I remember first coming across a box with the label “Brooklyn Air Disaster, December 16, 1960, Scrapbook” a couple of years ago.  Of course with a title like that I had to open and view the contents.  I was shocked then to learn that there had been a plane crash on Seventh Avenue and Sterling Place, right in the middle of Park Slope Brooklyn.  Since then we have from time to time gotten reference questions asking about the exact location of the crash.  Now that the 50th anniversary is approaching this Thursday, the questions have increased.

Page from "Brooklyn Air Disaster, December 16, 1960" Scrapbook, Brooklyn Historical Society

The scrapbook in our collections is amazing, and documents the entire course of events through newspaper clippings, from December 16, 1960 — the day the crash occurred — to September 22, 1963.  The articles are primarily from The New York Times,  New York Post, and the now-defunct Daily Mirror.

What the New York Post called the “worst air disaster in American history,” occurred when a United Airlines DC-8 jet en route to Idlewild Airport (now JFK Airport) from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and a TWA Super Constellation traveling from Dayton, Ohio, to LaGuardia Airport collided near Miller Field on Staten Island.  The TWA Super Constellation fell to the ground in Miller Field, but the United jet continued on for more than 10 miles, before crashing down at Seventh Avenue and Sterling Place in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  Between the two crashes, 134 people lost their lives .

One aspect that the scrapbook helps to capture are the myriad stories that came pouring out during the tragedy’s aftermaths.   The most sensationalized story highlighted in the scrapbook was that of 11-year-old Stephen Baltz who was on the United Airlines flight bound for Idlewild.  Badly burned, but thought to be in stable condition, he was brought to the Methodist Hospital at Seventh Avenue and Sixth Street, just a few blocks away from the site of the crash.  Unfortunately, his burns were too extensive to be treated, and the boy passed away the next day, December 17th.

This Thursday, December 16, 2010, marks the 50th Anniversary of the “Brooklyn Air Disaster.”  Among the many commemorations, Green-Wood Cemetery will be having a memorial service at 9:45 a.m. and unveiling an eight-foot monument in memory of all those that lost their lives that day.  Also all this week The New York Times’ City Room has been running articles about the crash and its impact on the neighborhood of Park Slope.

We invite anyone interested in viewing the scrapbook to come to the library during our open hours.  We are open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 1 to 5 p.m.  For additional information about visiting the library please consult our website.

Reading Brooklynology’s great post on our first librarian, Henry R. Stiles, inspired us to post about our second librarian, George Hannah.  From 1863 to 1889 George served as head librarian of the Society.

George Hannah, BHS Librarian, 1863-1889, V1984.1.620, Photography Collection of the Brooklyn Historical Society.

There is a bit of mystery surrounding George, who went missing for three days in January 1889.

In an article that appeared in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on January 15, 1889 it is stated that George told his wife upon his return that he had merely left the Society for a brief walk at 3 p.m. on Saturday.  The next thing he remembered was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and then the next thing he knew he was in a stateroom of a steamer bounded for Boston.  According to this recount he had no recollection of what he did in Boston nor of his return to his residence in Manhattan.  However this was not the only version of the story reported to the Brooklyn daily, according to George’s brother-in-law, Dr. Luigo G. Doane, the librarian had planned the trip to Boston to deal with a personal matter.

A New York Times article offered a slightly different version of events leading up to the disappearence of George.  Described by the author as resembling General U.S. Grant, George left his home in Manhattan that Saturday to go to work but had complained of a headache, “due to recent over work in connection with the library.”  He had met a friend in lower Manhattan around noon and then his brother at 2 p.m., but left to return to work shortly thereafter only to complain of feeling sick and leaving to go for a walk.   In an article that appeared the following day yet another story is revealed where George told friends that he decided to take a trip due to not feeling well and had written a letter to his wife and his brother telling them this.  Unfortunately his wife never received the letter and the one addressed to his brother was found in George’s hat!

Against the wishes of friends and family, George returned to work only a couple of days later.  However he was forced to go home after only a couple of hours.  Two months later, in March 1889, George, then 57 years old, retired.   His assistant of 20 years, Emma Toedtleberg, is promoted to head librarian, BHS’s 3rd librarian.

Stay tuned for a future post about Emma and her legacy at BHS!