enter name and hit return
Find in Page

THE EASTERN DISTRICT of BROOKLYN

B..Streets
BAINBRIDGE STREET
Lover's Lane was on Bainbridge Street, between Lewis & Stuyvesant. Thos. H. PROSSER, engineer, offices at Platt Street, New York City, about 1855, southwest corner of Stuyvesant, demolished in 1910. DeCAMP & DOUGLAS' livery stables, #20. The Four Mile House, Wm. SIMONSON, North side of the Brooklyn & Jamaica Plank Road & on the east side of the Hunterfly Road, on the line of Brainbridge Street, North of Reid Avenue.
BARTLETT STREET
Named for Josiah BARTLETT, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Opened in 1850. Chas. PFIZER & Co. Chemical Works, #11. Jurgen LINS, soap & candle maker, #33. Frederick NOLL'S, livery stables, #49. Valentine VOELKER, #58. John WASCHTER, scavenger, #59. George FRENZEL, printer, #76. Ozias STERN, slippers, #82. The Deutsch Ritter Halle, #83. Robert KURTZ, printer, #87. The farmer, Bartholomew HIPLEY, in the 1850's, Bartlett Street near Broadway.
BAYARD STREET
A ropewalk in 1864, on Bayard Street Arnold RUEFFS', taxidermist, #158.
BEAVER STREET
VIGELIUS & ULMER'S Brewery, #31, extending from Belvidere to Locust, erected 1872, later became Wm. ULMER'S Brewery. MINCK Bros. & Co., makers of mineral water, #45-53.
BEDFORD AVENUE
In 1830, Williamsburgh had four streets, First, Second, Third & Fourth. Fourth was a dirt road, where one could see the river, stone walls & gardens. There were several streets in the vicinity of Bedford which since been closed. Perry Avenue has become a part of Bedford Avenue Schuyier Street ran between Atlantic Avenue then called Rail Road Avenue & Pacific Street. Bedford Avenue was originally laid out to extend from the Williamsburgh line, where the fountain was later erected, to the fountain on Bergen Street on what is now Grant Square. It was one of the first streets in the county to be paved with asphalt. As early as 1872 Fred SCHOLES succeeded in his efforts to have Bedford Avenue covered with a mixture of tar & gravel, known as scrimshaw pavement. This resembled the later asphalt but did not withstand the heat of the summer like asphalt does. Wood Working Company, Samuel SELF, Proprietor, sash & doors, #31 Bedford Avenue & #48 Guernsey Street James A. McCAFFERTY, White Lead Manufacturer,near No. 15th Street(now McCarren Park). Jacob MAYS, Iron Works, #79-85 between No. 13th & No. 12th Streets. W. B. CAMPBELL, Spring Bed Manufacturer, #123, between No. 11th & 10th Streets. Joseph MEAD & Son, masons, #166 near No. 8th Street G. P. MEIN, drums, early 1880's, #253 Fourth Street between No. 8th & 7th Streets. probably was a son of a piano maker, Robert MEIN, who lived, 1860's at 169 No. 7th Street Frederick BECKER, Provisions, #187 No. 7th Street Hook & Ladder Company No.1, Bedford Avenue & No. 7th Street Francis NOLAN, undertaker, #195 between No.7th & No.6th Street, was born in Ireland, 1835, he came with his father to New York in 1838 and to Williamsburgh in 1846. He was for a time Constable, Alderman & from 1874 to 1880 Coroner. In 1883 he engaged in the undertaking business, in 1889 he was appointed Charity Commissioner of Kings Co. Owen GALLAGHER, undertaker, had his livery stables in the 1860's,corner No.6th Street Twenty years later, #297 Fourth Street & #161 No. 6th Street & in 1890 #204 Bedford Avenue The Seymour Club, early 1890's, west side of Bedford Avenue, between No. 6th & No. 5th Streets. Robert DELLER, Wheelwright, #216. Henry HAMILTON, Livery Stables,west side of the block between No.5th & No. 4th Streets. A part of it is still there, although only the rear of the stables are visible on Bedford Avenue A coopers shop was there about twenty years ago and now a junk dealer occupies the remains of the stables, which are of the typical kind, made of heavy rough boards, unpainted, with small windows between the doors, the entrance is now on No.4th Street. HAMILTON'S place was in 1890 known as #222 Bedford Avenue He was the owner of the famous stage known as the Pride of the Nation, built in 1875 by John STEVESON for the Centennial Exhibition. The vehicle was driven to Philadelphia in 1876. George HARRIS was the driver of the coach. While usually 24 white horses pulled the stage, only 8 horses were used on this trip to the Quaker City. Ex. Senator Charles C. HARDEN drove part of the way. Nearly all the Eastern District Clubs engaged this coach for their political outings, chowder parties, etc. John SCHLITZ, another livery man, located on Metropolitan Avenue, eventually purchased the coach and the last seen of the famous old vehicle, was its gradual disappearance in the mud flats on Whale Creek at the foot of No. Henry Street. HAMILTON also owned the Martha Washington & several similar coaches. He ran in the 1880's stages from Broadway & Lafayette Avenue to the Wall Street Ferry and in the winter season sleighs, holding about 20 persons & drawn by 6 or 8 horses to various points. Daniel RAMILLY, horse shoer, was then #220, evidently on HAMILTON'S grounds. GATLI & McQUADE, a paper stock, #246 between North 4th & North 3rd Streets, There was a fire on October 11,1899 with damage of $27,000. On June 28, 1909, it was again destroyed by fire. The North American Hotel, built in 1808 between Bedford & Driggs Avenues, North 1st Street & Metropolitan Avenue. It was the chief land mark on the turnpike road to Jamaica, a very important place in its days, much frequented by visitors from New York City and elsewhere, in fact, everybody that came to Long Island or left for the New York side by way of Williamsburgh stopped here. No beer was in that hotel, only Jamaica Rum or applejack, and the farmers took their rum straight, this was in the early days. The hotel was in a flourishing condition in the 30's. The structure was 2-stories in height with a high pitched roof, a high stoop, a shed on either side and another in the rear. The old time No.2nd Street was a busy place & many were the distinguished citizens who used the seats in front of the hotel in order to watch the traveling public. Most public meetings held in old Williamsburgh were held under this roof. The free fights of political times in the Eastern District were fought in the second-story of the North American Hotel. The Radicals, known as Loco-Focos, met here frequently to defeat the Democrats, known as Hunkers, and any fight which compelled men to drop out of the hotel windows was for principles not for money. The most prominent men who ran the Democratic meetings during the 1830's were: Nicholas P. O'BRIEN Judge Abraham D. SOPER James MURPHY Demas STRONG B. McELROY James FLORIN Thomas F. FEMVICK William CONSELYEA Peter V. REMSEN William COLLYER In 1848 General Philip S. CROOKE of Flatbush, who was the head of the National Guard, arrived one night with six wagon loads of men ready for anything. It was the night James MURPHY called a meeting to denounce Hunterism and a big row that night caused the old hotel to be in full glory. Just a few years before the consolidation of 1855 the hotel lost its character and its respectability. Balls were held as of old, but the best people went now to other balls and the old hotel with its free dances soon lost caste and fights were as frequent as dances. One night a man named MAGRATH was killed there and in 1852 a fire broke out in the upper part of the building. Some one cut the hose in order to prevent getting the water upstairs, the flames however, were extinguished. In 1854 the Industrial School began to occupy the old structure, remaining there for many years. The building was used for a carpenter shop & about 1877, it was moved about 100' further up Metropolitan Avenue and was completely lost to view by other houses. The widening of No. 2nd Street brought about its demolition, later the site of the old inn and its grounds were occupied by the Fifth Precinct Station house, Fireman's Hall, the Bell tower and the Armory later known as Grand Army Hall. Besides political meetings, town meetings were held in the hotel. The first election for Chief Engineer of the Fire Department was held here in 1838 and Andrew B. HODGES was elected. There were then only two companies, Washington Company No. 1, on Metropolitan Ave, composed mainly of ship builders, rope makers and other mechanics. Protection Company No. 2 on South 2nd Street had the gentry among its members who went into this service to set a good example. They were called the "Pintods" & the others the "Workies". The Northsiders used to say that the Pintods paid their dues & the others did the work. There were no hydrants, hose carts and no means of giving alarms except by word of mouth.The two companies each carried two hundred feet of hose and the dragged the machines to the fire over unpaved streets. Often times they had to run through fields, cut across lots & even jump stone walls. Each company drew its own water, taking suction at a pond or some private cistern, soon pumping it dry. Occasionally, after a fire got well going, the only bell in the village, at the Reformed Dutch Church would help along spreading the alarm, the sexton did not receive any remuneration for this service. The man who rolled the machine, usually the one reaching the engine house first, was entitled to the tongue and reaching the fire had the privilege of holding the pipe. There was the Pioneer Hook & Ladder Company, Lady Washington, No. 1. The old Industrial school, known as the Soup-house, by Dominie JOHNSON, next to the bell tower between Metropolitan Avenue and North 1st Street, in what was left of the North American Hotel. The Exempt Firemen's Association of the Eastern District org. November 14,1882, incorporated on April 4, 1883. The first home of this association was Military Hall in the 16th Ward, later Firemen's Hall on Bedford Avenue between Metropolitan Avenue and North 1st Street. The Armory erected in 1864 on the south east corner of Metropolitan Avenue was used by the 47th Regiment until the present armory on the former Union Grounds was built in 1883. The corner stone was laid on July 4, 1864. The structure stood then vacant till about 1890 it was turned over to the Mansfield Post G. A. R. as its home and became then known as Grand Army Hall. In 1898 the building, having become unsafe, was torn and down and the Street Cleaning Department stored wagons and material on the vacant lot. Later, HABERMAN'S Tin Factory, until fire destroyed it on a Thanksgiving Eve. A municipal bathing house is now on this corner plot. Firemen's Hall built in 1864 on part of the original site of the North American Hotel, and is now known as the Exempt Firemen's Hall, used as the Fifth District Court. Captain Martin SHORT, Commander of the Fifth Precinct Station, North 1st Street corner The 14th Ward bell tower stood since 1865 in the rear, prior to that time the structure had been known as the 13th Ward bell tower and was located in the municipal centre of Williamsburgh at Bedford Avenue and South 2nd Street. The City of Brooklyn sold that property in 1864 and the tower was moved to No. 1st Street. John P. HAFFEY was on duty when the tower was on fire on its original site, was the bell ringer on the new site for at least four years if not longer. He had two assistants. The bell ringer's job was full of responsibility. He or one of his assistants had to be continuously on the look out, using field or marine glasses, they looked with suspicion upon any curl of smoke and tried to trace it back to its source. They would sound the alarm by ringing the bell and the fire fighting apparatus would respond. In later days a system was worked out, by which any citizen was enabled to tell at once where the fire broke out, as the number of strokes on the bell, would indicate the location. When this bell tower was consumed by flames in 1873, William IRWIN was on duty. When the flames raged at the bell of the tower, the latter being about eighty feet in height, IRWIN threw out the life rope from the window. Men on the Street caught it and making their way to the opposite side of the Street held on to it as he slid down to safety, IRWIN, who was known as Fatty Walsh had been bell ringer since 1872. He held this position for years after he had been injured in this fire. He died in 1911. The tower was rebuilt and was razed in the early 1880's. The Fifth Precinct Police Station house, in 1855, Driggs & Metropolitan Avenues. In the next year a building was rented from Graham POLLEY. This was the original building of District School No. 2 of Williamsburgh built by POLLEY in 1843. This became known as the Cells and in it the Eastern District Police Court was held. The old building is still standing on the No. side of No.5th Street between Driggs and Roebling Street Since 1864 it has been the home of the German Lutheran St. Matthew's Church, a steeple having been added. The new station house, at #263 Bedford Avenue northeast corner North 1st Street. The new structure with ten iron grated cells in the extension was occupied in 1860. It was remodelled in 1891 and is now known as the 49th Precinct. Alexander L. LUDWIG, dealer in musical instruments, #164 Fourth Street, between No.1st and Grand Streets. His stock included instruments from church organs down to harmonicas. LUDWIG fitted music boxes into photo-albums, clocks, chairs, sewing machines and other household articles. The music coming from these articles at most unexpected moments, when an album was opened, or the door of a cabinet, etc., always pleased the owner and surprised their guests. YOUNG & Co. Manufacturer of Hats, #151 Fourth Street. He was a member of the Williamsburgh Volunteer Fire Department and later a trustee of the Widows & Orphans Funds of the Brooklyn Fire Department. At one time this establishment of YOUNG & Company, was kept by H. A. SMITH. Good Intent Engine Company No. 3, in 1855, Fourth Street between Grand & South 1st Streets. Later, Alhambra Hose Company No.2 was here on the west side of Bedford Avenue between Grand South 1st Streets. After these quarters were vacated by the hose company, it was altered into a dance hall and became known as SHANLEY'S Alhambra, popularly called SHANLEY'S Free & Easy. The piano dealer W. H. McDONALD had been in business in New York City. He established the Arion Warerooms #128 Fourth Street. He died in 1882, but his widow continued the business which was located #144 and at another time at #143 Fourth Street. Temperance Hall, south east corner South 1st Street. Here met Williamsburgh Lodge No.3, Williamsburgh Lodge No. 105 and Eureka Lodge No. 187 of the Sons of Temperance. The old house standing on the south west corner of South 1st Street, was WILSON'S Grocery in the earlier days. BARNES' butcher shop occupied the northwest corner and Levi DARBEE'S residence and store was on the northeast corner #150 Fourth Street or later #287 Bedford Avenue Next to the corner was the carpenter shop of Police Captain Conelius WOGLOM and his partner RHODES. Both men were appointed policemen on the same day. WOGLOM became one of the first police captains and Rhodes was an inspector on the force as late as the 1890's. Next door #152 Fourth Street, or #285 Bedford Avenue, was the COCHEU residence. On the northwest corner #306 Bedford Avenue KLOCKGIESSER'S Restaurant since May 1, 1897. #133-35 Fourth Street E.L. TUCKER, 1850s, Philadelphia House, large hotel with billiard table. Calvin KLINE, watch maker and jeweler, established about 1842. He took the highest premiums for his chronometers at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York City in 1853-54 and again at the World's Fair in Vienna in 1873. He died in 1878, his widow continued the business under the name of M. E. KLINE at #141 Fourth Street, between South 1st and South 2nd Streets. Firemen's Hall, 1855 the 3-story brick building at old #131 Fourth Street later known as #165, between South 1st & South 2nd Streets. In 1860 Firemen's Hall was rented to the city of Brooklyn. Captain Samuel GROVE agitated in 1851 the question of establishing a dispensary in Williamsburgh. The lower rooms of a frame house on the northeast corner So. 1st Street and Driggs Avenue were rented and Dr. HARDCASTLE opened the dispensary, September 1, 1851. He remained the president of the dispensary association until his death and Dr. HARDCASTLE was still in charge in the 1880's. After the consolidation in 1855 the name was changed to Eastern District Dispensary. After several years a hospital department of ten beds was fitted up in the 2 floor and the institution became known as Eastern District Hospital & Dispensary. The Williamsburgh Medical Society, organiazed in 1852 and later known as the Medical Association of the Eastern District met here. 1870s ground was purchased on the southside of So. 3rd Street between Berry Street & Bedford Avenue and a new building was built in 1880. Corner of South 2nd Street was the City Park containing the 13th Ward bell tower and a flag pole, around the corner of South 2nd Street was the Old City Hall. The Williamsburgh Gas Light Company, #324 Bedford Avenue The Young Ladies Select School conducted by Miss Hall,near So.2nd Street The high sand bluff along the line of Bedford Avenue in this vicinity was known in the earliest days as the Lockout. Here, about South 4th Street, a block house was erected to serve as a refuge for the families of the farmers in case of attacks by the Indians. It also served as a place of worship until a church edifice was erected on the Bushwick village green about 1720. For this reason the Bushwick Church appears on the Dutch Church records as BOGHT Church until 1814, when the Reverend John BASSETT took charge of the church in Bushwick Village as resident minister and the church yard was established. The name Boght Church was applied because the block house which served as church was near the Walebogt,(Wallabout Bay). In 1784 another Boght Church was organized in Albany County and this helped to bring about the change of name from Boght to Bushwick Church. The bell for which there is a receipt extant, dated 1711, was installed in the block house to alarm the farmers in case of fire or attack as well as to call them to divine services. Prior to that a small cannon had served that purpose. Bushwick village was founded by Frenchmen who in order to attend divine services, went to the fort on Manhattan Island, within whose walls services in their native tongue were occasionally held. French sermons were also preached from time to time in farmhouses by the Dutch minister of New Amsterdam. Along the river shore were located a majority of Dutch settlers and it appears therefore likely that in the early days the Dutch sermons were preached in the block house upon the Lockout. The earliest Dutch services in the village of Bushwick were held in 1705 or 06 by the Rev. Bernardus FREEMAN, appointed by the English Governor minister of the churches on Long Island. A church was built here in 1720. It was an octagonal frame with a very steep roof terminating in an open belfry. The worshippers bought their own chairs until 1795 when the ground floor was provided with benches and a gallery was installed opposite the pulpit. In 1814 the church yard was established around the building with an entrance on Humboldt Street. After Williamsburgh had been incorporated in 1827 the Bushwick Church laid the cornerstone for a chapel in the young village of Williamsburgh and the edifice was dedicated in the following year. As soon as the chapel was under way the parent church resolved to take down the old "Beehive" on the green and erected a new church on the old site. This was dedicated two months after the Williamsburgh Chapel had been dedicated. In the old church the sermons had been preached in the Dutch language, in the new one English was used. For years members of all Protestant denominations worshipped here excepting the Methodist Episcopal. During 1848-49 twelve feet were added to the front with a tower and new pews were put in place of the old ones, in 1851 additional pews were installed. The tornado of July 1, 1853 took down the steeple at a time when the church was filled with the pupils of Professor METCALFE'S Female Seminary and their parents, commencement services were being held. In an instant the spire crashed down and then followed a shower of hail, which driven furiously against the windows broke them into fragments. No one was injured. The steeple of the First Presbyterian Church also fell, the Methodist Church was unroofed and a new Episcopal Church in Brooklyn was removed from it's foundation. A liberty pole in front of the old Reformed Church was removed in 1864. A treasure, which tradition had it, was buried neneath the pole in a leaden casket, was however, never found. The John Milton STEARNS, residence, #327 near South 3rd Street J. M. HOPPER, undertaker, Washington Building at 45 Court Street, conducted in 1859 the funeral of John BROWN who was executed at Harper's Ferry. The funeral procession stopped at the STEARNS house & the body was taken into the house for a time. Northeast corner of South 3rd Street, John A. McGUIRE'S grocery. Fulton House kept by William H. MERSHON, near South 3rd Street #337, residence of Police Captain WOGLOM. #343, the house of Amos SMITH,tailor, known as #100 Fourth Street The book dealer George KLEINTEICH, Jr., 1890, #334. Christian Woman's Prohibition Hall, #344. The Williamsburgh Hospital and Brooklyn Post Graduate Medical School, originated, 1889 at the northwest corner Bedford Avenue and South 3rd Street The building has been rebuilt and is now an apartment house. William H. ISRAEL, printer, #360. John M. TERAFORTE, photographer, #364. Bernard T. BIFFAR, a photographer in 1865 at #43 Fourth Street, lived at #62 No. 7th Street and was janitor of Tenth Street School. His son, Henry W. BIFFAR, continued the photographic business, 20 years later at #113 Fourth Street and in 1890, at #370 Bedford Avenue David KEESE, a gardener, 1828, in a little frame house near the south west corner South 4th Street. His garden extended in a southerly direction almost to William HENRY'S ropewalk, which ran across the line of Bedford Avenue below Broadway. During the season KEESE rowed his boat load of garden truck daily to the Fulton Market in New York City, and picked up stray passengers on the return trip. The dentist Charles W. HANEY'S,1867, #86 Fourth Street in the 1880's, #110. It is believed that the first telegraph office in Brooklyn was in 1861. In 1864 the Brooklyn office was run by the American Telegraph Company. Prior to 1866 the line operating here was known as the New York, Albany & Buffalo Co. In 1866 the company combined with the United States Telegraph Co., consolidating into the Western Union. In 1870 the Brooklyn Telegraph office was known as B, the Williamsburgh office as G and the South Brooklyn office as A. D. The Williamsburgh office was located on Bedford Avenue, between South 4th & South 5th Streets. In 1871 were added: the Astoria office, known as A, and the Fort Hamilton office, known as X. Y. All five offices were on one wire. In 1874 a second office was opened in the Eastern District at #1076 Fulton Street known as X. F. The first telephone line from NY to Brooklyn was installed in August 1877 from the offices of John L. HAIGH, #81 John Street, New York City, to his steel plant in South Brooklyn. In 1879 five residence telephones were in Brooklyn and appeared in the first telephone directory in that year. In 1905 there were about 10,830 residence telephones in Brooklyn. About 1870 the post office was located in the WALL House on the corner So. 5th Street. Three deliveries were made daily except Sundays, one east of Union Avenue and two west of Union Avenue Thirteen carriers and four clerks attended to the postal service of the 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 & 19 Wards. At that time Greenpoint was not sufficiently populated to have carrier service. Residents either called for the mail or paid a special carrier two cents for a letter. Greenpoint was given three carriers and a clerk and a post office was established in TREADWELL'S real estate office on Greenpoint Avenue & Franklin Street. 1886, Williamsburgh Post Office, Bedford Avenue & So. 5th Street. The WALL House was later known as the Hotel Boswyck and was at #371. Eureka Hall, #378. Old Homestead Hall, #380. WRIGHTS Business College, 1890, #383. Isaac H. WILLIAMS, painter, 1851, moved to #60-62 Fourth Street in 1873. In 1882 he opened a branch store #1250 Fulton Street. David S. HOLMES stationery and book store was a land mark on Fourth Street in the 1860's, at #67, it was known in the 1880's at #89. HOLMES had established the store in 1848. He published music and other books, also in musical instruments. The store was known in 1890 at #388 Bedford Avenue An old pump on South 6th Street just west of Bedford Avenue. Pat McCARREN, Phil BENDER, Bob WHALE and others used to meet at this pump to discuss current events. Ebenezer J.HUTCHINGS, tailor, in the 1860's at #85 South 7th Street near Bedford Avenue, in the 1880's at #53 Fourth Street, one door south of Broaddway. George E. BARRETT, dentist, in 1879 at #45 Fourth Street. J. A. BALDWIN, furniture manufacturer and interior decorating, in 1846, in 1880 he admitted his son C. H. BALDWIN into partnership. The firm occupied in th early 1880s, the 3-story, iron front building, at #46 & 48 Fourth Street. Ruben SHEPARD, optician, #397 Bedford Avenue MASCH & SWEDOWSKY, slipper manufacturer #401. The Anawanda Club, #414. Mercantile Co-operative Bank, #416. David LONGWORTH, undertaker, about 1842, in the 1860's, at So. 7th Street, corner 3rd Street and in the 1880s at #42 4th Street. His son-in-law, Yates Van DERWERKEN joined about 1875. St. James Protestant Episcopal Colored Church was on Bedford Avenue J. C. McDUFFEE & Co., shirt makers, #411 Bedford Avenue The Williamsburgh Grammar School for Boys, Samuel REYNOLDS, proprietor, built in 1850 on Bedford Avenue near South 9th Street. Professor ABADIE'S Young Ladies Collegiate Institute, established 1847, occupied since 1850 the first-story of this building. Both institutions were established by the Rev. Charles REYNOLDS, Rector of Christ Church. The Franklin Literary Union met in this building. The Amphion Musical Society, org. 1879, first appearance was in Dr. PORTER'S First Reformed Church. The Society built in 1887 the Amphion Academy on the old PEACOCK property on the east side of Bedford Avenue, between South 9th & South 10th Streets for its concerts. Finding it more profitable to lease the building out as a theatre, this was done and on January 27, 1888, the Amphion Theatre, opened with a performance of the Queen of Sheba, by the National Opera Co. The Amphion Musical Society had its club house at Division Avenue and Clymer Street, opposite UBERT'S drug store. Windsor Club had its rooms over this drug store. C. Mortimer WISKE was the manager of the Amphion Theatre. Edwin KNOWLES, born in Rhode Island, 1845, eventually became the sole owner of the Amphion Theatre, while Col. MORRIS conducted the Grand Opera House on Elm Place and Livington Street. The Amphion Theatre became known as #437 Bedford Avenue The marble fountain at the junction of Bedford & Division Avenues built, 1859 when the Ridgewood water was introduced into Brooklyn. At the same time a fountain was set up in the Western District, on the lower end of City Hall Park opposite Montague Street. The present iron fountain on Bedford Avenue replaced the marble fountain in 1878. Dr. BRADY mansion, corner Morton Street, remodelled into an apartment house. Christ Church, Episcopal, on the No. side of Bedford Avenuebetween Division Avenue and Clymer Street, 1846, as Christ Church of Williamsburgh. The Marvin CROSS house, #499 Bedford Avenue between Clymer & Taylor Streets, adjoining is the former Frederick MOLLENHAUER house, later, the house of the Congress Club. This club was formed from the Excelsior Club & 19th Ward Club. Opposite the Seneca Club, headquarters of the Kings County Democratic Association. The Seawanhaka Boat Club opened its new club house, #504 near Clymer Street on March 31, 1891. St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church, Southwest corner of Wilson Street was organized May 29, 1849, as the Third Methodist Episcopal Church of Williamsburgh, formerly at So. 5th Street and Driggs Avenue. This church also moved to North Brooklyn and the present name was adopted in 1866, completed in 1868. Joseph F. KNAPP, president, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, #554, near Ross Street was in 1894 altered into a dancing academy and is now used for social functions, known as the KNAPP Mansion. Needle SMITH, manufacurer of needles, built his residence on the So. west corner plot of Ross Street, at what was later #558, the grounds extending to Rodney Street. Edmund McLAUGHLIN took up his abode in this house about 1872. After McLAUGHLIN'S death, the house with grounds and stables was in 1892 offered for sale, was called the most imposing mansion in the 19th Ward. Dr. A. W. LAWRENCE became the occupant about 1881, at one time, the club house of the Nassau Wheelmen. The property was sold in 1913, for an apartment house. The HAWLEY Mansion at Rodney Street offered for sale in 1890. The Hanover Club was formed by prominent men in the vicinity of the fountain at a meeting which was called with the mansion in view as a club house. The building having been remodelled and enlarged, was opened by the club on January 19, 1891. William Cullen BRYANT was the first president, holding this office until 1899. Dr. Cornelius O. OLCOTT resided in the 1880's, #104 Bedford Avenue, on the Northwest corner of Rodney Street. In the 1860's he had been at #36 Fifth Street. Dr. Charles A. OLCOTT resided in 1905 at #469 Bedford Avenue, on the northeast corner Clymer Street. The Entre Nous Club, est.1914, occupied the OLCOTT Mansion. Frederick SCHOLES, born in England, 1824. He came with his family to Newtown, L. I., in 1829. His father, James SCHOLES, bought in 1831 a farm in North Brooklyn, which had been owned in 1795 by Jeremiah REMSEN, Frederick SCHOLES settled on this farm. He married in 1850, Anna M. BOICE of Brooklyn. His daughter, Mary E. SCHOLES married in 1870 Edwin B. HAVENS, who was born at Orient, L. I., in 1847. Frederick SCHOLES owned the block on on the west side of Bedford Avenue between Keap & Hooper Streets, running back to Wythe Avenue. The flower garden occupied the greater part of this block. He built a house on either end of the block, one for his own use & the other for his son. His residence at #113 Keap Street & his son James F. SCHOLES at #119 Hooper Street. Frederick SCHOLES was supervisor of the 19th Ward. The Eastern District Y. W. C. A. building on Bedford Avenue & Keap Street, erected on a portion of the SCHOLES block, was opened on November 1, 1914. The sulphur refinery, Ross Street, was on a part of this farm. A triumphal arch was erected on Bedford Avenue above Keap Street at the expense of the denizens of the 19th Ward, on occasion of the Water Celebration in 1859. The cornerstone of the stone edifice of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, northwest corner of Bedford Avenue & Hewes Street, was laid on December 25, 1895. The church, opened, December 6,1896. The English Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, February 10, 1929 was on Ditmas Avenue between East 21st & East 22nd Streets, Flatbush. The church is built after the pattern of the chapels erected by the Knights Templar in England during the 15th Century. The Memorial Glass stained windows of the North Brooklyn Church had been used in the original Flatbush Church, but when that building was vacated in 1916 the windows were stored away until the new edifice on Ditmas Avenue was built. Two new windows have been added. The Rev. S. G. WEISKOTTEN was the first pastor of the church in the Eastern District, organized in 1894, at Bedford Avenue & Hewes Street. In 1907 the congregation moved to Lenox Road near Flatbush Avenue where a new edifice had been built in 1916 as the church had become too small. The Rev. Herbert T. WEISKOTTEN, D. D., the present pastor, son of the original minister of the church. The congregation sold the Bedford Avenue & Hewes Street property to the Jewish congregation Bnai Israel on March 16, 1918. John W. COE, 1855, livery stables, coal & wood place, #3-7 South 7th Street In 1876 COE & MERRITT, who then manufactured carriages, built their building, #242 Bedford Avenue. A bridge crossed Bedford Avenue at Wallabout Street, the Wallabout Creek running through that street to Marcy Avenue. Teunis RAPALYE, grocer, in 1842, Wallabout Road near Bedford Avenue. A coal yard, established about 1860, corner Flushing & Bedford Avenues. J. O. McDERMOTT, the owner, about 1882, had a branch yard at Broadway & DeKalb Avenue. Below Park Avenue was an old orchard. Thomas D. HUDSON, a native of Newark, N. J came to Brooklyn in 1838 & started his coal & wood business two years later. In 1855 he moved to larger quarters on Bedford & Willoughby Aves where he was in the 1880's. In 1874 he opened a second yard at Myrtle & Grand Aves. Henry R. APEL, wagon maker, #690 Bedford, between Heyward & Lynch Streets. H. G. PUEKHABER, wine business,1880s, #228 Bedford Avenue near Lynch Street The little red school house, 1840, Bedford & Flushing Aves. George S. HARRIS, stone yard, corner Flushing Avenue The Bedford Wagon Works, #754 Bedford between Flushing & Park Aves. Martin ZUMMERMAN was the proprietor in 1890. Remsen Automobile Company was with the wagon works in 1905. George SCHROEDER, slipper manufacturer #780. William H. CODDINGTON, patent medicines, #790. Thomas DOOLING, horse shoer, #828. Charles FALK, photographer, #855. East Brooklyn Baptist Church, 1870, Bedford Avenue near Myrtle Avenue F. H. BENSON, dancing teacher, was, #869. William J. MANNERING, mason, #897. J.K. WICK, stable supplies, #874. William GORDON, optician, #900. The BEDFORD Mansion was, #903. St. Peter's Lutheran Church, org. 1867, west side of Bedford Avenue, near DeKalb Avenue. The Rev. J. J. HEISCHMAN, pastor of Street Peter's since 1878, died in March 1929. STUCKEL'S Cafe, Bedford & DeKalb Avenues. Daniel LAHEN Cafe, was near DeKalb Avenue. Stella Hall & Hotel, #411-413 Bedford Avenue vicinity of Kosciusko Street kept by John JOHNSON in 1883. DAUBER Bros. grocery, corner Quincy Street, #628. Peter VANDERVOORT House, about 1780, Bedford Avenue near Gates Avenue, James DeBEVOISE, owner 1867. The East Reformed Dutch Church, corner plot of Bedford & Jefferson Avenues., organized Feb.15, 1853. The Rev. John W. SCHENCK was pastor, dedicated, July 16,1854. A new edifice was erected in 1875 on the corner of Bedford Avenue & Madison Street, two blocks north of the original. In 1879 it was reorganized as the Bedford Reformed (Dutch) Church. The Aurora Grata Lodge of Perfection F. & A. M., founded in 1806, bought the original church building & parsonage, the latter located, #1160 on the corner of Madison Street, in May 1887. The church was turned into a Scottish Rite Cathedral. The parsonage was taken over by thirty Master Masons, who formed then, on May 18, 1887, the Aurora Grata Club. The club house having been fitted up, was occupied in March, 1891 and was subsequently enlarged. The druggist, James R. CRAWFORD started in the 1860s on Gates Avenue & Downing Street. Since 1881 he was at #736 Bedford Avenue corner of Hancock Street. D. H. FOWLER & Co., real estate office, #1239. C. J. BARR, undertaker, #1254, with a branch, #248 Grand Street. J. TALBOT'S real estate office, #1258-60 Bedford Avenue. COOPER building, corner Bedford Avenue & Fulton Street, destroyed by fire on November 14, 1892 with a loss of $55,000, again, on December 14, 1905 fire destroyed the Cooper block. At what is now Bedford & Lafayette Avenues stood in the 1840s a large old fashioned country mansion. Upon its piazza young people used to assemble for a ride on horse back along the Clove Road out to Flatbush and on to the ocean shore. The LafAYETTE Hotel was, #1011. L. H. DENICKE, stationer, #1015. Walter L. BROWN, steam, gas & hot water fittings, #1004. Bedford Automobile Company, #1060. John ROCKFORD, wagon maker, #1068. F. A. BAKER, phonograph place, #1080. J. M. HORTON, ice cream, #1084, also #495 Fulton Street. A. T. AMBLER, stationer, #1063. Milton HUGHSON, toy dealer, #1071. Rem LEFFERTS Clover Hill, Bedford, Lewis, Lexington & Gates Aves. Nils NILSEN, whose specialty were parquet floors, #1102. John F. CORNELL,livery stables, #1104. M. S. GARRIGUES, mason, #1097 Bedford Avenue & #446 Halsey Street. M. E. SCOTT, stoves, #1099. Bedford Branch Y. M. C. A. opened #420 Gates Avenue, November 20, 1890. The gymnasium was burned on January 15, 1905. The new building was on the northeast corner Bedford & Gates Aves. The first meeting in the new building was held on November 11, 1906. Martin RYERSON farm, west of Bedford Avenue, between Gates Avenue & Monroe Street. Arthur R. TOWNSEND'S Automobile place, 1905 #1148. John FOX, dealer in stoves & heaters, 1172 1/2 near Putnam Avenue. G. A. FLANSBURG, picture frames, #1153. Thomas J. WASHBURN,livery stables, #1177. Commercial High School, Jefferson Avenue. Brooklyn Camera Company, #1197. Brooklyn District Telegraph Co., 1905, an office at #1211 Bedford Avenue and another office #484 Sumner Avenue. B. Guy WARNER, phonograph , #1213. Henry J. GREEN, optician, #1215. William P. RIVERS, dancing teacher, #1219. Avon Hall at Bedford Avenue & Halsey Street, sold in 1914. The Bedford Bank, org. 1886, corner Halsey Street Frank PEARSALL, photographer, #1225. Augustus KOCH, dancing teacher, #1252. U. S. Funeral Directing Co. #1254, succeeded by C. J.BARR & Co., had a branch at 248 Grand Street. Arcanum Hall, 1890 located near Fulton Street. Columbia Music Conservatory at #1241. Bedford Hall was at Fulton Street. The London Harness Co. #1253. Bedford Green, bounded by Bedford, Franklin, Fulton Street & Atlantic Avenue. The Bedford School, established,1663. A school house was built on the "village green" in 1721, a large chimney divided the structure into the school room & the living room of the teacher. In 1775 another room, 14 feet square, was added, which the teacher was permitted to use as a grocery store. This building was in 1810 replaced by a new one. In 1830 a new school was built across the road on the east side of the Cripplebush Road also a one-story structure of two-rooms, one for the younger & one for the older children, this was enlarged in 1846. The City of Brooklyn took charge of the Bedford School in 1849 and erected a new building on Bedford & Jefferson Avenues which was opened in 1851 as P. S. No.3. The old structure was rented out for other purposes, serving for several years as the station house of the 49th Precinct Metropolitan Police and later as the 9th Ward Station House. Later the building was moved back on the lot and was occupied as a storage house by one PAYNE, whose business was renovating carpets. PAYNE lived at #22 Halsey Street near Bedford Avenue in a house formerly owned by the LEFFERTS family and which had served as a parsonage or chapel of the Bedford Reformed Dutch Church. The frame building of P.S. No.3 enlarged in 1854 & 1859. Later it served as annex to the Boys High School & in more recent years as Annex to the Commercial High School. A brick building on Jefferson Avenue was opened in 1871 and enlarged in 1882. In 1891 a new building of P. S. No. 3, opened in the rear of the Jefferson Avenue structure on Hancock Street near Bedford Avenue. The Brooklyn Free Library, opened December 20, 1897 in the old school house on Bedford & Jefferson Avenues. On March 16, 1899, the Sinking Fund Commission decided to lease the BREVOORT Mansion, for the use of the Brooklyn Public Library. The J. Carson BREVOORT Mansion has since been demolished. J. Carson BREVOORT was the husband of Dolly LEFFERTS, daughter of Judge LEFFERTS. In 1885, the name BREVOORT was applied to the local post office. BREVOORT Grove, a favorite picnic ground, between Bedford & Franklin Avenues, Atlantic Avenue & Hancock Street. Bedford Avenue was constructed about 1850 to replace the Cripplebush Road which ran North from Bedford Corners to DeKalb Avenue, turned east to Nostrand Avenue, North again to about Myrtle Avenue & off to the northeast on the way to meet the Newtown Road. The Cripplebush Road was discontinued when the new streets were cut through the old farms, some detached portions remained, however. There was a tract between the Cripplebush Road and the new avenue on which was a burying ground with sandstone memorials, tradition had it that the negro slaves of the olden days were buried here. Bedford Avenue was opened on May 3, 1871 from Fulton Street southward. After the Consolidation of 1855 Bedford was included in the very large 4th Precinct. In 1858 the 9th Sub-Precinct was created with a station house at Fulton Street & Bedford., the old school house. Later the 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th & 14th Precincts were established. The 9th Precinct Station occupied the old frame school House, which was rented from J. Carson BREVOORT for the sum of $150 a year. A new station house was erected in 1864 near corner Gates & Marcy Avenue which was used for many years. The precinct is now known as the 155th and its station house on the northwest corner of Gates & Throop Avenue, November .18.1876. The 13th Precinct Station, at the junction of Whipple Street & Flushing Avenue. The 14th Precinct had for its station house an old fashioned 2-story frame surrounded by a large garden at Broadway & Greene Avenue. The Second District Police Court building was erected on Gates Avenue near Reid Avenue when the section consisted to a very large extent of farms & fields. The Bedford News, a publication, #1294. Bedford Riding Academy, #1297. Union Tire & Rubber Co., #1311. Union League Club, Bedford Avenue & Dean Street. It was an outgrowth of a club which had been known as the 23rd Ward Social Republican Club. Arlington Hall, Gates & Nostrand Aves. a place of rendezvous, on February 11, 1888, the name Union League was adopted; the society was incorporated on March 16, 1888. In the spring of 1889 the club removed to Hancock Hall on Bedford Avenue near Fulton Street. The club gave the General Grant Statue in 1896 to the City of Brooklyn.
BERRY STREET
Originally, Homer Street Named for James HOMER MAXWELL, later as Third Street, which was opened from Bushwick Creek to the Brooklyn line in 1861. SMITH'S farm, bottom of Berry Street #254 near Grand, known since 1860 as the George H. BENNETT house. Berry Street was named for Dr. Abraham J. BERRY. First mayor of Williamsburgh, 1852-53. A big ox-roast was held in celebration. He was born, 1798, was a physician and a Democrat. He died of Malaria in 1866, contracted in the swamps of Virginia during the Civil War. W.C. ROOT & Co., #314. Frank KELLY, horse shoer, #360. Household manufacturer, makers of spring beds, #387. George ENDERBY, mason, #388. R.H. De MILLS, livery stables, #359, near Broaway, established 1874 at old #79 Third Street. Saddle horses his speciality. Young America Hook & Ladder Co., near Broadway. Gothic Hall, between Broadway & So. 8th, Henry B. GEE in the 1850's. COFFIN Bros. Automobile, #411, 1905. WHITING Mills, between Broadway & So.8th. Everett C. WHEELER, livery stable, corner So.8th. HECLA Iron works, occupied a one story brick building between No. 10th & No. 11th. Patsy McCUE, the little jockey, Berry Street near No. 8th. DALTON Co., between No. 7 th & No. 8th. Continental Engine Co. No.9, Berry near Grand St, later So. 1st near Hooper Street
BLEEKER STREET
C. O. SEELIG, soda water manufacturer, #129.
BOERUM STREET
Named for Jacob BOERUM, who had a farm of 58 acres in the 16th Ward. The street opened in 1852. Liberty Knitting Mills, #22, destroyed by fire, January 9, 1912. F. W. DIETZ'S boot & shoe store, #24. J. WICHERT & Co., slipper manufacturer #58. Peter MICHEL & Son, nail makers & iron railings, #58. John MICHEL & Co., tinware manufacturer #64. Bernard LAUTER, scales, George HAUSNER, wood turner, MARTIN & FLORMONT, makers of watch case springs, all at #66. STARR & FELLOWS, lamp & gas fixtures factory, #71-83 Boerum Street & #88-100 Johnson Avenue. (Later) George TIEMANN & Co., makers of surgical instruments, #81. George PETH, undertaker, #123. Wm. B. JURGENS, wholesale grocers, #179-81 Boerum, corner Humboldt & 161-165 McKibben. Joseph HEMBERGER, cabbage cutter, #220. Williamsburgh Flint Glass Co., #260. F.H.KALBFEISCH Co., at Boerum & White Streets.
BOX STREET
Was formerly known as B Street. David EVANS, mason, #43.
BOGART STREET
Was formerly known as Sandford Street, named for Edward SANDFORD, a distinguished real estabate lawyer.
BRIDGEWATER STREET
Was in later times mapped as Front Street & Bridgewater Street. The Central Refining Company was located at Bridgewater corner of Webster Streets.
BROADWAY
The lower portion of Broadway from the East River up to Bedford Avenue was originally South 7th Street. This portion is in this sketch described as the south side & the North side of the thoroughfare. Beyond Bedford Avenue a portion of South 6th Street was made a part of Broadway.
BROADWAY...Along the SOUTH SIDE
(NOTE: A ropewalk: is a long covered walk or a long building over level ground, where ropes are manufactured. Also a building with several vendors, like the Farmer's Market or Flea Market of the 1990's.) A century ago Captain D. GRISWOLD'S stone residence stood in grounds which occupied the block bounded by Broadway, Kent, So. 8th & Wythe Streets. The Williamsburgh Garden later occupied the water front between Broadway & So. 8th Street, the old stone house on the east side of Kent was apparently included. One HANSFEILD kept the resort, including a hotel with bowling alleys and baths. M. B. WHITTLESAY'S Stage Coach Office, in the 1850's, was at #4 So. 7th Street. As late as the 1880's the ferry boats were not provided with gates to hold the passengers. Horse car lines were distinguished with a colored bullseye inserted in the upper right hand corner of the front and rear of it's cars so passengers could tell what line was what at night. Behind the colored glass stood a kerosene lamp in a closed box. The Williamsburgh City Bank, organized in Samuel M. MEEKER'S Office, 18 So.7th Street, February 2, 1852, and started business in April of that year from the basement of the Universal Church on Bedford Avenue & So. 4th Street. Nicholas WYCKOFF was the first president. Frederick HOEFT, who had been connected with HANSFIEL, kept the Peck Slip Hotel on south east corner of Kent. He also had a salt water bath established at the foot of So. 9th. In the basement of the hotel was a restaurant. SMITH, LEACH & JEWELL'S Genesee Flour Mills, the 1850's, occupied a portion of the former Cap't. GRISWOLD grounds, known as #6 to 10 So. 7th. The same firm owned the Brooklyn City Flour Mills at the bottom of Fulton St, in lower Brooklyn. The Genesee Mills later occupied the site of the LIEBMAN Building. The Independant Press, #12-14 South 7th. Carl MERZ, opened a cafe & restaurant, about 1871, #16 Broadway, next to Peck Slip Hotel. His son Louis MERZ later had a cafe on Broadway near Myrlte Avenue and after that, one near Ralph Avenue, until prohibition came along. OSTERMAN'S Hotel was in the LEIBMAN Building, #18. He had for a time a branch on Fulton Street in lower Brooklyn. HARNED Brothers, cigar factory, 1863, and moved to #18 Broadway. Also at #18., F. SPROWER, Brush manufacturer. The Williamsburgh Times, established 1848, in the basement of Americus Hall. In 1855 the name changed to East Brooklyn Daily Times, but after a few days the 'East' was dropped from the title. In 1914 they moved to the former SPRAGUE National Book building at 4th & Atlantic Avenue. The Gates Avenue branch of the Times was at 1030 Gates Avenue. The 26th Ward Branch, 2799 Atlantic Avenue, & the City Hall Branch at 333 Washington Street. J. & R. AINSLIE, established 1873, mattress factory, 20-22 Broadway in 1879. Sylvestaber TUTTLE, established 1846, coal business, #26 So. 7th Street. He died in 1874. TUTTLE Sons & Co. had in the 1880's 7 coal yards, the oldest was Fulton near Nostrand Avenue, established in the early 1850's. The Wharf & Kindling Wood Factory, Kent. The Busy Bee Restabaurant, #38 Broadway. Henry F. KOCH Cigar Store & Steamship Agency, #48. The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh, inc. April 19, 1864, opened June 11 of that year. The City Hotel, corner of Wythe Avenue kept by Samuel K. HOGGETT in 1852. The Mechanics Bank of Williamsburgh, organized in 1853, as a state bank, starting in 1854, on Grand Street. It was in 1858, reorganized as Manufacturers National Bank and became a branch of the Manufacturers Trust Co. A. P. AVERY Insurance Broker, established 1876, #66 & at one time #136. E. F. GAYLOR, architect, established 1882, #66. LION Manufacturer of Shirts, since 1882, #68. John FELLOWS Tool Manufacturer, #70, the factory on Dunham Pl., established 1864. by Lewis & John FELLOWS. John FELLOWS, became sole owner in 1879. John TEARE, real estabate broker, started 1859, at #74. PENDLETON & PENDLETON Insurance, #76. E. J. STOWELL, established 1870, Sportsman's Depot in 1870 at #86. The L. I. Improved Roofing Co. was established 1838, J. W. ELLIS & Co., the owners in the 1880's. Flushing & Bedford Avenue. WIRTH Brothers, established 1868, jewelry store, #92. George T. BROWN, insurance broker, #96, was one of the organizers of the Kings Co. Wheelmen's Club, & the president for the first 2 years. The Phenix Insurance Co. of Brooklyn, org. 1853, Eastern District office at #98 & later #114. The Williamsburgh Office of the Long Island Railroad, #98. The Bushwick Station at Atlantic & Franklin., & the East New York Station on Atlantic & Vestaba Avenue. The Wells Fargo Co. Express Office was here also. George W. COGER, established his plumber & Gas fitter business in 1858, #104. The American Express Co., #106. The Wescott Express Co., #106 & a branch at 954 Broadway. E. J. HAYDEN & Co. sign makers, #108. Jacob MORCH, jewelry store, Grand Street, in 1858, moving to #110 Broadway in 1880. LINDGREN'S Express Office, #110. John LOUGHRAN'S grocery, south west cor of Bedford, site later occupied by McKEON & TODD'S Clothing Store, who had been in Brooklyn since 1870. #136. The southeast corner of Broadway & Bedford in the 1840's, occupied by a heckling loft of William HENRY'S Ropewalk. It extended from Bedford to a point between Roebling & Havenmeyer Streets, & Broadway to So. 8th Street. In this heckle loft, the First Methodist Protestant Church was organized in 1832. Thomas C. MOORE, erected here in 1855 Washington Hall. MOORE left his property to his brother John. C. MOORE, whose children sold it in 1884, to SMITH GRAY Co. This firm took down the building in 1886 & built their new iron structure upon it's site. Washington Hall was occupied by many differnt business over the time. The upper floor orginally by TRAYNOR'S Dancing Academy. J. S. BERGER, whose real name was J. SCHOENEBERGER kept the Odeon in the early days, later moved to Washington Hall & then to Lee Avenue Academy, the former Baptist Church. THEALL & CARTON'S Comique (variety) Theatre had occupied the 2nd floor until 1878 when it moved to Apollo Hall, the former Odeon. The Kings County Savings Institute occupied one side of the first floor from 1860 to 1865, then this floor was used as a billard & pool parlor. The other side was taken up by the Washington Market. Sons of Temperance at one time held their meetings here. In it's closing years the Broadway Theatre. Next door at #146 was Jim's Inn, kept in 1870 by Jim WITT. Charles LUGER'S Cafe, Billards & Bowling Alley started in 1876 were in the 1880's at old #134. Peter's Tavern is, #178 & kept by Peter LUGER for many years. (Peter LUGER'S is still in business today 2007, and they still has the best steaks in Brooklyn). P. RELYEA'S undertaker, in the 1880's, #142. His estabablishment was at 3 Willet Street, N.Y. When many of his neighbors moved from the East side to Williamsburgh he opened a branch in Williamsburgh in 1877. He had been in charge of the Abraham Lincoln Funeral Proceedings in New York City by the New York Aldermanic Committee. He brought the coffin containing the remains of the President from the Navy Yard by way of Jackson Street ferry to New York. On the way from the Ferry House to the City Hall he set the coffin down in the triangular plot of land formed by the junction of Grand & East Broadway in order to give his neighbors an opportunity to see the President's face once more. The Broadway Club, #146. The City Academy, 1855, Broadway between Roebling & South 8th Streets. A reminder of the olden days may be seen at the northeast corner of Marcy Avenue. One of the flagging stones on the sidewalk directly under the elevated railroad station shows 2 impressions, into which iron rings fitted. This slab was the cover of a fire cistern. How the rings had been fastened cannot be noticed today, because the surface of the stone has been worn down by the millions of steps which have passed over it since the stone was placed as a cover.
BROADWAY...Along the NORTH SIDE
The Farmers & Citizen's Bank of Long Island, chartered June 21, 1852, closed in 1868. William BURGDOFF, BURGDOFF"s Hotel, in the building in 1883. Michael MINDEN was for 40 years in the hotel business, running places on both sides of the river. In the 1880's, Fifth Avenue Hotel & the HOFFMAN House, he then started a cafe on Sixth Avenue before coming to Brooklyn. His estabablishment quickly became a rendezvous of turfmen. When the area around the ferries started to become deserted, he opened a place on Broadway & Myrtle & later The New MINDEN House on Howard Avenue & Monroe St, the site of the old Bushwick Hospital. For awhile he also had a place on Delancey Street near the Williamsburgh Bridge entrance, another on Ocean Parkway & one at Jamaica Avenue & Washington Street known as the Four Corners. Edward NEVILLE kept the Kings Co. Hotel with billard room, reading room, on the northeast corner of Kent, at #1-7 So. 7th Street. It occupied a 3 story building built by the LAKE family. The Great Northwestern Zephyr Association met here. NEVILLE'S livery stable, #15 & 17 on the corner of Dunham Place & #13 Dunham. Carriages & saddle horses could be hired at all hours. NEVILLE died about 1855. Alfred THEALL of the Odeon ran the place in 1858. NEVILLE'S widow, Elizabeth, continued to run the livery. Later Kings Co. Hotel was opened next door, it became known as Broadway Hotel. The Williamsburgh City Fire Insurance Co., chartered, March 23, 1853, on the site of the old NEVILLE'S King Co. Hotel, #13 Broadway. The Hotel WELLINGTON, northwest corner of Dunham, #27. The Williamsburgh Shades was on the northwest corner. Frederick RING, Jr. established a flour business during the Civil War on this site. HOEFT of Peck Slip Hotel was a partner & remained so until his death in 1876. RING was also connected til his death in 1892. Dave WARING'S Restaurant, 1870, #21 So. 7th. James MURPHY'S Cafe, Broadway & Berry closed it's doors when prohibition set in. John L. SULLIVAN often visited this place and on September 7, 1892, when CORBETT took the championship from SULLIVAN there was a sad company assembled under SULLIVAN'S picture in the cafe. TAYLOR & FOX reality, #45. James C. EADIE, auctioneer & real estate broker who started in 1868. #45. C. OLANDT had been in the grocery business in Greenpoint from 1852 until 1880 when he retired. In 1882 he did open a hat store at 61 Broadway. Robert THURSTON, 1843, #77, at the corner of Berry Street. He kept a shoe & boot store in another building. In 1867 he formed the firm of THURSTON & MEESICK, opened a paint store in his own building. After a few months he bought his patners interest & carried on alone for a year. In 1868-69 he took in his two sons, R. H. & N. C. THURSTON as partners. He died in 1877. It then became known as R. THURSTON'S Sons. William MORGAN established real estate & insurance, 1843, his son John B. MORGAN was admitted as partner in 1857. Wm. MORGAN died in 1877. John B. MORGAN'S office was at #85 in the 1880's. In the same building was the men's furnishing goods store of Saul Brothers a quarter century ago. SMITH GRAY & Co., clothing in Williamsburgh, 1859. at #95, the iron fron building a first of it's kind on Broadway, til 1870. Another building in Greenpoint, corner Greenpoint & Manhattan Avenue in 1878. In 1881 they occupied the Lyceum Building corner South 8th Street & Bedford. On the north side of Broadway occupied by SMITH, GRAY & GRAY Co., or SMITH & GRAY, having various tenents; HURD & GRIM, attorneys, were since 1881 at #89, they had been connected with the law firm. FISHER, HURD, & VOLTZ.The Postal Telegraph & Cable Co., had a branch office here a half century ago. Charles A. GRIMM'S Law Offices, in 1889, #99. CREST Mfg. Co., shirts, #1111. Wm. A. RUDOLPH, news dealer, #113. Judge Adolph H. GOETTINGS, #115. He was a captain of the 28th Regiment. John GARCIA, manufacturer of clean Havana cigars, #117. The James GROTON DUNCAN House stood upon an elevation at the northeast corner of Broadway & Bedford. Joe NICHTHAUSER, haberdasher, #141. Anthony STEYRER, steward at the old WALL house, ran Tony's Restaurant at #145, since early 1890's. The insurance of Kelsey SUYDAM & MOLLENHAUER, #147. Reaching the end of olds South 7th. On the other side of the road.. HEISER'S Assembly Room, #156. The Eastern Disttrict Messenger Co., #154 Greenpoint Avenue The BELL Arc Light Co. #174. Brainard G. LATIMER, 1854, carpet store on Grand Street & Driggs, later known as B. G. LATIMER & Sons, northeast corner of Broadway & Driggs & finally Flatbush Avenue in downtown Brooklyn. Next to LATIMER'S, HOWE'S Furniture, Broadway. R. M. HOWE started in 1848, he died 1875. In the 1850's it was 86 South 1st Street. Since 1876, #184 4th Street, now a part of Bedford Avenue. Nathaniel CORR, prints & art, in 1860's, #184. Broadway & #183 So. 8th Street R. L. JONES, Milliner, established 1860's, in the 1880's #190. JACOB Brothers, pianos, #195. Williamsburgh Auto & Storage, #197. John HOERLE'S boot & shoes, #201. Diedrick ALLERS, opened a cafe about 1870,northwest corner Roebling. He moved to the southeast corner of So. 8th & Roebling, and his son ran the business till 1921. The Broadway Hotel, billards & pool room, run by Chuck KUCK in the early 1880's. H. MITTHACK, confectioneer,, started in 1882, #222. Joseph ROSENTHAL, stoves & heaters, #274. The Private Hospital of Dr. Thomas HOLMES, 1855, southeast corner of Broadway & Marcy, known then as #179 So. 6th corner of 8th. In this low frame struture many soliders of the Civil War were embalmed. ANSON'S Brooklyn New York Express Office, #314. Charles FLORENCE, 1856, gardner, Rodney St, aka So. 6th & 9th Street Edward J. O'BRIEN, steam heating, #340. Robert L.ANDERSON & Brothers Real estate office, #342. Singer Sewing Machine Co., #351. M. LINDHORN, established 1873, flour, feed & grain & hay business, 384-6 Broadway corner of Rutledge St, including 332 in 1881. M. OLTMANN became his partner. H. C. LUCKENBACH'S, piano, #386. DODD'S Express & the NY Transfer Co, #390. McELREARY & HANCK, George W. HANCK, was a partner, plumbers supplies, #440. Peter BERTSCH & Son, sign manufacturing plant in 1905, #464 Broadway. He was a captain of Troop D., 11th Brigade National Guard, until the troop was disbanded by Governor CORNELL. The Gayety Theatre, Throop & Middleton, at the Broadway junction was built by HYDE & BEHMAN, opened 1892. In the 1880's the headquarters of the 19th Ward Calvary was GUTMANN'S Cafe. On Throop opposite Zindel Park. The horse stables were at Lorimer & Throop. John KUMMERER, who had a butcher shop, corner of Broadway & Wallabout was the captain of the Cavalry. His son Peter BERTSCH, were his sides. One BUPPEL on Manhattan was a specialist in making the boots for the horsemen. Before Broadway was laid out there was a swamp at what is now Broadway & Lorimer. Lorimer, south of broadway was for many years known as Gwinnett Street. In the 1840's a company of colored people lived in mere shacks. They appear to have been somewhat fanatic in their religious views, but they worshiped in 3 different churches. They changed their homes several times until they had finally settled here. Chick WRIGHT became the leader of the group. He would get them ready early in the morning with their pushcarts for the market. There they bargained with the Long Island farmers, returning late in the day. The corn purchased was boiled in the washboiler. At midnight hot corn was sold on the streets. Many took their stand at the theatre at Union & Montrose. Albert SHINOKE, a restaurant, 549 Broadway. TUTTLE'S coal yard, juntion of McKibben, a man name FRIES was in charge. On the same block was OPPENHEIM'S Book store, second hand books. Zindel Park was improved in 1876, the fountain which had been in open space was moved when the elevated railroad was built on Broadway in 1888. Wallabout Creek crossed Broadway at River Street aka Wallabout Street. A quarter century back, Frank WALKER, auctioneer, #608. B. SACKIN, plumber supplies, #632. G. A. MEYER, wallpaper, #504, established 1869. J. M. REINHART, dry goods 1875, old #526. Adolph WORMAN, seing machines, #652. Daniel SHEER & Co., plumbers supplies, #656. Charles GOMER'S Son's, clothiers, #661. Phillip LEVY, established in New York with his brother in 1865, moved to Williamsburgh in 1875, #566-68 Broadway. I. LOWENTHAL, clothier, 18767, #596. George NAMM, picture frames, #674. 1856, John GARDNER, lived near Whipple Street Aaron WestabHEIM, 1878, dry goods, #687.He retired in 1914. UZMAN & KANNOFSKY, dealers in boots & shoes, #694. ALLGAIER'S shoes, #714. EISENBACH & Co., haberdasher, #716, the weighing machine occupied a part of BATTERMAN'S Dry Goods Store. Henry BATTERMAN was orginally at the junction of Broadway & Manhattan. When he moved his store to the junction of Broadway, Graham & Flushing, his brother William opened a carpet store in the older building. W. E. HEISSLER'S Lunch Room, #758. Peter HOENIGHAUSEN, provisions, #762. F. W.WOOLWORTH & Co., #765 Broadway. Jacob N. HERRLE, established tea & coffee business, 1878, in 1880 at old #624 corner Sumner Avenue Leopold MEYER, jeweler, #772. WHITTELSEY'S Omnibus House, south side of Broadway, east of Sumner, later the ware house of GAUS & MILLER, wholesale grocers. Empire Ribbon Co., #790. Abraham N. RUSSOFF, photographers, #808. Louis STUTZ & Sons, provisions, #809. Broadway was cut through a hill from about Park Avenue to Myrtle and as late as 1870 farms were beyond Myrtle with rail fences along the roadway. At Gates Avenue was a deep depression and in the rainy season water coming from all four directions formed a pond there. CLARK residence stood at or near Belvidere Street. Theobald EUGELHARDT, architect, started in 1875, #905, northeast corner Arion Place. He resided at 277 Hart Street. The former Arion Hall, #13 Arion Place. The Arion Society, founded 1865, in a school house in Williamsburgh, the hall was built in 1887. Henry STEINMEYER, haberdashery, #913. H. H.MICHAELSON, spoting goods store, #914. John H. HEISSENBUTTEL'S Rest., #916. George FORESTER, painters supply store on Broadway in 1870, moving in 1879 across the street to #939. The Hanover House, Broadway at Jefferson Street. In the first quarter of the nineteenth century, Samuel WILLIAMS came from England to Williamsburgh and settled with his family. By trade he was a ship painter and he started a good business along the New York water front and in Wallabout. For a brief period he ran a stage starting at Peck Slip Ferry, only to abandon it after 6 months. What he realized during this endearor was there were a good many people headed for Bowronville and East New York and it might have influenced him in the picking of the spot to established a halfway house, at the present Broadway & Myrtle Avenue corner.He proved to be quite the success. His hotel soon became one of the important resorts. Almost all his neighbors were of good Dutch stock including branches of the DEBEVOISE, SUYDAM, CONSELYEA, VANDERVOORT, RAPELYE families. Samuel M. MEEKER, the DELMONICOS, & William T. MILLS were owners of large estates nearby. MILLS having built the first hotel in San Francisco, known as the Phoenix. He one of a party of 'fouty niners' who left the Franklin Hotel for the gold fields. He returned with a considerable fortune. Samuel WILLIAMS wanted to make a long journey thru England & this prompted him to turn the hotel business over to his successor, Obidiah SMITH, a New York hotel man who became host. When WILLIAMS returned from England he opened a hotel at Rockaway. Returning to Brooklyn, he resided there until his death in May 1891. The Jenny LIND stages used to stop at CONSELYEA'S stage house at the Cross Roads and now the Franklin Hotel also became a stopping place. Tom STEWART succeeded Obe SMITH and he in turn was suceeded by Richard W. LAWRENCE, who was the owner in 1850. When the Myrtle Avenue Plank Road was established to shorten the distance to Jamaica the new road started at Lawrence FRANKLIN'S Hotel. Andrew WEMBLE became the next host about the time the Civil War broke out. Louis H. MEYER came to the Franklin about 1874; at first he had three partners. He and his brother Henry bought out POPE & MULLER'S Interests and ran the place for themselves. Louis finally acquired his brothers share and he continued as host until the end. On the north side was the blacksmith shop, where many a shoe was shod, while the owners were discussing politics and the races in the hotel across the street. CUTLER'S Dry Goods, in early 1890's, corner of Myrtle. John B. WENDELL'S real estate, northeast corner adjoining a feed store, later occupied by BERLIN Department store, which was destroyed by fire, December 24, 1892. Eddie WYNKOPP'S Restaurant, north side just above Myrtle, later as ROBERT'S & finally as SACHS'. John AUER & Sons, builders, #957. Jacob FELS, plasterer, #957. Adolph LEVY Co., Opticians, #966. HOLLER'S Photo. Studio, was a quarter century ago, #984. John J. ADELMAN, & Brothers, real estabate, #1000. R. W. BENNETT & Co., haberdashery, #1011. The Zoellner Maenner Chor was started on November 18, 1890, formed in 1865. On December 17, 1890 the WARNER Institute Building corner Willoughby was purchased and the society moved in, February 28, 1891. This building & P. O. No. 8 were destroyed by fire, March 16, 1892, two lives were lost. Chas. RICHTER was the steward of the hall. He died in 1923. The society then held it's meetings in HEISER'S Assembly Room at 156 Broadway. H. LOEFFLER, established his boot & shoe store about 1860, Broadway, corner Keap Street Herman GERMAIN'S notion store, #1029. In 1905, Charles T. CULTER'S Fry goods, #1061, opposite Reid Avenue Joseph RYAN, paint & wallpaper,, 1877, on Broadway near Lafayette & later moved to #915-17 Broadway. STUDLEY & IBBOTSON, stove & heaters, #1070. T. F. MEYER, signs & awnings, #1111. There were picnic grounds about 1875 along Chestnut Street, now part of DeKalb, north of Broadway. John TRESLOW & D. R. JAMES cut up these grounds into lots. LEMAIRE Brothers Hotel was at #1151. Charles RADER, paper dealer, #1200. Charles MULLER'S Restaurant, #1238, in 1878 it was a general store. The 9th Sub-Precinct Police Station was in 1870, corner of Greene Avenue. Phil. KRING, pianos, #1259. H. GERMAIN'S Notion store, #1275. At Grove St opposite Ralph Avenue was the Loftus WOOD Property. Two homes & some stables. One house, WHITE House, #1329 Broadway (old #1259-61) later the home of John KING O'BERRY, was sold to H. Von GLAHN in May 1911 and was demolished in 1913. Two dwellings with stores were erected in 1913-14. The other house at 16-18 Grove was in later years used as storage by a furniture dealer. In 1924, it was severly damaged by fire. Loftus WOOD had an iron foundry on Kent Avenue and later he was the president of the Franklin Avenue R. R. Co. He located here in 1860. This was the last large residence standing on Broadway. The owners; Loftus WOOD, 1860-1884; Loftus WOOD O'BERRY, 1884-1896; John KING O'BERRY, 1896-1901. The old MOTT Mansion, on Howard Avenue & Monroe, close to roadway had been for years kept as a hotel by a member of the MOTT family, until it became the club house of the CONNOLLY Club. The Bushwick Hospital Society started 1891 & was incorporated on March 7, 1893. The society purchased the plot of land where the MOTT home had stood about 1896 for the sum of less then 15,000 doallars. The hopital occupied the old mansion for 17 years, this was their third hospital. The second one had been the old mansion of 1038 Gates Avenue, where later Kings Co. Republican Club had it's headquarters. The hospital sold the MOTT mansion in 1912. The house was taken down in 1913 and the new MINDEN House was built. The LORREMORE Mansion, 1880 at the corner of Broadway & Quincy Street, it was used as the police station & later the station was transplanted to another old house opposite and still later to Quincy St & Ralph, where it became known as the 154th Precient Station House. WOOD, HARMON & Co. Real estate, #1348. B.BENJAMIN & Co. dry goods, #1359. LEMAIRE Brothers Cafe, #1360. At Linden Street, was a garden of Samuel M. MEEKER running back to Bushwick Parkway. The other half of the block up to Gates Avenue & also extending to Bushwick Parkway, was owned by Augustus LEVERICH & also used as a garden. George C. BENNETT, founder of the Williamsburgh Times, Broadway between Gates & Palmetto about the end of the Civil War. Later it was known as Bushwick Mansion, taken down at the beginning of 1928. George C. BENNETT was born September 24, 1825, in a suburb of London, England. He came to the US in 1836. The HART House, Broadway near Gates. James H. HART, jewelery store on Fulton, located in 1868. He later moved his residence to Gates Avenue side of his plot and the house enlarged and altered, HART'S Hall. East & west of Broadway were lanes leading to homesteads of; SUYDAM, MESEROLE, BLEECKER, SCHAEFFEER families. The 25th Ward House, kept in the early 1870's by Capt. J. R. ANDERSON was at the corner of Gates. Christopher D. MATHEWS, real estate, #1367. John J. STREBEL, sporting goods, #1390. Max FRITSCHE'S, picture & frames store, #1421. H. HEYMANN'S, dry goods, #1443. John H. NOETHIGER'S sporting goods, #1522. E. H. MEINHARDT'S established #1544. Weirfield to Halsey the block was taken up by Thomas Warren FIELD'S vegetable garden & pear orchard. The Magenta Hotel, #1576. Wm. DANGLER'S Milinery, #1679. Broadway storage, #1712. H. A.BAKER & Co. Department store, #1720. Bert S. CLARK, piano, #1752. Martin B. EULER'S, Broadway Park, took up 2 blocks, bounded by Broadway, Chauncey, Bushwick Parkway, & Granite Street This park was formerly an apple orchard. Washington Park adjoined Broadway Park. Some of the old trees are still standing on the lots on the Broadway side. The French Fathers of Mercy, 1871, Broadway near the New Lots line. In 1872, the parish of St. Francis de Sales was organized, becoming the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes. DITMAS jewelers, established 1856, his grain & feed business at the junction of Broadway & Fulton. The short remaining portion of Broadway is located in New Lots, the present 26th Ward of Brooklyn. HOWARD'S Halfway House was the most noted of the road houses & a landmark from the earliest days, playing a part in the Revolutionary War. William HOWARD, it is believed, built the tavern in 1715, enlarged in 1779 & still later it was altered. It was demolished in 1893. The Halfway House stood at the junction of Broadway & Jamaica Avenue on the site of the present Railroad Men's Building. Wm. HOWARD kept the tavern until his death, his son Joseph was the next owner, he died in 1777. Joseph's son William, born in 1762, was living in 1852 on the farm in New Lots. One of his daughters, Catherine, married Phil REID. The latter died September 24, 1893, at the age of 66. He erected the second HOWARD House on Atlantic & Alabama, in the late 1850's. After the HOWARDS, other men had kept the halfway house as teneants. Among them being; Col. Ogden WOODRUFF, Hiram WOODRUFF, Simon HOOGLAND . The old building had been for years neglected, it's outside appearance shabby but inside was well perserved.. The HOWARD estate incluing then a few acres of land & th old tavern, was purchased in 1867 by the Brooklyn City Rail Road Co., W. CAR, the superintendent, lived for some time in the old building. Demolition began on October 16, 1893. During the last years of service as a road house it had become known as the Old Continental Hotel and as the Hunter's Home. At the time of the Revolution a big white oak stood in the middle of the road, a little east of the half way house. Lightning destroyed the tree in later times. Jim FALLIS' Hotel & blacksmith was next to the HOWARD. On the opposiite side was a row of cottages built by Phil REID,that were a delight, but later became dilapidated & were known as Italians Row, they were taken down in 1909. The Augustus IVANS House stood near the HOWARD estate, IVANS was in 1858 authorized to lay a railroad tract along Broadway. The J. P. BLOOMER house, in the 1870's, between Jamaica Plank Road (Fulton Street) & Broadway opposite WILLIAMS place. The old FURMAN House stood in what is now L. Road yard next to BREITKOPT & TROMER Brewery. It stood on a slope & towards the south spread the FURNAM Orchard, aka SPENCER Orchard, SPENCER having married into the FURMAN family. Mrs FURMAN built a second home at Broadway & Norman Place. It was painted yellow, she built a third FURMAN home in the same vicinity which faces Broadway. The first village trustees were Noah WATERBURY, Abraham MESEROLE, Thomas T. MORRELL, LEWIS, SANDFORD & Peter CORNELL. Present Division Avenue was for a time part of the main road. ECKBERT & SMITH ran in 1855 the Division Avenue stage line. When the Broadway "L" structure was built in 1888 a derrick broke while hoisting a girder at Fayette Street. It fell upon a passing Reid Avenue Car & several people were killed. William LAKE a native of Ireland, was the contractor who opened the first streets in the village. Whenever he needed more men he had them sent over from his native isle. To invest their earnings he & his sons built the brick building northeast corner of Kent, known as the Kings Co. Hotel. In the earlier days before the savings banks had proven a sucess, the usual way of investing surplus capital was to build. Contactor MOORE thus erected Washington Hall. The Williamsburgh City Fire Insurance Co. Edmund DRIGGS was the first president. The first board of directors was in the hands of men of the highest standing of their communities, not only of Williamsburgh, but Bushwick & Newton; Edmund DRIGGS John A. CROSS Wm. J. PEASE Nathaniel BRIGGS Thomas TRUSLOW, Jr. Mills P. BAKER Richard BERRY James D. SPARKMAN Nicholas WYCKOFF Rueben WITHERS John K. WOOLSEY Daniel MAUJER John E. FORBES Wm. COOPER Hiram RUSSELL John PENFOLD Jabez WILLIAMS Daniel POWELL Peter COOPER James L. TRUSLOW Charles H. MARSHALL William MARSHALL John J. Van ALST Henry S. LEVERICH Aaron C. UNDERHILL James. M. WATERBURY William WALL David PROVOST Abraham VANDERVOORT John E. DAVIDSON The flour mill at the corner of Dunham was built in 1869 by TONJES, HOEFT & Co. After HOEFT he died in 1878, the firm became, TONJES, MOLLER & Co. The GRETSCH building, south side Broadway was built in 1915. Gothic Hall, west corner Berry St, kept by H. B.GEE, suceeded by Wm. HATHORN, was a great resort for horsemen. McGAREY'S Ironworks, north side of Broadway between Berry & Bedford. The Masons met in the original SMITH & GRAY Building on the north side of the street west of Bedford. The Eckford Club, #95., org. 1865 as the Eckford Baseball Club of Williamsburgh. W. HENRY'S ropewalk long blocked improvements in this vicinity, but it gave a lot of work to the unemployed. The Theartre Comique was here. THEALL & CARTON, James E. CARTON being the comedian was the manager first, later Jake BERGER, aka, Jake BERRY, was the manager. He had wagons loaded with 'Dr. Brown's' a soft drink & he would run them back & forth. Half the floor was a bank the other half a market, Washington Market. This was quite famous in it's time, at which the housewives were wont to get their daily & weekly supplies. The basement was divided into stalls and was occupied by a number of small tradesmen, like our Farmers Market of Flea Market of today. Among them were; Henry ENGELKER, Charles REESE, tailor, these two being life long tenents, Tom BROWN'S billard parlour. After the maket closed the stalls became offices; Atlantic & Pacific Telegraph Co., HUSTED'S Express & under the stoop leading to the theatre was BEARDSLEY'S Restaurant. When the bank moved; WALTER'S billard parlour was established. SUMNER & DOLAN'S real estabate. AVERY & PENDLETON, fire insurance., RIDDEN & THOMAS, real estate. BURROUGHS, the hatter. On the Bedford Avenue side, MEYER'S Candy store, next to it a drug store. Then a man named HUSTED rented the basement floor for a shooting Gallery of which the leading business men frequented. The tenants had to go for water over to the pump where later the Empire Theatre was built. When the theatre lease expired it was leased to Jake BERGER. It seems that THEALL & CARTON'S & Jake BERGER exchanged theatres, maybe not friendly, but they exchanged. When BERGER left to open the Lee Avenue Academy, the Theatre Comique became GRAY'S Theatre. HOOLEY, before the days of HOOLEY'S opera House was an end man in the minstrel show. Johhny THOMPSON, his famous play, On Hand, was a prime favorite. J. J.McCLUSKEY, who wrote "Across the Continent" among others, & Gus WILLIAMS were among the actors who played here. Dr. BARKER'S drug store, old #145 So. 7th Street Broom-Corn SMITH lived in a detached house on the northeast corner of Broadway & Driggs. LATIMER'S Carpet store. Wm. HOWE'S furniture & carpet. JACOB Brothers, piano store occupied the building that was erected after the house was demolished. Andrew HARMAN, butcher, Broadway & Bedford, residing on Roebling Street His sons drove the meat wagons to the stores, who at one time were allowed to sell liquor as well. His stables were about where the Post Office is now. The BURCHAM Bros. were carpenters & builders. Dr. HOLMES Hospital, south side of the street near Marcy, his farm house was on Marcy & Division, with an old barn, shay, oxcart, cow, chickens, pigeons, a big monkey and a dog with three legs. When the dog died the doctor embalmed the animal and put it in a glass case which stood for many years outside his drug store near Marcy. Dr. Thomas HOLMES was one of the first men to embalm bodies of officers & soldiers of the Civil War. Harvey G. LAW'S mat factory, Broadway opposite the original Hewes Street The thoroughfare known as Broadway was constructed in 1850 across salt meadows or swamp, an old wagon road. The stretch from Division to Flushing Aves. was in 1840 sparsely built on and the tide passed thru it from Wallabout Creek to Newton Creek, creating a canal. However houses were construted on the side of the creek & the people would throw garbage & ashes into the water partly filling up the creek. The Board of Health ordered the City to fill in the creek in order to abolish this nuisance. In 1855 the new road was graded and paved. Obadiah HARNED, cigar maker, in the 1860's, 91 So. 1st Street. Before the Civil War, cigar makers made the cigars they sold from their homes. War brought taxes, which the enabled government to secure the tax by licensing certain cigar shops, each one was given a number & the revenue stamps were sold to these shops only & the shop keeper had to give an account of raw material used & all the cigars sold. From this the individual cigar makers had to give up making them from their homes and had to do their work in a licensed place. The first shops were started in the Bowery in New York City in the early 1880's, practically all cigars were from Stanton Street. The HARNED Brothers firm became well known a landmark, #18 Broadway. ROCKFELLER Bros., painters, #22. The GENESSEE Mills, #10 So. 7th were in 1865 known as the Williamsburgh Flour Mills. James RODWELL, builder, in 1865, his office was #21, So. 7th, 20 years later, #45 Broadway. He was born in England in 1823, and came to the United States, New York, with his parents in 1831, three years later to Williamsburgh. He was a member of the Christ Church, Protestant Episcopal. He built: the church of St. Vincent de Paul on No. 6th Street, Street John's College St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church on Maujer Street, the Universalist Church (All Souls), So. 9th near Bedford, the building of the Williamsburgh Gas Light Co on Bedford & So. 2nd, and the 47th Regiment Armory at Marcy Avenue & Lynch. T. E. WALLACE, carpenter, 1873 established men's furnishing goods store, #61 Broadway. In 1876 he enlarged a nd occupied #55, then #53, & #104 Second Street Wm. KAMPFMUELLER, bird & fish store in Brooklyn in 1869 on Broadway between Berry & Bedford. Later #71. He had several gold fish ponds on Long Island. #73, gents furnishing goods, A.W. DeGRAW. Robert THURSTON, paper hanger, in the 1860's, #57 So. 2nd Street In the 1880's R. THURSTON'S Son, was, #77. Elijah B. BUNDICK, tailor, in 1860's, #76. WIRTH Bros., jewelers, #96. George W. COGER, came to Williamsburgh, 1859, #11 So.7th. Edward CARLEY, plumber, #104. August JAHN, established florist, #108. Later Nostrand Avenue Jacob MORCH, jeweler, in the 1860's, 180 Grand St, 20 yrs. later, #110 Broadway. Edwin GATESON, plumber, in the 1860's, #38 So.7th. 1880's, #127 Broadway. Charles WEBER, photographer, #130. Annie F. LAWRENCE, costumes, in the 1880's, #164. W.C. CARRICK, dealer in painter supplies, corner Hewes Street Wm. H. WILKEYSON, painter living at 166 So. 6th, in the 1860's. He established his business in 1858, his store was in the 1880's, #277 Broadway. James S. SCHNEIDER, sign painter, established #571, in the 1880's. A. PFAENDLER, #683, musical instruments manufacturer E.E. BUNCE'S, flour & feed, #825. Theobald ENGELHARDT, architect, #14 Fayette St, later his house was built on corner Broadway & Wall St, now called Arion Place. James H. HART, jewelery, in 1860's, #241 Fulton, resided in 1865 #19 Greene Avenue In the 1880's his store moved to #313 Fulton. F. SPROWER'S Brush factory, 1979, #18 Broadway. C. KRICK came to the U. S. in 1849, settled in Williamsburgh. In 1867 started a nursery on Broadway #1097 to 1107, covering 2 acres, 12 hot houses. Henry KLEEMEYER came to the US in 1867, and to Brooklyn in 1868. Grocery, hay, straw & feed since 1878, #1236-38 Broadway near Hancock Street Judge Adolph H. GOETTING, born 1847 Germany, came to the US in 1852 with his parents, settled in the 16th Ward in Williamsburgh. His law office, #115 Broadway. MILLER'S Hotel, in 1895, #17. Samuel T. MADDOX, born at Williamsburgh in 1853 opened his law office at #77 in 1877. John TEORE, a native of London, came to Brooklyn about 1845. In 1859, real estate at #74 Broadway, where he still was in the 1880's. J. W. SMITH, southwest corner Broadway & Hooper St., harness & saddlery in 1872. H. A. BAKER & Co., department store, Broadway & Cooper, a fire on June 10, 1905. Later BURDEN & Co. Peter BURDEN formerly of Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint, had their department store here & that burnt down February 11, 1911. The numbering of houses along Broadway were revised in the 1880's, changing location of stores & new ones added. The following were known in 1890. #5-9, MINDEN House #12, Peck Slip Hotel #15, Broadway Hotel #16, Louis G. MERTZ Cafe #17, Henry STAMPER, Cigar Manufacturer #18, OSTERMAN'S Hotel #19, Kings Co. Hotel #22, Jacob WOLFSON, Cigar Manufacturer #23, George SEIDENZAHL, Cigar Manufactory, established; 1863 #31-35 Kings Co. Milling Co. #39, Samuel HIMMELREICH, Gents Furnishings, branch at 295 Broadway #45, James RODWELL MASON & TAYLOR & FOX, Real estate Office #48 Henry F. KOCH, Ticket Agent & Cigar Store #49, John E. HIGGS, Umbrellas #53-59, Thos. E. WALLACE & Brother, Gent Furnishings #54, City Hotel #60, Stephen G. BURROUGHS, mason #66, John L. REBHAM, Printer H. DEMAS STRONG LAWYER & LUMAS, WILLIAMSON & Co., Neckware Manufacturer #, 73-75, George F. LEYH, optician & Trussmaker #, 74, Thos. GIBBONS, mason & John S. COLLINS, spring Bed Manufacturer #77, Wm. KAMPFMUELLER, sporting goods #87, Wm. YOUNG, & Co., hatters #82, Archibald N. McBEAN, lumber, branch at 95 Gwinnett Street #83, Edward M. HOLT, rubber goods #85, John B. MORGAN, real estabate #92, Henry C. RENNER, printer #100, John M. PETERSEN, optician #101 Nassau Trust #102, PARKS Bros, paper makers & James DELANEY, printer & HEIM Bros., printers #103, German Amer. Real estabate Title Guarentee Co. #104, WORTH Bros, jewelers #108, PARR & PLOUGH, photographers #111, Office of Brooklyn Courier, Arthur C. HUENE & Bros. printin Sjop #113, RICHARDSON Bros., Photographers #126, Frederick WUNDER, millwright #128, August JAHN, florist #130, Jacob MORCH. jeweler #150, Charles GERLACH, photgrapher #153, Joshua STEVENSON, photographer #160, Peter RELYEA, undertaker, Alanson F. BRIGGS, photographer #185, Brainard G. LATIMER & Sons, carpets #192, Ed. M. WILLIAMS Sewing Machine #193, R.M.HOWE'S Son, furniture #195, JACOB Bros.,pianos #201, Henry JARVIS, shirtmaker #220, Martin J. GLYNN, dealer in Tea, branch at #1794 Fulton Street #225, Jacob HARMAN, provisions #243, Augustus E. LAWRENCE, costumer omn corner So. 8th St, Louis HERBERT & Co., window shades #250, Matthew MACNAIR, toys #290, M.M. DUGAN, health food #307, John WEIDENROTH, photographer #308, Samuel STUART, stoves #320 DOLAN Smelting Co.corn. Rodney Street, D.G. YUENGLING, Jr. Brewery Depot. #348, estabher SMITH, umbrellas #369, eorge BECK, baby carriages #384, LIVINGSTON & WENZEL, druggists #392, Matthew SMITH, mason #431,Augustus H. VOEGE & Co., novelties & yarns #433 Solomon SINSHEINER, waistbands, SCHWAB & RIERL, surgical instruments. On Aug. 5, 1896 a fire causing 50,000 doallars in damage, another fire Feb. 10, 1909 destroyed the building at 433 with a loss of 150,000 dollars. #464-476, Peter BERTSCH, Coach & sign painter #474, Frank W. BENNER, musical instruments.Cor. of Johnson Avenue, VOLLKOMMER & Co., hay & straw. #510, John B. SCMITZ, metal worker. Cor Boerum Street, Fred W. VOLLMEYER, teacher of Languages #551, RUCHL & Son, printers #575, Samuel OPPENHEIM, 2nd hand bks dealer #696, Frank J. LANG, & Sons, trussmaker #629, Frank J. BUCHWALTER, hatter #634, Emil PFRETZCHNER, provisions #638, The nat'l Game & Toy Co., George A. MEYER, novelties #653, Wm. GOEHRINGER, furniture #674, Robert PALMER, novelities #679, F. WETHERALL, photographer #681-83, Fred. WEISBROD, butcher was here since about 1862. #690, Albert WEINER, hatter #691, Phillip HERRSCHAFT, hatter #708, Phillip LEVY, clothier #709, Jacob WOLF, photographer #714, Blasius ALLGAIER, shoes #716, EISENBACH & Co., gents furnishings, branch at #620 Broadway. #722, Herman SCHEIDT, baker #738, STULTZ & BAUER, pianos #740, Jos. WestabHEIMER, gents furnishings #749, Henry BATTERMAN, dry goods #756, KANNOFSKY & ZIMMERMAN, milliners #760, George KEIM, milliner #762, Peter HOENIGHAUSEN, provisions #763, Frank MAYER & Co., Clothiers #767, Bernard MINTZ, pawn broker & Jacob N. HERRLE, dealer in tea #772, Michael METSCHLER, tea dealer #773, M. PFAENDLER, notions #776, FINK Bros., bakers #785, Jos. LINK, sporting goods #796, GAUS & MILLER, wholesale grocers #807, Richard DOMARATIUS, wood & willow ware #809, Louis STUTZ, provisions #810, Isaac ROSTOVSKY, watchmaker #822, John J. WANZEL, confectioner #829, Samuel A. WEBER, dancing teacher #836, J.M. GRUBE, trussmaker #838, John A. SCHWARZ, furniture #839, C. TRAUM, furniture #842, Chas. FREDERICKS, photographer #850, E.F. WAGNER, photographer #851, Henry SCHNEIDER, provisions #857, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. #867, Frank NAEHER, stoves #877, August SEVERIN, druggist #878, MUELLER & HARTMANN, watchmakers #887, WALTER & HUNTERBURG, tea dealers #889, HAECKER & KUECK, hatters, branch at 198 Grand Street #908, Peter TROMBETTA, photographer #931, Richard HEINE, trunk Manufacturer #933, Bernard FABER, paper dealer #937, Christoph DOHNE Cafe #950, Chas. CUTTER, dry goods #969, Chas. ROESSLE, printer #983, JACOB & Sons, It was destroyed by fire, January 28,1891. #984, Wm.NAUMANN, musical instruments & Henry HALLER, photographer #995, George WERST, blacksmith #1010, Fred. G. MILLIGAN, sewing machines #1021, Henry WILSON, stationeer #1025, Bernard M. MASUR, gents furnishings #1034, Brooklyn Tea Co. & T. T. DONOVAN, printer #1077, FALK Bros., photographers #1081, Anton EATON, provisions #1107, Daniel SCOTT, stoves #1111, Henry MARTENS, livery stables #1135, I. H. NEILL, tea dealer #1189, Andrew E. LAW, tea dealer #1257, Anton BETZ, taxidermist #1281, Henry L. EISNER, provisions #1207, Wm. H. KRICK, florist #1309, Wm. H. BLAKELY, stoves #1373, S.G. RICHARDS, stoves #1381, Jos. B. HUGHES, tea dealer #1414, Rudolph L. SCHARF, lawyer #1453, Max FRITSCHE, frame maker #1457, James CONDRON, horse shoer #1489, W. AGRICOLA, real estabate agent #1593, HYDE & GLOAD, manufacturer of slate mantels.
BROOKLYN AVENUE
Bedford Park contained 4 acres of the SPAINER-ADAMS estate. The residence on the gorund near Brooklyn Avenue side became the children's museum. The Brooklyn Institute of Arts & Sciences took formal possession of the estate on May, 10, 1893. The park bounded by Brooklyn Avenue, Propect Pl., Kinston Avenue, & Park Pl. S. A. SPENCER'S Express Office, #37 1/2.
BROOME STREET
The "Old Homestead" on Broome near Humboldt was a landmark known in the days of the Civil War.
BUSHWICK PARKWAY
Upper Bushwick Avenue was opened from Beaver Street to New Lots town line in 1860. The avenue was straightened by Acts of Legislature 1850-1865. F. F. WILLIAMS Battery & Club House was near Metropolitan Avenue. J. G. PAUL & Co., packing concern, #29. Martin KALBFLEISCH, about. 1862, residence, #64 between Grand & Powers. He was born in Vlissingen, Holland in 1804 and died in 1872. He was Mayor of the City of Brooklyn, 1861-63 & again in 1868-71. His residence was bought in 1916 from the FLEET family, who were then the owners, by St. Catherine's Hospital and is now the Nurse's Home of that Institution. Wm. F. SEITS, harness maker, #108. In the days of the Dutch there was a settlement of farm houses at the Cross Roads, (het kruispadt in Dutch.), They had a tavern, a story frame structure still standing in the 1890's, on the northwestab corner and facing Flushing Avenue and they had a blacksmith. During the Revolutionary War the Tavern was known as RAPELYE'S Tavern, and a favorite meeting place of torries, cowboys, and the hangers-on of the British Army. The smithy on the southwest corner was the property of Alexander WHALEY, a staunch patriot and personal friend of WASHINGTON. The Smithy site later was occupied by WUNDER'S livery stable, now a movie theatre. The Cross Roads Settlement extended over to Johnson Avenue on one the side & Melrose Street on the other. Gradually all the strutures have disappeared. Dr. Carl F.E. RITTER, #136, practiced medicine also kept a drug store. The THURSBY Mansion stood on a hill between Ten Eyck & Maujer and was reached by a long wooden stoop. The house was surrounded by a high wooden fence, the grounds having peach, pear and apple trees. The Most Holy Trinity R.C. Church bought the property in 1869 for $20,000. The residence was remodeled and occupied by St. Catherine's Hospital. The Hospital was organized in 1870, by the St. Dominican Sisters and remained in use until 1876. The cornerstone of the new building was laid, August 9th, 1874, dedicated, August 10, 1876, an addition was added 1878. A branch at Amityville, Long Island in 1872, the hospital was incorporated, April 22, 1893. THURSBY'S Ropewalk was in exsistance, 1861. R. C. THURSBY ran stages 80 years ago between Williamsburgh & Bushwick. An old shed was on Johnson neear Bushwick Avenue, a national battery used it to store their guns & cannon, there was an armory in the vicinity. Old man SCHINDLER kept a cafe here. KRAEMER'S Lumber yard stretched from Stagg to Ten Eyck. On this tract later was erected the 32nd Regiment N.G. Armory, the northwest corner of Stagg Street. Wm. A. MUNDELL was the architect, and Bernard GALLAGHER the contractor. The 28th Regiment also had it's quarters here, & the battery that used the shed to hide it's cannon. The 52nd Regiment had been disbanded & the 32nd Battalion, which later became the 32nd Regiment took it's place. The Stagg Athletic Club , organized. Aprill 11, 1893, leased the former armory, from the Board of Supervisors. The old armory is now used for school purposes & occupied by P.S. 117, the drill floor serving as the playground. Friendship Engine Co. No. 12, had it's quarters in 1855 on what was then Morrell Street, now part of Bushwick Parkway, near Stagg Street The 6th Precinct Police Station, occupied the brick building on the south east corner of Manhattan & Ten Eyck, until 1860. The precinct embraced the 16th Ward of Dutchtown, including the Swamp, & Picklesville., later it became the 102nd & then 163rd Precinct. Francis S. HAAS, iron foundry, Scholes & Meserole Streets, across the way was ABBOTT & KATZ'S Brewery & FALKENMEYER'S Bowling Alley. Dr. H. LOWERSTEIN, early 1880's at the corner of Meserole & had been living in the immediate vicinity since 1858. The Eastern Brewery, corner of Meserole. A picnic Park was attached to FREIS Brewery at the corner of Meserole, and at one time SCHMAGEL'S Summer Garden also at the corner. The DIPPLE Farm was at Scholes Street, a big pear tree stood on a hill about 50 ft. above the level of the street. The tree was struck by lightning while DIPPLE was standing under it. The bolt struck the back of his boot ripping it down to it's sole. He escaped without bodily injury. The match factory on Bushwick Place between Meserole & Montrose was destroyed by fire. David LINDSAY, had become a trustee of the City of Williamsburgh & for many years supervisor of the 16th Ward. His sons, George H. LINDSAY entered the employ of his maternal grandfather, Henry LAWRENCE, of H. LAWRENCE & Sons Ropewalk, was Inspector of Customs for several years. In 1886 he was elected Coroner of Kings Co. and re-elected in 1889. Lawyer John BECK, was the Democratic Leader of Dutchtown or the 16th Ward and when he died George H. LINSAY succeeded him. Although LINDSAY was not of German birth he was just as popular as BECK was. Francis BECK, Citation Clerk in Surrogates Court, lived at #149 Stagg Street. In the early 1880's he was president of the German Democratic Citizen's Association of the 16th Ward. At Montrose Avenue, stood a little 2 story house about 4 feet wide, just about big enough for a bedstead, it was the home of MEUSSELL family. Otto HUBER'S Brewery extended from Bushwick Place to Waterbury & Meserole to Montrose, established 1866 & it is known as #1 Bushwick Place. The Long Island Expres Co. had an office at Montrose Avenue. The Williamsburgh Express, #98 Broadway. East New York Express, Atlantic & Vesta Avenues. The car barn of the one horse car line between Montrose & Johnson, the fare 3 cents or 2 tickets for 5 cents. Later the buildings tenents; LEVY'S Hay & Feed. At Johnson Avenue, BUNN'S Chemical Works. Atlantic Hotel at McKibben Street was kept by James DOWNEY. JACOB Bros., piano manufacturer in the 1880's, #55. Henry Edward ROEHR, publisher of the Brooklyner Freie Presse, for many years had been authorized in the summer of 1868 to raise a battalion of Infantry, of 4 companies, for the Eastern District in the Eleventh brigade, which was commended by General Jerimah V. MESEROLE. In 1868 that battalion was mustered into the State service, designed as the Battalion of Infantry 32nd Regiment, with 6 companies. RIEHR was elected Major & rose to the position of Lieutenant Colonel. When the regimental organization was completed he was elected Colonel & retained command until November 1876 when he resigned his commission. Warren G. ABBOTT, brewer, #234. Wm. WALL worked for TOOKER & COOPER in their ropewalk. In 1830 he purchased from one of the old ropemakers a ropewalk on Washington Street, Brooklyn & began business in a very small way. He then purchased land on Bushwick, between Siegel & McKibben, running almost 2,000 ft, where he then moved his earlier business to in 1836. It was known as WALL & RICHARDSON'S Ropewalk in 1838 & WALL'S Ropewalk as late as 1861. Beyond the plant were swamps & bushes. Negro Alley was located on Siegel & Bushwick & around the corner from the ropewalk.The ropes in the earlier times were made by hand, the strands being strung & twisted by a wheel & spindle, a stout man, usually a negro, was the spinner. He had a mass of heckled hemp girted around his waist and walked backward as he formed the strand, which was twisted by the wheel, the strands when spun, were reeled and then by another larger wheel twisted into a rope of whatever thickness was required. Some of the rope was drawn thru heated tar which made it very durable. Later horse or dog power was used. WALL later installed machines called "Spinning Jenny". His plant eventually covered 10 acres of ground. A negro family the MILTON'S, father, mother & 3 daughters, lived in a small house in BENSON'S Woods, which were on Siegel opposite the ropewalk. Also CUNNINGHAM'S Corner. James DOYLE had a grocery and bar room in CUNNINGHAM'S. William WALL retired from active business in 1856,leaving the busines to his sons Charles, Michael W., & Frank T. He lived at old #134 So. 9th St, his son Michael lived with him until 1865. Henry LAWRENCE'S Ropewalk was at Bushwick Parkway & McKibben. The Manhattan Leather Works & Williamsburgh Flint Glass later occupied portions of the ropewalk. A boiler exploded on Aug. 16, 1866. The engineer, BOYLE was killed. Atlantic Hose Co. No. 2, was between McKibben & Siegel. The second largest school in the borough was opened on March 19, 1906. Sam COLLIER, prize fighter had a bar room at Siegel Street. Rosy McKAY had a bar on Varet Street earlier. There was a toll gate at Flushing Avenue Patrick ROGERS' Hall was there. HOOLEY'S minstrels would perform every winter for 1 or 2 nights. Charley the barber was also here, there wasn't a dentist so Charley would pull a tooth at a reasonable charge of 6 cents. John WILFERT & Co., steamfitter supplies, #490. Malt Diatase Co., #491. H. CLAUS Brewing Co., #493. SINGERS Orchard, Bushwick Parkwaky, Flushing Avenue, Beaver Street & Arion Pl. The Boulvard Brewery, Noll Street, DANENBERG & COLE, owners in the 1880's. Adjoining this was Boulevard Garden kept by Peter REITZNER, It was a place for family gatherings, singing & dancing. Tyrolese Yodlers performed.WESTON & O'LEARY were matched here in a six day walking contest, every mile walked by the contestants was reported to the public outside the garden by firing a large cannon. An Episcopal Chapel , 1855, Stanwix Street between Noll & Melrose. The school at the Crossroads had it's origin prior to the Revolution when the Dutch language was used in the school until 1880., a new building in 1815, was used until 1847. A 2 story frame building was erected upon the high ground on what is now Stanwix & Noll, because of it's location the school was called Hill School. When it became too small a brick building on the southwestab corner Arion Place & Beaver St was built, 1873-74. The official name of the Hill School was the 2nd District School of Bushwick and after consolidation, 1855, P.S. No. 24. H. D. BERNER & WINTERBAUER Co., pumps, #563, Bushwick Avenue Brooklyn Paper Co., #603. St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran German Church, organized in 1868, erected in 1869 on Evergreen Avenue, at the head of Jefferson, at #115. In 1892 it became the estabablishment of an undertaker business. A brick church was built with a school on the southeast corner Bushwick Parkway, & Jefferson which was completed in 1891 and dedicated the following year. P. TOTAN'S Garden & Hotel, northeast corner Bushwick Parkway & Myrtle Plank Road. was a meeting place for politicians & clubs. Jacobus DeBEVOISEHouse, stood at the junction of Bushwick Parkway, Myrtle Avenue & Ditmars Street. In 1885 it was the home of Surveyor, John L. NOSTRAND, it was taken down about 1910. #670, on the southwest corner of Willoughby Avenue was the home of Wm. ULMER, the brewer and later of Dr. Frederick A. COOK. On the southeast corner was the residence of Mrs. Catherine LIPSIUS,widow of the brewer, Claus LIPSIOUS, Theobold ENGELHARDT was the architect. Thos. DODWORTH, south side of Bushwick Parkway, between Lawton & Dodworth Streets. E. Gaston HIGGENBOTHAM, #691. Conrad HASENFLUG, #695. The Methodist Protestabant Elm Street Mission,in 1870, Hart Street near Broadway. The Bushwick Democratic Club, incorporated in October of 1890, built in 1891, it's club house on the corner of Hart #719. In the 1890's frame buildings from Cedar Street to DeKalb on the northside, on the southside a row of three story flats. On the northwest corner DeKalb was the home and grounds of E. S. HOWARD, HOWARD Wire Works, started about 1858, when the block was opened. Home of the Aged Of The Little Sisters of the Poor, the northside of the block between DeKalb & Kosciusko, occupied the grounds & extensive buildings. The main building had been the farm house of Adries STOCKHOLM, whose farm extended along the old Bushwick Road, nearly up to Himrod Street. The house was in 1867 the temporary quarters of the Inebriates Home of Kings Co., inc that same year. This home was moved to Fort Hamilton. The Little Sisters of the Poor of the order of Street Augustine came in 1868 from France to Brooklyn & had their first home at #606 DeKalb Street Abt 1870 they bought the STOCKHOLM farm house with 24 lots of land for the sum of $60,000. The brick buildings of the home were erected under PARFITT Bros., architects. Many lives were lost when part of the house was destroyed by fire on March 5, 1875. 1852, Richard LEWIS built his house on the southside of the parkway, between DeKalb & Kosciusko near the center of the block. Later it became the home of Mdm. DEMOREST. Ch. H. REYNOLDS, the coal man, had established his business in 1860, his yards at Morgan, Meserole, & Scholes Streets, & at #875 to 93 #876 to 84 Grand. He bought it moved the house to the Bushwick end of the block, remodeled it & made it his home., #810. It took half the block. It was sold in 1921, the site to be used by the Bikur Cholim Hospital. The other half was occupied by The HALL & REMSEN Molding Mill, which was often on fire. P. S. No. 74 now on the site where the mill was. The CARNEGIE Library Branch, opened in 1905, at the DeKalb Avenue corner. Calvary Free Church, org., January 23, 1849, located at the corner of No. 1st, near Driggs. In 1869, a frame church was erected by the congregation upon a little hill on the southside of Bushwick Parkway. between Kosciusko Street & Kossuth Place, which was known as St. Barnabas Protestabant Episcopal Church. In 1892 the frame church was moved to a new site near Grove, later destabroyed by fire. A brick church erected here opposite Menahan Street, is known as the Calvary Protestant Episcopal Church. The south side of the parkway between Kossuth Place & Lafayette was the property of Abraham DeBOISE, Seventy years ago and later James DeBOISE, popularly known as Uncle Jimmy was the owner. His house was a one story and basement house with a high pitched roof, dormer windows and a porch along the entire front. The lower part was brick, the upper front and the ends of the house were covered in shingles. The house has been remodeled into a double house. James DeBEVOISE later built a larger and more pretentious brick house on the other end of the block at Lafayette, a 2 story and a basement. This has also been divided for 2 families. The lawyer W. J. DORAN lived in one half about years ago. South Bushwick Reformed Dutch Church, aka, Second Reformed Church of Bushwick and as White Church, was organized in 1851, by twenty of the neighboring farmers. The church was erected 1852-53 on the southwest corner of Himrod Street, upon 6 lots of land presented by Andries & Abraham STOCKHOLM. The centre of the church marks the dividing line between the two farms. Inside the original structure the line was marked by a row of iron columns running down on either side of the main body of the church. The Sunday School was added in 1881 and the wings to the main building in 1883. The Rev. John HIMROD was the first minister, the Rev. George DURYEA HULST, was in charge from 1869 until the time of his death in 1900, a tablet was installed in his memory. John POPE house, made of yellow bricks in 1904, #871. It is now a Jewish Home for the Aged. The Abraham STOCKHOLM farmhouse erected about 1840, #889 near Harman Street. Peter KINSEY married a daughter of the STOCKHOLM family, the house remodeled for his residence near the end of the Civil War. KINSEY was connected with the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. He resided here until 1915, the house was torn down two years later. There were two other detatched houses on this block. The STOCKHOLM farm was sold about 1884 to William SCOTTof New York City at $225.00 per 100ft. On the VanBuren Street end stood the home of Silas TUTTLE, which 40 years ago was occupied by John P. WIERCK. The other half of the block up to Greene Avenue was the residence of Mrs B. A. JURGENS. Judge Abraham H. DAILEY, moved about 1879 from Williamsburgh to Bushwick Parkway near Greene Avenue. The house of John F. HYLAN, Mayor of New York City from 1918 to 1925 was at #959. The Bushwick Avenue Presbyterian Church, on the southeast corner of Menahan Street, erected in 1905., organized in 1868, the congregation worshipped for a time in the Throop Avenue Mission. About 1872 a brick church was erected on Hopkins Street between Throop & Sumner under Rev. John N. MEURY, who remained until his death in 1888. The church united with the Friedenskirche on Willoughby and they combined the two names, known now as Presbyterian Church of Peace. The farm of Stephen SCHENCK, northside from Greene to Menahan, extending north to Knickerbocker. East of Menahan was a picnic grove, very popular in the 1850's & 60's, the next street was named for this spot. Grove Street. Grammar School No. 26, erected in 1856, was the first school in this section o the City of Brooklyn, located on Menahan Street. This street was then known as Ralph Street and was only a block long at the time, it being the bend in the Old Bushwick Road. The school later moved to Gates near Ralph Avenue. Upper Bushwick Avenue was laid out about 1865 was opened in 1870 east of Menahan Street. This was originally called Evergreen Avenue because it led to Cemetery of the Evergreens. The present Evergreen Avenue had always been a part of Old Bushwick Road, modernized to Bushwick Avenue north and east of the Parkway between Menahan & Madison Streets, was in 1852 the farm of Watson BOWRON, who laid out his land on Bushwick Parkway & Evergreen Avenue in building lots, calling it Bowronville. This name later often applied to all the land east of the Crossroads. Watson BOWRON was born in New Castle, Westchester County, N. Y., on January 5, 1807. He settled in Bushwick in 1842 on a farm adjoining the land of Adrian M. SUYDAM. In 1852 he bought another farm in Flushing. In 1871 he moved to #257 Tompkins Avenue Brooklyn where he died on July 13, 1876. In the early days he ran a dairy business on his Bushwick farm, It is said that he borrowed $1,000 from friends and bought 40 acres of land for which he promised to pay $40,000. He sold out when he had made $70,000 on his investment of $1,000. There was a time when the old Bushwick road was known as New Bushwick Lane. When the Indians sold their lands along the river to the white man they reservered the land on either side of the Green Hills as hunting grounds. The Green Hills are the ridge which runs all through the island. Eastern Parkway of today follows the line & Cypress Hills & Cemetery of the Evergreens are located upon them. between the Cross Roads and these Green Hills lay a tract of grass and meadows and woodlands, part of the hunting grounds. The Cross Roads Settlement was made along the boundary of this early reservation, just as in the west, starting out as trading posts . After the second Indian War, the Indians having left this section to fight in the war, the white men were busy dividing the lands and several parcels were granted to nearby towns for pasture land. The Town Of Flatbush received a section which became known as The New Lotts of Flatbush, which in 1852, became the seperate town of New Lotts. Each of the 6 towns of Kings County came thus into possession of a tract known as The New Lotts of each town. The New Lotts of Bushwick was quite handy to the town, meadows & woodland on one tract. The Indian trail which led from the original town of Bushwick starting at Cross Roads became now a road known as New Bushwick Lane. The soil of New Lotts was mainly coarse sand and gravel, and the numerous boulders found among it greatly interfered with ploughing the ground. It was adapted to grow potato or cabbage, however the entire tract was culivated as market gardens. As late as 1883 there was an open country east of Flushing Avenue, with farm houses, with a few residents who wanted to live in the open and the cottages of laborers. There were the farms of Jacob SUYDAM, Wm. COVERT, Sarah DURYEA, Wm. Van VOORHEES, Hannah COOPER, Job NOSTRAND, Francis DUBOISE Samuel M. MEEKER. The farms were surveyed and mapped in 1852 and a number of Germans formed a building society known as the New York Building & Savings Assoc. Some of the members acquired lots along Central Avenue, for which they paid as high as $250.00 a peice, in some cases they erected cottages. However there was no sign of a boom beyond Broadway & Flushing Avenue when the Brooklyn Bridge was opened. Two years later though Lexington Avenue Elevated Rail Road began to run and then the price of lots began to rise. On May 13, 1885 the first trains began a building boom began, frame houses were erected, sand and boulders to be used for the foundations were on nearly every lot. The houses found buyers as soon as they were completed. School houses could not be built soon enough. In 1889 the first on Evergreen Avenue & Menahan, second Bushwick Parkway & Kosciusko and a third on Evergreen & Covert Street. GASCOIGNE & COZINE erected during the first year about 100 houses. The block on the northside of Bushwick between Menahan & Grove was not built upon in the early 1890's except for the residence of Gustave DOERSCHUCKthe brewer, on the northwest corner of Grove. This was a Swiss cottage, the lower portion being built of brick and the upper covered in shingles. On the northeast corner of Grove, Chas. LINDEMANN, built a similiar cottage in grounds 100 sq. ft. This was at times occupied by the former owner's son Louis G. LINDEMANN. There were two other houses on the block, one the residence of John R. HEATON, of the New York Recorder. On the south side between Grove & Linden #1002, on the southeast corner of Grove Street was the residence Louis BOSSERT, who owned the moulding mill at Union & Johnson. Two other homes on this block belonging to the L. L. BARTLETT estate, one being occupied by Henry C. HEINZE, the jeweler. On the southeast corner, Linden, Dr. F. HALVES. The block between Linden Street & Gates was opened by two parties. The western half Samuel M. MEEKER, who erected his house, 1852, #44 Linden Street. He had laid out, graded and paved Linden Street for 2 blocks from Broadway to the Old Bushwick Road.(Evergreen of today) The other half, the LEVERICH House & grounds, which later ran to Broadway. F. D. TUCKER built his house in 1852 near the south west corner of Gates Avenue. Augustus A. LEVERICH was the owner in the 1870's & long occupied by his family. It was taken down in 1923. On the northside of the block between Linden & Gates were three residences surrounded by grounds. Homes of George W. SHELLAS of SHELLAS & CHESNUTT, Louis VOORHEES and Frank HYDE of HYDE & GLOAD, manufacturer of slate mantels. The last mentioned stood originally on Evergreen Avenue and belonged to the Burr WAKEMAN estate and was moved in 1892 to the parkway site. It became the residence of the brewer Frank IBERT and for a time it was occupied by the Unity Republican Club, and in 1923 it was demolished. The house of Mrs George H. BISHOP, later known as the MARIETTA Mansion, southeast corner of Gates. The building was sold in 1913 & on it's site is the Ridgewood Masonic Temple. The Wm. ANDREWS house was in the middle of the block, in 1893, #1058 Gates Avenue, later became the home of Dr. Phil MANECKEin June 1903. Chas. TUTTLE southwest corner Palmetto Street, later known as the Chas. GOODWIN House. Charles GOODWIN aquired the property in 1868 from the estate of SMITH, of the firm SMITH & STREET, publishers of the New York Weekly. Chas. GOODWIN'S son, George B. GOODWIN, president of Cemetery of the Evergreens was later the owner. The residence taken down in 1921 to make room for the Bushwick Exchange of the New York Telephone Co. The COVERT & DURYEA families were connected by marriage. & they decided a double frame house with gable ends toward Hancock Street & a lawn running down to the Parkway on the east side of Hancock. The struture was remodeled by GASCOIGNE and was in later times used as a sanitarium. It was taken down after fire had damaged it. There was another COVERT farm on Decatur Street. The Wm.Van VOORHEES farm extended to Moffat Street. The John MOFFAT farm extended to Pilling Street. The James PILLING farm ran from Pilling Street to Furman Street This tract since 1874 was known as Broadway Park. The Platdeutsche Harvest House was set up here, the Forester's Firemen's & many others festivals were held here. In the farm house which was built many years before PILLING'S time, refreshments were served on tables under the trees. There was another building about 1891 still standing, on the southeast corner of Pilling St that probably belonged to the PILLING'S farm, but may have been MOFFAT property. The Wm. W. FURMAN farm reached from Furman to Hull Streets., the house standing on Broadway was in the early 1890's occupied by the Roman Catholic Fathers of Mercy. The John VANDERVEER farm adjoined the FURMAN farm on the east. On the south side of Madison was a solid row of three story frame houses, four frame houses on the northside between Putnam & Cornelia were the residences of; Mrs NAUL, Mrs McCREERY, Mrs HENDRICKSON Mrs BOOTH, the four daughters of Peter FARMER SUYDAM. The latter was a brother of Jacob & Adrian SUYDAM. The three brothers were farmers, Adrian and Jacob had their farms together, Peter died before the city had encroached upon their farms seven years before the value of the land had risen to any great extant. Jacob was a bachelor and when he died he left his estate to Peter's four daughters. This displeased Adrian who thought his daughter should have been the beneficiary. When Adrian died his daughter having died before him, he left his property to the son of a friend. His will was contested. The southside between Hancock & Weifield Streets was occupied by flats. Where Weirfield intersects the Parkway stood in 1875 on the northside the farm of James COOPER. The south side of the block from Weirfield to Halsey was a pear orchard and truck garden of Thomas Warren FIELD. He was born at Onodaga Hill near Syracue, N. Y., in 1821. In early life he was a school teacher and suveyor. He came to Williamsburgh in 1844. In 1849 he was appointed principal of the later P.S. No. 18 on Maujer Street and soon after he bought the block of land bounded by present Bushwick Parkway, Weirfield Street, Broadway & Halsey Street. Here he established a nursery and called the place WEIRFIELD, combining the maiden name if his first wife WEIR with his own. The name applied to the street when it was opened along his property. The entrance to his property was on Broadway, #1250-1254 and was for many years the scene of frequent festivities. After teaching he devoted his time to surveying and fruit culture, his pear orchard covered the entire block. In 1854 he was appointed a member of the Board of Education & he remained on the board intil 1873. From 1865 until 1873 he was an assessor. In the later years he was elected associate superintendent of public instruction & superintendent in the same year. He was also the city surveyor. He possessed literary talents & formed a complete collection of Indian literature of this country which he sold in 1880 for the sum of $15,000. He published an: Indian Bibliography, a history of the Battle of Long Island, Historic Scenes in Brooklyn & vicinity, a book on pear culture & numerous pamphlets. He was married four times. He died on November 25, 1881. Services were held in the South Bushwick Reformed Dutch Church, and the burial took place in Greenwood Cemetery. FIELD became aquainted with Joseph SABIN who assisted in forming his library of Americana. He was engaged upon the 13th Vol. which brought his work down to the letter P, when death closed his labor. One of his sons finished his work. SABIN was born in England in 1821, came to the U. S. in 1838. A small house on FIELD'S grounds was sold to SABIN about 1868. SABIN lived there until his death in June 5, 1881. He was absorbed in the making of his great dictionary of books relating to America and did not mind the tedious journeys to and from New York by one horse bus and the Peck Slip ferry. Later his 3 sons assisted him in the book business on Nassau St, New York City. One of these Jos. F. SABIN, took up etching as a diversion and he became one of the founders of the New York Etching Club. He was for many years the Commodore of the Jamaica Bay Yacht Club, he died about 1927. The SUYDAM family built a house in the middle of the FIELD plot facing Weirfield Street On the northside east of Weifield, Frederick HORNBY built his residence. On the northside between Cooper & Moffat Streets, was St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church, 1872., organized first as St. Thomas Mission in the old Norman Van NOSTRAND farm house which stood at the corner of Cooper & Wyckoff beyond the county line until moved to give space to the New York Connecting Railroad. The church was dedicated December 14th, 1890. Street Thomas became a parish in 1892. The German Evangelistic House for the Aged covered the entire block bounded by Bushwick Parkway, Broadway, Moffat & Chauncey Streets. The original perchase was 1881. They incorporated in 1879, the cornerstone for the first building was laid October 16, 1882. The Cosmopolitan Hotel, #1557, in 1905 known as J. P. PAYEZ'S Hotel and as PAYEZ Bros. Hotel, at the time it was taken down in 1913. Bushwick Music Hall, #1579. Samuel M. MEEKER was born in Rahway, New Jersey on August 26, 1820. He married in 1845. Originally he had lived on Fourth St moving in 1856 to the corner of Bushwick Parkway & Linden St, which he occupied until his death on February 5, 1891. Wm. WALL died April 22, 1872. The sons carried on the business under the name of William WALLS' Sons. Chas. WALL was born in 1828, he married Eliza BERRY, daughter of Evander BERRY, a large land holder in the Eastern District. Chas. WALL died 1879. Michael W. WALL was born in 1839, he was head of the firm in the 1880's. Henry BEVAN, a contractor #566 started business in 1862. The Queen Ann cottage ereceted by Dr. W. A. MYERS was on the No.west corner of Moffat Street The printer J. J. BLACK, #612. Chas. Henry REYNOLDS wa born in New York City in 1837. At the age of 12 he became an apprentice in HARPER & Brothers plant. After his seven years of apprenticeship he worked two yrs as journey-man for the firm. The slack time of 1860 brought about laying off of help & he was without work. He lived with his mother on Grand Street, Williamsburgh since 1850. He leased a lot at #238 Grand, put up a building of rough boards, 8x10 ft in size and covered the boards roof with tar paper. At that time kerosene was introduced to supplement whale oil which was becoming scarce. When first introduced it was called Crystal Oil. He bought a barrell of kerosene & started an oil store. The next year he took a partner, now LEWIS & REYNOLDS, they added the wood trade to the oil business. Another year went by, George ROBINSON, took LEWIS' place & now it was, C.H. REYNOLDS & Co. They added coal, their yard was at the corner of South 1st & Rodney Street The wood was sawed at first by horsepower & later by a small 5 horsepower steam engine. He later gave up the oil business, the lamps business was later owned by J. A. LeMAISTRE, who had succeeded REYNOLDS in the oil lamp business in 1878. James H. TOMKINS became a partner with LeMAISTRE, when LeMAISTRE retired in 1882 TOMKINS admitted his son into partnership. They manufactured kerosene fixtures & sold the William Day paper shades as a specialty. Their place of business was #328 Grand Street. Ten yrs later ROBINSON sold his interest to REYNOLDS & went south. In 1877 REYNOLDS bought 2 acres of land out on Grand Street He built an office at #893, also a stable & a coal pocket. In 1881 he built a planing & moulding mill, 1883, admitted into partnership his two sons & his brother-in-law, Gilbert M. VANDER WATER & they became known as C.H. REYNOLDS Sons & Co. The plant was continuously enlarged. The commanders of the 32nd Regiment, National Guard, were; Colonels Henry Edward ROEHR, John RUEGER, Louis BOSSERT, Louis FINKELMEYER Henry C. CLARK. The hotel of the Blvd Brewery was on Bushwick near Noll Street. The cost of the residence of Mrs Catherine LIPSIUS at the corner of Willoughby was $35,000. Theobald ENGELHARDT was the builder. Johannes De VOE bought about 1810 from James ROOSEVELT a large stone house with 35 acres of land . This was known as the De VOE Mansion, #62 Bushwick Avenue, when fire destroyed it April 1876. Praw De VOE an officer in the Revolutionary War, who was engaged in the Battle of Long Island was the son of Johannes. He & his brother John inherited the mansion at their fathers death in 1813. John died in 1841 at the age of 85.In 1890, establishments along Bushwick Avenue #14, Chas. MASCHMEYER, cigar manufacturer. #31, G. BOSCH & Bros, provisions. #108, Henry W. MEYER, tobacconist. #109, L. RUOFF & Son, undertakers. The corner of Scholes, iron works, Francis S. HAAS & Son. #193, Ernst OCHS, brewer. The corner of Meserole, Warren G. ABBOTT'S Brewery, a fire in the plant on January 23, 1893, caused $75,000 damages. On June 18, 1895, the plant of the ABBOTT & KATZ Brewing Co. on Bushwick Avenue, valued at $600,000, was again on fire. #223, Dr. Henry LOWENSTEIN. #225, John GOENSCH, sewing machines. #250, Street Catherines Hospital. #251, Emil VOGT, printer. #260, feed & grain, destroyed by fire, Feb. 12, 1895. #302, Chas. SCHWERER, mason. #303, Theodore KRAUS, taxidermist. #310, Anton RICE, tobacconist. #347, William WALL sons Cordage Works. #358, Daniel HUBER, horseshoer. #360, FUCHS & KAUFFMEYER, wagon makers. #378, Andrew DEWALD, oyster dealer. #404, Henrietta BECKER, tobacconist. #439, Elizabeth HOUSE, stoves. #454, Andrew REILLY, horseshoer. #538, Michael A. DELANEY & Co., printers. #552, Henry HUTTER, wagon maker. #581, Abraham FRANKEL, cigar manufacturer #590, Charles PABST, druggist. Corner of Stanwix St was DANENBERG & COLES Brewery. St. Barnabas Protestant Episcopal Church, 1869-1892 on the south side of Bushwick Avenue. The church moved to #964-66 Bushwick Avenue in 1892, later beoming the Calvary Protestant Episcopal Church & was destroyed by fire on February 7, 1910. The Boulveard House, kept by Chas. MAURER, #976. Corner of Cornelia stood the Bushwick Avenue Congregational Church, organized 1885. The last service was July 7, 1895. The cornerstone of the present brick church, dedicated on May 3, 1896. COZINE & GASCOIGNE, builders, Jefferson & Hancock Street. Henry R. FECHTMANN, wheelwright, Bushwick near Fanchon Place. Next..."C" of the EASTERN DISTRICT Streets Back to EASTERN DISTRICT Main Back to TOWN Main Page Back to STREETS Main Back to BROOKLYN Main