing, the cables and wires make a very cool geometric pattern that seems to go on forever. It made me feel so cool being in the middle.
The Brooklyn Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States. It was originally designed by a German Immigrant by the name of John Roebling. Shortly after starting the Brooklyn Bridge, he crushed his foot and later died from his injury. His son, Washington Roebling, was put in charge of the project and started construction of the bridge in January of 1870. He also became unable to supervise the project after he almost died from decompression sickness. Today, we know this illness as "The Bends." Many workers suffered and died from decompression sickness due to travelling in airtight containers to lay the foundations of the bridge. These containers were filled with compressed air. The benefit was that it allowed the workers to breath while under the river, but it also caused gases to increase in the workers' blood. The workers suffered less traumatic symptoms like joint pain, numbness of extremities, and speech difficulties to more traumatic injuries, such as, paralysis and even death, if severe enough. Washington Roebling himself became paralyzed from the injury. His wife, Emily Roebling, became the acting supervisor of the project as she traveled between her husband and the workers on the bridge. She actively pursued studies that pertained to the construction of the bridge, including construction and math. The bridge was completed in 14 years. On the opening day of the bridge, President Chester A. Arthur was supposed to be the first to cross the bridge, but Emily was not going to let him steal her ray of sunshine. She was officially the first person to cross the bridge earlier that day with a Rooster on her lap. Go Emily!
The Brooklyn Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States. It was originally designed by a German Immigrant by the name of John Roebling. Shortly after starting the Brooklyn Bridge, he crushed his foot and later died from his injury. His son, Washington Roebling, was put in charge of the project and started construction of the bridge in January of 1870. He also became unable to supervise the project after he almost died from decompression sickness. Today, we know this illness as "The Bends." Many workers suffered and died from decompression sickness due to travelling in airtight containers to lay the foundations of the bridge. These containers were filled with compressed air. The benefit was that it allowed the workers to breath while under the river, but it also caused gases to increase in the workers' blood. The workers suffered less traumatic symptoms like joint pain, numbness of extremities, and speech difficulties to more traumatic injuries, such as, paralysis and even death, if severe enough. Washington Roebling himself became paralyzed from the injury. His wife, Emily Roebling, became the acting supervisor of the project as she traveled between her husband and the workers on the bridge. She actively pursued studies that pertained to the construction of the bridge, including construction and math. The bridge was completed in 14 years. On the opening day of the bridge, President Chester A. Arthur was supposed to be the first to cross the bridge, but Emily was not going to let him steal her ray of sunshine. She was officially the first person to cross the bridge earlier that day with a Rooster on her lap. Go Emily!
DUMBO
When you get to the other side, you land in an area known as DUMBO. 'DUMBO' stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. The area of DUMBO was originally filled with factories that produced machines, boxes, and brillo pads. The name, DUMBO, became used as a way to promote development of the area. In 2007, The Landmarks Preservation Committee designated this section as NYC's 90th historical district. These efforts have resulted in an area that was recently developed and gentrified. This area now contains the highest concentration of technology firms in the NY area. Shortly after crossing the bridge and landing in DUMBO, we stopped for ice cream at Jacques Torres Ice Cream Parlor. I did not have any ice cream, but I heard it was absolutely delicious. Across the street from the Ice Cream Parlor, there were old Civil War Factories that were abandoned. Mike decided to take some pictures there because the background was awesome.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
After getting Ice Cream, we walked around Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Park is located on the edge of the water, and provides great views of the River, the Brooklyn, and Manhattan Bridge. What was really an amazing site was the view of NYC from the Park. You could see many of the skyscrapers and on a clear day, if you could look far enough, you could see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Park has recreation areas, picnic areas, jogging trails, public restrooms, a dog walking area, and are restored Carousel for kids. The park is considered a public-private recreational space. This partnership was created under the Bloomberg Administration. Along the fences across from the private houses, many people have hung 9/11 momentos. They included wreaths, flowers, pictures, and artwork. It was very moving because one of the pieces on the fence showed the view of Manhattan from where we were standing. The mirror image of the piece showed what the view of Manhattan used to look like with the Twin Towers still standing.
The Battle of Brooklyn in the Revolutionary War
After finishing the walk through Brooklyn Bridge Park, we visited a spot that was historically significant to the Revolutionary War. Oddly enough, this is the first time I'm hearing about the Battle of Brooklyn. New York was a strategically important area to win over and control during the Revolutionary War. If the British had won the Battle of Brooklyn, they would have had control over NY Harbor, and the Hudson River. They could then split the northern colonies from the southern colonies and produce a wedge between important communication, food, and water sources. In August of 1776, the British Army landed on Long Island. George Washington and his men were essentially trapped. If not for Washington's quick thinking, the Revolutionary War would have been over in August of 1776 with the British defeating the Continental Army. However, on August 29th, there was a thick fog that hovered over the river. Washington crossed his men over the East River boat by boat until his entire army had reached Manhattan and escaped British defeat. They then traveled further and further north from Lower Manhattan to Northern Manhattan, NJ, and Pennsylvania. Thank you Washington! You're an awesome General and I applaud you for quick thinking!
Brooklyn Heights
In Brooklyn Heights, there are numerous buildings that look almost identical on the outside. These are called Brownstones. The Brownstone houses were originally composed of brown sandstone from Quarries in Connecticut. The Quarries are now closed, and original brown sandstone is not available anymore because it does not provide structural stability, but the original buildings remain. Many of the Brownstones you see today are covered with brown cement to appear like sandstone. Brownstones are significant because they were originally owned by middle to upper class families. The main level contains the living room and kitchen. The next floor up was usually the home owners bedroom and personal space. The next floor up would be bedrooms for the children. The top floor was almost always for the domestics because they would have to carry coal through all of the levels of the house. The domestics would also have their own entrance located a little below the sidewalk level and on the side of the house. The homeowners would never use this entrance. They would always use the front door. All of the original brownstones are built identical. It is said that if someone woke up in someone else's house, they would know the exact layout of the house because it was the same as theirs.
Plymouth Church
After viewing the Brownstones, we walked a little and came upon Plymouth Church. Henry Ward Beecher was the first minister of the Church. He is Harriet Beecher Stowe's Brother. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. Henry Ward Beecher was a popular abolitionist. He preached and gave speeches at Plymouth Church. There were "Beecher Boats" that ran every Sunday so that people from all over NYC (Manhattan) could hear his Sermons. Notable people who went to hear his Sermons included Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain.
The Brooklyn Historical Society
The Brooklyn Historical Society located on Pierrepont Street was founded in 1863 by Henry Pierrepont. It was originally named the 'Long Island Historical Society' and renamed the 'Brooklyn Historical Society' in 1985. The building serves as a museum, a library, an educational center, a community meeting spot for the original upscale members of Brooklyn Society, and also hosts private events. When you walk into the building, if you walk to your left, you can walk through the museum portion of the builidng. I like how they had it set up. They had Brooklyn's major events mapped out in a timeline on the wall with great pictures and lots of historical information. Significant people to the history of Brooklyn were noted on special projector panels that moved up and down to allow visitors access to more information. From the entrance, if you walked straight ahead and through a very large door, you found yourself at the base of a very long and wide staircase. There was a small room down the hall, where they had special paintings and an original map of Brooklyn. If you went upstairs, you came across the Othmer Library. The Library was very elegant and was preserved in its original form. The Library houses many books, documents, letters, receipts, and records that pertain to the borough of Brooklyn. It even has genealogical records of many of it's original settlers and residents. If there was something about Brooklyn you wanted to know, or if you wanted to look up original records, this would be the best resource to visit and use. The Library has a very distinct odor to it and it is very dark for a library, but it is still one of the nicest libraries I have ever visited. If you walk further, you come across another flight of stairs. At the landing is a sculpture of a girl nicknamed "Pinky." Her real name was Sally Marie Diggs. She was mostly white, but since there was a small percentage of Black blood in her, she was considered Black. She was seen at one of Beecher's Mock Slave auctions. The money raised for her "purchase" actually went towards the freedom of slaves. She herself was a freed slave. She lived in Brooklyn with her children for some time after she was freed. I liked this sculpture for many reasons. First, The Historical Society recognized what was considered a "nobody" in society and made her an important somebody in Brooklyn's History. Next, the actual sculpture itself is interesting. The Middle is obviously Pinky. She is very pretty and has beautiful facial structure. Around her though is poison ivy. A very ironic sculpture, but very interesting with a very interesting history.
Concluding Brooklyn
Even though we had major rainfall for half of the day, it was still a pretty good day. I learned a lot about Brooklyn. My perception of Brooklyn was way off. I didn't think there were any nice parts of Brooklyn, but I was wrong. I'm sure all of Brooklyn isn't nice, but a lot of what I saw today changed my perceptions. Brooklyn has a history apart from Manhattan and the rest of the boroughs all on its own. I was surprised to learn, however that Brooklyn played such a large role in the Revolutionary War and the Abolishment of Slavery. Brooklyn has beautiful sites and attractions that can easily be missed if you don't know they are there.