Archives & Library Special Collections
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Extent: 83 bound volumes.
This weekly magazine chronicles the social and economic life of Brooklyn from 1890 to 1931. Looking through the issues one can see in the early issues the importance of bicycles, but at the turn of the century the emphasis turns toward the automobile. Other topics of the magazine include fashion trends, advertisements by Brooklyn businesses, real estate developments in up-and-coming neighborhoods like Flatbush and Ditmas Park, photographs of the then new construction in those areas, documentation of the move from Brownstone Brooklyn into as yet undeveloped Brooklyn.
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Call Number: ARC.212
Extent: 28.0 cubic feet, in 75 boxes: 32 manuscript boxes, 38 flat boxes, and 5 small boxes.
The Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims and Henry Ward Beecher collection traces the career of the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, the well known 19th century preacher, and the history of Plymouth Congregational Church, of which Beecher was the first pastor. Plymouth Church was a major institution in 19th century Brooklyn, first gaining recognition on national and international levels as Beecher’s pulpit. Beecher was well known for his oratorical ability and for his vocal opposition to slavery and support of the Northern cause during the Civil War. He also spoke out on subjects ranging from women’s suffrage and evolution to organized labor and temperance. Beecher was a popular figure despite controversy that surrounded his activities, including a charge of adultery that resulted in a widely reported trial in 1875.
The collection relates principally to Beecher’s pastorate at Plymouth Church from 1847 until his death in 1887. Other materials, ranging through 1980, concern the church’s other pastors and the history of Plymouth Church itself, which consolidated with the Church of the Pilgrims in 1934. The papers provide insight into the church congregation’s various activities, illustrate the history of Beecher’s influence on his congregation and on 19th century congregationalism, and shed light on both the public and private life of a major American personality of the 19th century.
Names:
- Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813-1887
- Abbott, Lyman, 1835-1922
- Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813-1897
- Beecher, William Constantine, b. 1849
- Durkee, J. Stanley, 1866-1951
- Fifield, Lawrence Wendell, b. 1891
- Hibben, Paxton, 1880-1928
- Hillis, Newell Dwight, 1858-1929
- Hunt, Rose Ward
- Tilton, Elizabeth M. Richards, b. 1834
- Tilton, Theodore, 1835-1907
- Bethel of Plymouth Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Sunday School
- Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Henry Ward Beecher Literary and Debating Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Henry Ward Beecher Missionary Circle (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Plymouth Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Sunday School
- Plymouth Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Plymouth Institute (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Ellinwood, T. J., 1830-1921
- King, Horatio C., 1837-1918
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Church history
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Religious life and customs
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- United States — Religion
Subjects:
- Plymouth chimes (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Abolitionists — New York (State)
- Adultery — New York (State) — Kings County
- Antislavery movements — United States
- Authors, American
- City clergy — New York (State) — New York
- Clergy as authors
- Congregational churches — New York (State) — Kings County — Clergy
- Congregationalists — New York (State) — Kings County
- Lectures and lecturing — New York (State) — Kings County
- Pews and pew rights
- Reformers — United States
- Religious education of children — New York (State) — Kings County
- Religious institutions — New York (State) — Kings County
- Sunday schools — New York (State) — Kings County
- Trials (Adultery) — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Cartes-de-visite (card photographs)
- Church newsletters
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Cylinder phonographs (phonographs)
- Photographs
- Picture postcards
- Scrapbooks
- Sermons
- Typescripts
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Call Number: 2005.031
Extent: 3.5 Linear feet, In 3 record cartons and 1 oversize flat box.
This collection holds the records of the Women’s Alliance, an organization operating under the agency of the First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn. The Women’s Alliance began as the Female Samaritan Society in 1838, several years after the Church’s founding. Members of the group took responsibility for all the physical housekeeping of the church, ran the church’s annual fundraising fair, and helped with parish duties such as visiting the sick and cooking for the congregation. After periods of inactivity in the twentieth century, the group was resurrected in 1973 as the Women’s Alliance, a primarily issue-oriented group concerned with social action and women’s rights matters.
The collection encompasses the period of the resurgence of the Women’s Alliance during the latter half of the twentieth century as a socially conscious and active organization. The inclusive dates span from 1922 to 2004, with bulk dates ranging from 1980 to 1998. The Women’s Alliance records consist primarily of organizational material, including meeting minutes, correspondence, and financial documents. There is also printed matter created or collected by the Women’s Alliance and material related to the causes of concern and group work of the Women’s Alliance. A number of records also reveal the group’s relationships with other female-oriented and religious organizations.
Names:
- First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Women’s Alliance
- Campobasso, Miriam
- Hoogenboom, Olive
- Lazarus, Katherine
- Odessky, Marjory H.
- Sage, Doris
- First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Samaritan Alliance
- First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Church history
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Religious life and customs
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Social life and customs
Subjects:
- Women’s work (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Feminism — New York (State) — New York
- Pro-choice movement — New York (State) — New York
- Social action — New York (State) — Kings County — History
- Unitarianism — New York (State) — Kings County — History
- Women and religion — New York (State) — New York
- Women’s rights and spiritualism — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Minutes
- Newsletters
- Photographs
- Sermons
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Call Number: ARC.245
Extent: 4.0 Linear feet, in 5 manuscript boxes and 9 boxes of various sizes
The collection was compiled over time by the Brooklyn Historical Society (formerly the Long Island Historical Society). It principally contains the records of two major Brooklyn-based Civil War relief associations, the War Fund Committee and the Women’s Relief Association, including records of their various projects. A large portion of the collection documents one significant project undertaken by these organizations, the Brooklyn and Long Island Fair of 1864, also known as the Sanitary Fair. Documentation of the Fair covers both its financial aspects and the events and exhibits taking place there, and includes posters, broadsheets, printed matter, the Fair’s newspaper, subscription books, admission tickets, stereographs of the New England Kitchen exhibit, and more. Some artifacts exhibited at the Fair are included in the collection, notably an album of autographed writings with contributions by Hawthorne, Longfellow, and James Fenimore Cooper, among many others. Documents concerning other relief organizations are found in the collection, including the Brooklyn Bureau of the American Freedmen’s Friend Society and the Brooklyn and Long Island Christian Commission. Records of fundraising in Brooklyn for a Lincoln Monument Fund and in response to an 1866 fire in Portland, Maine, are also included. In addition, the collection holds other materials, primarily concerning the Civil War, relief efforts in cities other than Brooklyn, politics, commercial advertising, and other matters.
Names:
- Brooklyn and Long Island Fair in Aid of the United States Sanitary Commission. (1864)
- War Fund Committee (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Women’s Relief Association of the City of Brooklyn
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — History — Civil War, 1861-1865
- Kings County (N.Y.) — Newspapers
Subjects:
- Boatswain’s whistle
- Drum beat
- Our daily fare
- Sanitary fair bulletin
- Spirit of the fair (New York, N.Y.)
- Charities — New York (State) — Kings County
- Fairs — New York (State) — Kings County
- Mexican War, 1846-1848 — Correspondence
- Presidents — United States — Election — 1864
- United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865 — Civilian relief
- War — Relief of sick and wounded
Types of material:
- Admission tickets
- Advertisements
- American newspapers
- Autographs (manuscripts)
- Broadsides (notices)
- Correspondence
- Donor lists
- Lecture notes
- Ledgers (account books)
- Manuscripts (document genre)
- Minutes
- Poetry
- Printed ephemera
- Printing plates
- Receipts (financial records)
- Scrapbooks
- Stereographs
- Subscription lists
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Call Number: 1978.179
Extent: 0.1 Linear feet, in one folder
The collection includes constitution, reports, printed communications, newsletters, programs from the Knights of Columbus of Long Island, dated 1901 to 1966. Some Brooklyn material is included.
Names:
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Long Island (N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Catholics — New York (State) — Kings County
- Catholics — New York (State) — Long Island
- Fraternal organizations — New York (State) — Kings County
- Fraternal organizations — New York (State) — Long Island
Types of material:
- Constitutions
- Programs (documents)
- Reports
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Call Number: 1979.021
Extent: 3.75 Linear feet, in 9 document boxes.
This collection comprises the subject files of the Downtown Brooklyn Development Association. The association was founded in 1929 as a civic group concerned with the problems of the business and shopping center in downtown Brooklyn. The papers are news clippings, correspondence, brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, legislative documents, photographs, city plans and maps, and other items relating to organizations and causes with which the association was involved. The majority of the documents were produced by external bodies or individuals but were integral the association’s activities. The three subjects most comprehensively addressed are the development of the Brooklyn Civic Center (Cadman Plaza), the redevelopment of Fulton Street, and traffic and transportation.
Names:
- Downtown Brooklyn Development Association
- Blum, Robert E.
- Bourke-White, Margaret, 1904-1971
- Davenport, Henry J.
- Moses, Robert, 1888-1981
- Roscoe, Andrew S.
- Stamm, Godfrey A.
- Swift, Thomas A.
- Abraham & Straus
- American Red Cross
- Better Business Bureau of New York City
- Brooklyn Borough Hall (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn daily eagle
- Brooklyn Law School
- Brooklyn Public Library
- Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Company
- Citizens Budget Commission (New York, N.Y.)
- Citizens Union Foundation (New York, N.Y.)
- Citizens’ Zoning Committee, Inc
- Independent Subway System (New York, N.Y.)
- Interborough Rapid Transit Company
- New York (N.Y.). City Planning Commission
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Commerce and Industrial Development
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Correction
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Parks
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Public Works
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Traffic
- New York (N.Y.). Landmarks Preservation Commission
- New York Naval Shipyard
- Pratt Institute
- Regional Plan Association (New York, N.Y.)
- Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (New York, N.Y.)
- George Washington Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
- Holland Tunnel (New York, N.Y.)
- Lincoln Tunnel (New York, N.Y.)
- Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
- Prospect Park (New York, N.Y.)
- Throgs Neck Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
- Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Central business districts
- City planning
- Community centers — New York (State) — New York
- Courthouses — New York (State) — New York
- Ebbets Field (New York, N.Y.)
- Local transit — New York (State) — New York
- Parks — New York (State) — New York
- Post office buildings — New York (State) — New York
- Railroads, Elevated
- Transportation
- Urban renewal — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Blueprints (reprographic copies)
- Brochures
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Legislative hearings
- Maps
- Negatives (photographic)
- Newsletters
- Pamphlets
- Photographs
- Press releases
- Resolutions (administrative records)
- Speeches
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Call Number: 1978.121
Extent: 0.1 Linear feet, in one folder
The Better Brooklyn Committee records include correspondence, memorabilia, minutes, pamphlets, partial list of supporters, lists of candidates, and recipients of Brooklyn Hall of Fame and College Student Awards.
The Brooklyn Hall of Fame and College Student Awards were sponsored by the Better Brooklyn Committee, founded by John La Carte in 1960. The aim of the Better Brooklyn Committee was to “help perpetuate the names of those who contributed to the advancement…honor the self-made…whose achievements will inspire our youth…the builders of a Better Brooklyn.”
Names:
- Better Brooklyn Committee
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Charities — New York (State) — Kings County
- Scholarships — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Correspondence
- Lists (document genres)
- Memorabilia
- Pamphlets
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Call Number: 1978.017
Extent: 0.2 Linear feet, in one folder
A red leather-bound resolution presented to Mrs. M.G. Spooner on March 7, 1903 by the New York Fire Department of the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens for service rendered to the Fund for the Benefit of the Widows and Orphans of New York Firemen.
Names:
- New York (N.Y.). Fire Dept
- Spooner, M. G.
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Fire fighters — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Resolutions (administrative records)
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Call Number: 1985.102
Extent: 0.63 Linear feet, in one and a half manuscript boxes.
The Brooklyn Methodist Episcopal Church Home collection consists primarily of annual reports spanning the years 1883 to 1967, though there are gaps in the reports, most prominently of which are the years 1917 to 1927 and 1931 to 1941. Also included in the collection are three tickets for fundraising events hosted by the Home (1880, 1890, and 1891), three programs for the Brooklyn Methodist Episcopal Church Home Annual Fair (1952, 1965, and 1966) and two miscellaneous publications (1888 and 1854). The Methodist Episcopal Church Home for the Aged and Infirm was established for the care of elderly men and women who were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Home, incorporated on May 10, 1883, was located in what is today the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, and sought to provide a comfortable residence for the elderly residents. This included room and board, clothing, employment, medical aid, religious privileges, and a respectable burial upon death.
Names:
- Brooklyn Methodist Episcopal Church Home
- Thomas, Mercein
Places:
- Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Buildings, structures, etc.
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Religious life and customs
- Crown Heights (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Church committees — Methodists
- Church work with the poor — New York (State) — Kings County
- Group homes for older people — New York (State) — Kings County
- Methodists — New York (State) — Kings County — Charities
- Old age homes — New York (State) — Kings County — Administration
- Religious institutions — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Admission tickets
- Annual reports
- Minutes
- Publications
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Call Number: 1985.101
Extent: 0.4 cubic feet, in one manuscript box
The Brooklyn Industrial School Association and Home for Destitute Children Annual Reports collection comprises 0.4 linear feet of materials and spans the dates 1859 to 1910, with the following date gaps: 1854-1858, 1862, 1872, 1897, 1899, 1903, 1904, and 1960. It consists entirely of annual reports, which feature financial statements, summaries of activities and accomplishments for each year, lists of donations and donors, as well as the Association’s constitution and by-laws. These reports do not feature the names or adoption records of any residents of the Home for Destitute Children. A particular strength of the collection is its insight into society’s attitudes regarding poverty during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, specifically the perceived relationship between poverty and moral depravity.
The Brooklyn Industrial School Association was founded in 1854 and formally incorporated in 1857 to provide education, food, and shelter to orphaned, abandoned, and otherwise impoverished children in Brooklyn. It operated schools throughout Brooklyn that enrolled several hundred students per year, as well as the Home for Destitute Children, built in 1862 on Butler Street (now Sterling Place) near Flatbush Avenue. The Association’s approach to its work was expressly religious in nature, with a strong emphasis placed on Christian moral principles. It was founded by female members of several Brooklyn churches, and thereafter its staff and Board of Managers was comprised entirely of women representing the different Christian denominations of Brooklyn.
Names:
- Brooklyn Industrial School Association and Home for Destitute Children
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Children — Institutional care
- Children’s shelters — New York (State) — Kings County
- Group homes for children — New York (State) — Kings County
- Poor — Services for — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
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