The East Village today has few remnants of its historic roots of the 19th and early 20th century as Kleindeutschland or “Little Germany.” Although there had been Germans settling in New York since colonial days it was not until the 1840s that there was a massive wave of Germans into the city. Beginning in … More The General Slocum Fire
I picked up A. Rogers Ekirch’s American Sanctuary: Mutiny, Martyrdom, and National Identity in the Age of Revolution from my pile of books to read and I am sorry that I had not read it earlier. As it happens I followed this up with Carol Berkin’s A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the … More Books: A Sovereign People and American Sanctuary
1809 would turn out to be quite a year. Not only was it the year Lincoln was born but also one of the great American writers, Edgar Allen Poe, was born. Although he is most closely associated with the cities of Richmond and Baltimore, like many writers, Poe spent time in New York where … More Edgar Allan Poe – A New York Writer
Union Square became synomous with the Labor movement in the latter half of the 19th century. Most New Yorkers believe that the reason it is called Union Square is due to the worker demonstrations held there. But, as with much of New York history, the name was created by a developer – Sam Ruggles. … More Labor Day at Union Square
As we approach Independence Day and the festivities that accompany the Fourth of July we focus on the events of 1776. We sometimes forget that the movement for independence was a long one that began somewhere between 1763 and the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord. Like most of the colonies, New York … More June 1775
March 17, 1942 (NYPL Digital Collection) Today marks the celebration of St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint. He is honored with one of the longest running parades in American history. The Irish have been parading in New York City since the 18th century. During the French and Indian War, the British made New York City their … More The Sons of Saint Patrick
Who is Abraham de Peyster and why does he get moved around so much? Abraham who? Abraham de Peyster was mayor of New York in 1691 after a turbulent period in our history. Although of Dutch birth, de Peyster was a successful politician, loyal to the British Crown and in 1701 became acting governor of … More The Moving Dutchman
How many times have you walked down a street in New York and suddenly you see something new? It happened this weekend as I walked around the Lower East Side. Suddenly, I saw something that had been hiding in plain sight – a back tenement. As property around the LES gets torn down, there are … More Hiding in Plain Sight
On this 239th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, it is a good time to pause and think of the “Founding Generation,” who fought so hard for the idea of liberty and equality. We forget what a radical idea the American Revolution was and how it truly shook the world of the 18th century. Critics … More Happy Birthday America!
What was it like to be in New York City on July 3, 1776? Would you be excited or terrified? I think it is important to remember what a monumental step the “Founding Generation” took on July 2-4. In the haze of fireworks we forget that they declared independence from the dominant European military power … More July 3, 1776 – Patriots and Rebels
Bowery & Canal 