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The Dick Family Papers. 1 folder.
ArMs 1985.1
Archibald L. Dick (c.1793- 1856) of Brooklyn worked as an engraver, while his son, James L. Dick (c.J.833-l868), was an artist. James was also one of the founding members of the Brooklyn Art School and Academy of Design.
The Dick Family Papers consist of 26 items concerning the business affairs and careers of both Archibald and James Dick. Included in the collection are business documents, deeds, mortgages, wills, correspondence, engravings by Archibald Dick, James Dick’s obituary notice, and a photograph of James Dick in Civil War-era uniform, among other items.
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Records of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, 1843-1979. 14 manuscript boxes and 3 record cartons (10 cu. ft.)
Accession Numbers 1985.073 and 2005.054
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences is a multidimensional cultural education institution located in the heart of Brooklyn, N.Y. near Prospect Park. It started as a library in 1823, but grew to include museums, botanical gardens, and artistic education programs, most of which were added between the years 1890 and 1911. In the face of financial restraints brought on by the Depression, the Institute began narrowing its focus, and the different branches became more and more independent. Some, such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, are now independently operated.
The Records of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences contain publications, correspondence, and financial records. The publications, both hard and softbound, make up roughly 85% of the collection and include programs and exhibition catalogs. The collection is organized by four different divisions, which are based on the different thematic functions of the Brooklyn Institute, including General Administration, Education, Museums, and Botanic Gardens.
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Theatre Collection, 1733-1939. 4 boxes (2 document boxes and 2 oversized flat boxes), 3.5 cubic feet.
ArMs1977.041
Brooklyn has had a lively history as an entertainment outlet, particularly through its active theatre scene during the gas-light days of the 18th and 19th century. Notable venues included the Manhattan Beach Amusement Park in Coney Island, which frequently staged musical comedies, to the infamous Conway’s Brooklyn Theater, which in December 5, 1876 went down in blazes, and event that later spurred local legislation to regulate theater design, incorporating them into city building codes in 1885.
The Theatre Collection is comprised of playscripts, playbills, programs, and other ephemera from various theatre venues in Brooklyn and Manhattan. In addition, the collection has some early rare examples of handwritten director’s promptbooks dating to 1733. Such well-known establishments as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Montauk Theatre, Orpheum Theatre, Payton’s Lee Avenue Theatre, and the Lyceum Hall in Brooklyn and the Astor Place Opera House, Barnum’s American Museum, Franklin Theatre, and Laura Keen’s Theatre are represented in this collection.
Access Points:
Topics
Drama–New York (State) –New York
Playbills
Theaters –New York (State) –Brooklyn
Theaters –New York (State) –New York
Theater programs
Geographic Locations
Brooklyn (New York, NY) –Social life and customs–19th century
Manhattan (New York, NY) –Social life and customs–19th century
Organizations
Brooklyn Academy of Music –New York (State) –Brooklyn
Conway’s Brooklyn Theatre –New York (State) –Brooklyn
Grand Opera House –New York (State) –Brooklyn
Manhattan Beach Amusement Park–New York (State) –Brooklyn
Montauk Theatre–New York (State) –Brooklyn
New Brighton Theatre–New York (State) –Brooklyn
Colonel Sinn’s New Park Theatre –New York (State) –Brooklyn
Orpheum Theatre–New York (State) -Brooklyn
Payton’s Theatre –New York (State) –Brooklyn
Teller’s Broadway Theatre– New York (State) –Brooklyn
Personal Names
Adams, Maude, 1872-1953
Irving, Henry, Sir, 1838-1905
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Brooklyn Poetry Circle Collection, 1935-2000. 4 record cartons, 1 oversize box (4.62 cubic feet).
ArMs 1989.009 and 2005.005
The Brooklyn Poetry Circle was founded in 1935. The well-known poet Edwin Markham encouraged the society and actively promoted it until his death in 1940. Other established poets also participated in the society during its early years and helped to define its aesthetic. The group held monthly meetings, for which a poetic theme would be assigned and each member would submit a poem. Most active members of the circle joined in the relatively early years of the institution’s history and remained members throughout their lives. During the 1980s and 1990s, very few people applied for membership, and the aging Circle members voted to disband in 1997.
This collection contains records and other materials related to the activities of the Brooklyn Poetry Circle and its individual members. The collection includes minutes, correspondence, and membership lists, as well as printed material created for, or generated by its member activities (including programs, flyers, tickets, printed anthologies, and newspaper clippings). The collection also contains a very large number of poems written by members of the Circle, the majority of which are undated, and a significant number of which are unsigned. Furthermore, extensive scrapbooks documenting the life of the group are also included.
Access Points:
Personal Names
Bennett, Gertrude Ryder
Branch, Anna Hempstead, 1875-1937
Hough, Maude Clark
Lilly, Othelia, 1908-
Markham, Edwin, 1852-1940
Palen, Jennie M.
Corporate Names
Brooklyn Poetry Circle (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Topics
Clubs - Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Literary societies - Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Small press books
Geographic Terms
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - Social life and customs
New York (N.Y.)-Social life and customs
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Brooklyn Ephemera Collection (1814-1998). 19 manuscript boxes and 2 oversize boxes (9.8 cubic feet).
The Brooklyn Ephemera Collection contains materials of mixed provenance accumulated over decades by the Long Island Historical Society (now the Brooklyn Historical Society). It is comprised of 12 series: Businesses, Churches, Civic Organizations and Celebrations, Clubs, Entertainment, Military, Schools, Sports, Transportation, Miscellaneous, Comic Books, and Calendars/Oversized Materials. The materials relate to a variety of Brooklyn-based institutions and events spanning a period of time from 1814 to 1998. Examples of the encompassed materials include correspondence, announcements, pamphlets, special events programs and notices, note papers, tickets, newspaper clippings, trade cards, ads, receipts, invoices, tour maps and information, postcards and certificates.
Access Points:
Personal and Corporate Names
Pierrepont, John Jay, 1849-1911
Grant, Ulysses S. [Ulysses Simpson], 1822-1885
Adelphi College
Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Commissioners of Prospect Park
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Park Commissioners
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Athenaeum
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Club (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Dodgers (Baseball team)
Brooklyn Dodgers (Football team)
Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Company
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Tabernacle (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Union Gas Company
Erasmus Hall High School
First Presbyterian Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Historic Districts Council (New York, N.Y.)
National Railway Historical Society
New York City Transit Authority
New York Naval Ship Yard
New York Transit Museum
St. Francis College (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Visiting Nurse Service of New York
Subject Headings
African Americans
American Revolution Bicentennial, 1976
Baseball - New York (State) - New York
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - religious life and customs
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - social life and customs
Brooklyn Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
Brownstone - New York (State) - New York
Prospect Park (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Trust Company Building (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - Songs and music.
Armed Forces - New York (State) - New York
Clubs - New York (State) - New York
Entertainment events - New York (State) - New York
Racing - New York (State) - New York
Railroads - New York (State) - New York
Sports - New York (State) - New York
Theater - New York (State) - New York
Williamsburg Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
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Arthur I. Okanst Scrapbooks, 1928-1965. 2 record cartons and 1 manuscript box (2.5 cubic feet).
ArMs 2004.023
Arthur I. Okanst was a Jewish-American Brooklynite who documented his life and interests in numerous scrapbooks. Born on 22 March 1886, Okanst lived with his wife and daughter in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was an active member of his Jewish community and followed news related to the world and national state of Jewish affairs. Okanst also enjoyed popular entertainment, followed celebrity news, and frequently attended the theater. Nothing is known of his professional life. Okanst died in September of 1965.
A total of seventeen scrapbooks, as well as an incomplete index, are included in this collection. They contain clippings and published obituaries; theater and event programs and playbills; souvenirs, menus, leaflets and other printed ephemera; greeting cards (especially Birthday and Anniversary cards), telegrams, and invitations to weddings and bar mitzvahs. Also included are newsletters from Okanst’s local Temple and clippings documenting the events leading up to and during World War II.
Access Points:
Personal Names
- Grossfield, Anne Faith, b. 1942
- Grossfield, Avery
- Grossfield, Harriet
- Grossfield, Rena
- Okanst, Arthur I., 1886-1965
- Okanst, Helen (nee Newman), d. 1970
Subjects
- Temple Ahavath Sholom (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Jews
- Jews-Charities-20th century
- Jews-United States-20th century
- Antisemitism in the press-20th century
- Zionism in the press-20th century
- World War, 1939-1945
- United States-Foreign relations-20th century
- United States presidents-20th century
- United States-Politics and government-20th century
- Celebrities-United States-20th century
- Theater-United States-20th century
- Television-United States-20th century
- Radio-United States-20th century
- Sports-United States-20th century
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y)-Social life and customs-20th century
- Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)-Social life and customs-20th century
- New York (N.Y) -Social life and customs-20th century
- United States-Social life and customs-20th century
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Horatio C. King Collection, Circa 1850-1925. 3 document boxes (0.7 cubic feet).
ArMs 1977.195 & 1991.035
Horatio Collins King (1837-1918) was a prominent lawyer and politician, running for Secretary of State for New York as a Democrat in 1895, Congress as a member of the Sound Money Party in 1896, and Comptroller for the Progressive Party in 1912. He served as a Civil War officer in the Armies of the Potomac and Shenandoah from 1862-1865. He lived in Brooklyn Heights with his wife, Esther Augusta Howard, and their nine children. He was also a published writer of poetry and songs as well as a lecturer.
This collection is a loose assortment of items pertaining to Horatio C. King, Esther King (his wife), and Mary E. Hewitt, an American writer and poet who was the mother of King’s first wife, Emma. Content also relates to the Fort Greene Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (of which Esther was a member), as well as King’s involvement with the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument Association of the United States and the Society of the Army of the Potomac.
Access Points:
- King, Horatio C. (Horatio Collins), 1837-1918
- Hewitt, Mary E.
- King, Esther
- Daughters of the American Revolution
- Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument Association of the United States
- Army of the Potomac
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Brooklyn (N.Y.) Neighborhood Renewal and Development Collection, 1962-1987. 3 boxes (1 document box, 1 record carton, 1 oversize box), 2.25 cubic ft.
ArMs 1987.002
The Brooklyn Neighborhood Renewal and Development Collection was compiled by Robert H. Vadheim, M.D., a physician and long-time resident of Brooklyn Heights. Dr. Vadheim is an active member of the Brooklyn community and is recognized as a medical doctor, family man, and philanthropist. The collection contains materials dating from 1962 to 1987 focusing on revival, renewal, and renovation efforts within Brooklyn’s diverse neighborhoods and cultural institutions. These changes are reflected in newspaper clippings, magazine articles, social announcements, invitations, neighborhood tour pamphlets, and other memorabilia. The collection also includes ephemera relating to the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Bridge - including the 1983 Brooklyn Bridge Centennial - and other notable subjects, including brownstones and building restoration.
The borough of Brooklyn, N.Y. began experiencing significant surges of change and renewal in the 1960’s. Efforts to renovate and preserve Brooklyn’s diverse landscapes were sparked by local concern for neighborhoods suffering from neglect or in need of preservation, and by general interests in Brooklyn’s history, architecture, and geographic location. Proposals for “urban renewal” and “gentrification” garnered support not only from Brooklynites, but from outside land developers, business investors, and potential home owners attracted by the intact federal and Victorian houses in many Brooklyn neighborhoods. The steady renewal of buildings and physical landscapes in the 1970’s and 1980’s drew new attention and financial interests to Brooklyn as new resident populations and businesses began moving into the borough’s various neighborhoods. As renewal efforts continued, property values rose in spectacular leaps and continued to rise as revitalization continued.
Access Points:
- Brooklyn Museum
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- The Phoenix
- Brooklyn Heights Press & Cobble Hill News
- Urban renewal
- Renovation (Architecture)
- City planning
- Brownstone buildings
- Brooklyn Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
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Papers of Herbert Stavely Sammond, 1871-1964 (inclusive dates: 1889-1964; bulk dates: 1891-1958). 5 manuscript boxes (2 cubic feet).
ArMs 1977.245
Herbert Stavely Sammond (1871-1964) was an organist and choral leader who began his career with the Greenwood Heights Reformed Church (42nd Street and 7th Avenue, Brooklyn) while still an adolescent. Greenwood Heights was the first in a long succession of Brooklyn- and Manhattan-based churches that Sammond served as organist and choirmaster.
In 1919, Sammond founded the Morning Choral Society of Brooklyn as a women’s amateur vocal group. Over the years it gained an esteemed reputation among the churchgoing citizens of Brooklyn, and his retirement from the group in 1949 met with fanfare and local media attention. The Morning Choral Society eventually disbanded in 1962, two years before Sammond’s death.
The papers of Hebert Stavely Sammond constitute a personal record of musical activity by a man who spent seventy years as an organist, choral leader and music teacher in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Brooklyn. The collection contains letters, scrapbooks, clippings, writings, scores, sheet music and an abundance of souvenir programs.
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Records of the Morning Choral Society, 1919-1964. 2 record cartons, 1 manuscript box, 1 oversize box (3.1 linear feet).
ArMs 1977.201 and 1977.221
The Morning Choral Society was founded in 1919 by Herbert Stavely Sammond, (1871-1964) as a non-sectarian women’s amateur vocal group. The group’s regular activities included two major annual concerts in the spring and winter. The Society was also involved with social events and fund raisers such as annual spring luncheons and card parties. Howard Kasschan took over as conductor in 1949. The Society was voted disbanded at its annual meeting in 1962.
The collection contains records pertaining to the organizational activities and structure of the Society, including minutes, annual reports, budgets, and membership lists. It also includes material created for, or generated by, its member activities including programs, brochures, scrapbooks with newspaper clippings. There are two photographs and a small collection of sheet music. Little correspondence is included.
Access Points:
- Sammond, Herbert Stavely, 1871-1964.
- Morning Choral Society (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
- Choral societies - Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - Social life and customs.
- Membership Lists
- Minutes
- Printed ephemera
- Reports
- Scrapbooks
- Sheet music
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