A BROOKLYN CHRISTMAS TREE PROJECT (1927)
******************************************************************************************************************************** Brownstone Detectives investigates the history of our clients’ homes. The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations. Do you know the history of YOUR house? ******************************************************************************************************************************** What did Brooklyn boys and girls do on Christmas morning in 1927? Well, they probably opened a present or two, played with their toys, frowned at their new underwear, and such. But later on when the kids had played their toys out – or, in poorer families, if there weren’t many toys to give out to children, the ever-diligent Brooklyn Daily Eagle‘s Junior Eagle section had a cut-out project with which such children could amuse themselves. No, it was not a Red Ryder BB gun, (those wouldn’t be introduced for another ten years), but it was something, and it must have worked as such projects were often included in the pages of this newspaper throughout the year. And it is amazing what occupied childrens’ minds back then. So, try it – if you like – this Christmas. Click on the picture and follow the directions. You never know. “Cut out the trees. Crease on dotted lines and paste the four together, each at right angles to the other, as shown in the sketches.” Follow @BrownstoneDetec Share ———————————————————————————————————————– The Brownstone Detectives Brownstone Detectives is an historic property research agency. Our mission is to document and save the histories of our clients’ homes. From our research, we produce our celebrated House History Books […]
A COLLAPSE, A DEATH, & AN INQUIRY (1912)
******************************************************************************************************************************** Brownstone Detectives investigates the history of our clients’ homes. The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations. Do you know the history of YOUR house? ******************************************************************************************************************************** It happened just before Christmas of 1912. A young husband in the prime of his life rushes to buy a last-minute Christmas gift for his beautiful wife. With the pearl necklace safely deposited in his suit-coat pocket, he dashes to catch the train that is approaching. Rushing up the stairwell to the Long Island Rail Road (L.I.R.R.) platform, he quickly reaches the top step. As he turns the corner to run for the platform, he barely senses the very stairwell beneath him shifting almost imperceptibly beneath his feet. Then, as a loud crack reports his entire balance has shifted, and he is suddenly in a terrifying free-fall. Seconds later the young husband’s body is covered with tons of – what had seconds before been – concrete stairs. This fatal collapse of the L.I.R.R. stairwell occurred at Atlantic and New York avenues, and was subsequently blamed on the corrosion of two cast-iron posts which supported the entire concrete structure. The tragedy on the L.I.R.R. stairway at New York and Atlantic avenues ended in the sudden death of a well-known art expert, David H. Cochran of 113 Macon Street. THE BEGINNING OF A “BIG” INQUIRY The very day afterward, as the finger-pointing already began to take place, a “big” inquiry was established which […]
THE FUR-MAN OF FULTON STREET (1896)
Fur was a big thing 100 years ago. The highest classes of women wore furs and those not as high a class wished to emulate them. There were all types of furs – from lynx, to fox, to otter and seal – even mole, squirrel and Persian sheep! James Cassidy not only sold the finest furs in the latest styles, but he also altered them as the styles changed, repaired them when they became damaged, and then refrigerated them in the summer when they were not in use. After a fur was selected, altered, and sold, it also needed to be cared for. So an entire industry sprang up around their cold storage in the warmer months. Cassidy used the latest in refrigeration techniques – an ammonia refrigerating machine – a freezing method which “far surpasses the old.” With refrigeration at hand within the same building where the furs were sold, an employee of Cassidy’s would simply send a wagon around to their client’s door and pick up their furs, bringing them back to Cassidy to summer in his cold storage. CASSIDY MOVES DOWN FULTON Cassidy’s fur emporium at 454 Fulton Street, a new “four-story brick building” in 1889, allowed him to expand his operations as he moved from his former shop at 277 Fulton Street. He held his grand opening later that year on October 29th. By 1900, Cassidy’s son, James, Jr., was running the business. In 1902, Although Cassidy continued to operate his store from this location, he […]
WHERE WAS THIS PICTURE TAKEN? PT. II (1924)
Junior Brownstone Detectives! In last week’s episode, “Where Was This Picture Taken, Pt. I,” we challenged you to a task of monumental proportions: “Study an historic photograph and determine where in Brooklyn it was taken.” As you’ll recall, while the photograph had some distinguishing elements in it, the location of the subject was not immediately discernible. Each of the elements therein could have been found within any of the sections of the borough. We decided, though, that studying the elements of the picture itself, along with just a bit of information about the individual within the picture, we might determine, with great specificity, exactly where the photograph was taken. Today, we are going to review some sources that the Brownstone Detectives use on a daily basis to solve everyday dilemmas such as this one. AN HISTORICAL DETECTIVE’S TOOLKIT Where do we begin when attempting to determine the Brooklyn location of an old photograph? There are a number of resources that can be of use in any mystery such as this. For the particular one we’ve presented you with, though, we will list the resources that we often use and show you how to use them in attempting to find a solution: Ancestry.com – If you have a name connected with the subject in the photo, as we did, this is always a good place to begin your search. At Ancestry.com, using the search function, place any names that you have into the engine, and then see what pops up. With […]
WHERE WAS THIS PICTURE TAKEN? (1924)
Calling all junior Brownstone Detectives! Today we have a mystery for you to solve! We invite you to come along with us as we grapple with another enigma – discerning the exact source and location of a common celluloid snapshot! EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE Have you ever come across an old family photograph and wondered when and where it was taken? You study the dog-eared snapshot and a few things immediately stand out: • A woman leans against an iron fence. • Behind her is a distinct-looking row of buildings. • A streetcar whizzes by in the background. Not much to go on, you decide, and so you think, “There must be thousands of places where this could have been taken!” And there are. But there are also many ways of whittling that list of places down and possibly even finding the exact spot where your family member (and the photographer) stood when that picture was taken. And all it really takes is a little deductive reasoning, my dear Watson! So, put on your junior Brownstone Detectives caps, set your brains to “quizzical,” and let’s go on an adventure together – through Brooklyn of the “Roaring ’20s”! ANALYZING THE CLUES First of all, we must analyze the clues we’ve listed above. Since this is a family member, we already have some background information about the woman in the picture. The woman is your great-grandmother, Sarah Bilson, and she was married to Harris Bilson. They had two kids, one of which was […]
OL’ MAN LEFFERTS HAD A FARM, E-I-E-I-O (1874)
******************************************************************************************************************************** Brownstone Detectives investigates the history of our clients’ homes. The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations. Do you know the history of YOUR house? ******************************************************************************************************************************** Above is a section of the 1874 Beers Map of the City of Brooklyn focusing on the 25th Ward, drawn up before much was built in what would someday become the eastern section of Stuyvesant Heights. Development in this section, the 25th Ward, would intensify around the 1890s. As you can see from the map, there are a lot of names on it. They belong to the men who had previously owned the land as part of their farms. Around those names are drawn the former property lines of their farms. Thus, this map is called a “Farm Line” map. Now, if you can locate where you live on this map, you can see the name of the farmer who once owned the land your house sits on today. (If your house is not on this map, it is most certain on others. Let me know and I will help you find it – and your farmer’s name.) How many farmers you can see on this map? Follow @BrownstoneDetec Share ———————————————————————————————————————– The Brownstone Detectives Brownstone Detectives is an historic property research agency. Our mission is to document and save the histories of our clients’ homes. From our research, we produce our celebrated House History Books and House History Reports. Contact us […]
