Fires

A Sketch of 1854 New York Firemen, Sporting & Fancy

September 9, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

What follows is the essay “Esquisses a la Plume: Types du Bowery—le Pompier” [Pen Sketches: Bowery Types—The Fireman] by an anonymous French observer in the city of New York reprinted in George Goodrich Foster’s New York Naked (1854). It was annotated by John Warren.

The American fireman differs essentially from his French namesake. They have but a single point of correspondence, the common object of their mission. As to the organization of their bodies and their individual physiology, there is radical difference. [Read more…] about A Sketch of 1854 New York Firemen, Sporting & Fancy

The British Occupation of New York City, 1776-1783

August 13, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

Historians are fond of saying that the Revolutionary War in the city of New York began and ended in the same place. On July 9, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read to George Washington’s troops at City Hall. Within minutes, a mob of fired-up patriots stormed nearby Bowling Green where they pulled down its statue of King George III and sawed off the royal crown finials on the uprights of the surrounding fence. (The original fence still stands, you can see the saw marks.) [Read more…] about The British Occupation of New York City, 1776-1783

McKean Fireboat Added To National Register of Historic Places

August 3, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Following his advocacy and a personal meeting with the Fireboat McKean Preservation Project’s David Rocco, U.S Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer recently announced that the National Park Service (NPS) has approved the nomination of the historic John D. McKean fireboat, a retired New York City Fire Department (FDNY) vessel, to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). [Read more…] about McKean Fireboat Added To National Register of Historic Places

A Terrible Explosion: The Orange County Explosives Industry

July 18, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The following text about the explosion of two powder mills near Newburgh, Orange County, NY, was originally written by a Special Correspondent of the New York Tribune and published in Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser of Queensland, Australia on September 22, 1868. It was transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer researcher George A. Thompson and additionally edited and annotated by John Warren.

Dwellers along the Hudson River for a distance of 30 miles north and south of this city [Newburgh] were startled at six o’clock this morning by the shaking of their houses, the rattling of windows, and two distinct, heavy, rumbling reports. Many supposed that two shocks of an earthquake had taken place, and rushed from their houses in excitement. [Read more…] about A Terrible Explosion: The Orange County Explosives Industry

NYS Forest Ranger Fighting ‘Unprecedented’ Canadian Wildfires Impacting NY Air Quality

June 5, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Ranger and expert wildland firefighter is being deployed to assist with efforts to contain wildfires raging in eastern Canada. New York State often deploys trained wildland firefighters to help battle wildfires as part of interstate and international firefighting compacts. [Read more…] about NYS Forest Ranger Fighting ‘Unprecedented’ Canadian Wildfires Impacting NY Air Quality

Did George Washington Burn New York City?

May 24, 2023 by Alan J. Singer 1 Comment

August 27, 1776, British troops under General William Howe attacked American forces commanded by George Washington in the Battle of Brooklyn. Assailed from three sides, Washington and the main body of the Americans escaped across the East River to Manhattan and then fled north, ultimately crossing the Hudson River, then known as the North River, to New Jersey.

If Washington and his troops had been captured either in Brooklyn or Manhattan, the American Revolution would likely have ended soon after it began. [Read more…] about Did George Washington Burn New York City?

Dutch-American History: The Phoenix Tragedy, 1847

May 17, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

I love to make evening walks in the town of Winterswijk, where I was born. The Dutch habit of keeping curtains open makes strolls resemble visits to a museum, with the windows framing paintings that offer ever-changing views. I like to discover routes to find new, unfamiliar places.

One evening, in December 2020, I passede the old graveyard of Winterswijk, a place that usually gives me the creeps. For some reason — I still don’t know why, — I decide to walk across the graveyard this time. I immediately spotted a brightly lit memorial: two bollards holding up a colorful plaque. The sign reads: “The Phoenix Tragedy, 1847.” [Read more…] about Dutch-American History: The Phoenix Tragedy, 1847

Who Started The Great New York Fire of 1776?

May 10, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The book The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution (Yale University Press, 2023) by Benjamin Carp explores the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. [Read more…] about Who Started The Great New York Fire of 1776?

The Steamboat Lexington Tragedy in Long Island Sound

April 4, 2023 by Chris Kretz Leave a Comment

On a frigid night in January 1840, the luxury steamboat Lexington burned and sank in the middle of the Long Island Sound with over 140 people on board. What followed were harrowing tales of survival, tragic deaths, and a media sensation that dominated the headlines for months. [Read more…] about The Steamboat Lexington Tragedy in Long Island Sound

Weegee the Famous: Paparazzo of the Nameless

March 1, 2023 by Jaap Harskamp 1 Comment

The term paparazzo and its plural form paparazzi were first used in English in a Time magazine article dated April 14th, 1961, entitled “Paparazzi on the Prowl.” The piece put the spotlight on a new type of photographer that was giving Rome’s elegant district around Via Veneto an unpleasant reputation. [Read more…] about Weegee the Famous: Paparazzo of the Nameless