Historian Patricia Salmon is set to lead a discussion on the history of Staten Island ferries, on November 8th, 2018 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, at the National Lighthouse Museum, 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point, Staten Island.
Ferries have been running from Staten Island for more than 350 years. The ferry run we know today, ferryboats and classes, the Saint George and Whitehall terminals, ferry calamities, and those individuals who have molded the story of the Staten Island Ferry over the years will be featured.
Copies of Ms. Salmon’s book The Staten Island Ferry: A History will be available for $19.99 plus tax and they can be signed by the author.
Admission is $10 for guests and $5 for Museum members.
For more information, or to register, click here.
Photo of Staten Island Ferry provided by National Lighthouse Museum.
Re: Ms. Patricia Salmon and The Staten Island Ferry: A History
We are seeking data on the first ferry named WESTFIELD, sold by Cornelius Vanderbilt to the Union Army in 1861 and converted into the gunboat USS WESTFIELD (lost at the Second Battle of Galveston Bay in 1863). She and her near-sister ship CLIFTON were intended as Staten Island Ferries but both ended up in naval service. Perhaps it is too early to expect to find a photograph, but any other descriptive data will be most welcome. Her engine came from the Morgan Iron Works, and her hull from Jeremiah Simonson. Modifications for naval service were done by Jacob Westervelt. We’ve done a pretty thorough job of scouring web-findable items, and the major photography archives. Any assistance readers might render will be appreciated. Thank You.