Carolyn

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Bio

Carolyn is the Project Map Cataloger on a grant-funded project until May 2012. When not reveling in all things cartographic, she enjoys knitting and exploring Brooklyn.

Brookyln History Photo of the Week: Flatbush Toll Booth

Written by Carolyn on February 22nd, 2012

Flatbush Toll Booth, ca.1890, v1973.4.645; Postcard Collection, v1973.4; Brooklyn Historical Society.

This photograph features a toll booth that stood on Flatbush Avenue between Fenimore Street and Winthrop Street in what is now Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Built in the 1850s by the Brooklyn, Flatbush, and Jamaica Plank Road Company, the booth was used to collect tolls on Old Flatbush Turnpike, one of the main thoroughfares connecting the town of Flatbush to the city of Brooklyn. The road’s plank surface made it easier for wagons and carriages to travel on the dirt road. When the road company went out of business in 1893, the booth was gifted to John Moore, the last Flatbush Road Commissioner, who placed it in his backyard in East Flatbush. Today, the booth stands in Prospect Park, near the Lefferts Historic House and the carousel.

Among the major investors in the Plank Road were members of the Lefferts family. You can learn more about them and their role in developing the town of Flatbush from An American Family Grows in Brooklyn, BHS’s new digital exhibit.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. To search our entire collection of images visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Fri, 1:00-5:00 p.m.

Posted in Hidden Collections, Library & Archives | No Responses »
Tags: Brooklyn, Flatbush, Photo of the Week, Photographs, photography, Photography Collection

Map of the Month – February 2012

Written by Carolyn on February 6th, 2012

This month’s featured map was created by the prolific Brooklyn surveyor Teunis G. Bergen, who copied it from an “ancient map.” According to Bergen, there was no date or surveyor’s name on the “ancient map,” but it was probably made before 1750. The map roughly covers modern-day Brooklyn Heights south to the Gowanus and shows buildings and names of landowners. Please note that any writing on the map with an asterisk was added by Bergen and not found on the original map. If you’re interested in learning more about Bergen, the BHS archive has an amazing collection of his writings and maps.

Copy of an ancient map in possession of a descendant of the Hannes or Hans Bergen: whose house is located thereon. Teunis Bergen. 1864. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

(Click on the image to show more detail)

Interested in seeing more maps? You can view the BHS map collection anytime during the library’s open hours, Wed.-Fri., from 1-5 p.m. No appointment is necessary to view most maps. Our cataloged maps can be searched through BobCat and our map inventories through Emma.

Map of the Month is part of a project to catalog our map holdings, funded through the Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Collections program. If you would like to help us do more of this kind of work with our exciting map holdings, donate here.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Hidden Collections, Library & Archives | 1 Response »
Tags: Map of the Month, maps

The Changing Shape of Coney Island

Written by Carolyn on January 13th, 2012

Even with the best of technology and intentions, early mapmakers didn’t always get it right. Browsing through the map collection a few weeks ago, I noticed that the shape of one of Brooklyn’s most iconic features, Coney Island, appears drastically different from one map to another. While it’s easy to think of maps as authoritative, scientific representations of geographic space, looking at these helps me to remember that maps are also interpretative. As such, they are affected by the historical context in which they were created and may reflect biases or contain inaccuracies. Either that, or Coney Island has done some pretty incredible shape-shifting!

First up, an image of “Cunny” Island from a map published ca. 1770s. Please note that this is the 3rd state of the map, which was originally published in 1732.

A draught of New York from the Hook to New York Town. Mark Tiddeman. 3rd state. ca. 1770s. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

Next, an image from ca. 1763:

Porti della Nuova York e Perthamboy. By Giuseppe M. Terreni. ca. 1763. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

Then an image from 1778:

Entrée de la riviere d'Hudson depuis la Pointe Sandy Hook jusqu'a New York, les bancs, les sondes, les guides &c. : traduit de l'Anglais. 1778. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

Followed by a map from ca. 1794:

Map of Long Island & vicinity. ca. 1794. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

Then a map from 1869:

Map of the county of Kings showing the ward and town boundaries. 1869. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

And finally, a map from 1976 showing the Coney Island we all recognize:

Hagstrom Brooklyn, New York. 1976. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Hidden Collections, Library & Archives | 2 Responses »
Tags: Coney Island, maps

Map of the Month – January 2012

Written by Carolyn on January 3rd, 2012

This month’s featured map dates from approximately 1776 and shows the routes of American and British troops throughout the New York area before, during, and after the “Engagement on the Heights” of August 27th, 1776. Known alternately as the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Brooklyn, and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, this event was a significant moment in the Revolutionary War. Some historical sites relevant to the battle can still be visited today, including Battle Pass in Prospect Park, the Prison Ships Martyrs Monument, and the Old Stone House. Enjoy!

Plan of New York island and part of Long Island, showing the position of the American & British armies before, at & after the engagement on the Heights, August 27th, 1776. ca. 1776. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

(Click on the image to show more detail)

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Hidden Collections, Library & Archives | 3 Responses »
Tags: Battle of Brooklyn, Map of the Month, maps

Can you solve the map mystery?

Written by Carolyn on December 16th, 2011

When I catalog historical maps, I always try to figure out the modern geographic area that they cover, ideally down to the neighborhood level. Usually, I can find the answer, but the following map has me stumped. It likely covers some part of Brooklyn, but that’s about as much as I can figure out. So I’m sending this out to all you map sleuths with the hopes that you can solve the mystery. Thanks for your help!

Survey map of Brooklyn. ca. 1800s. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

And some detail shots: