Red Hook in Brooklyn is home to Fort Defiance, one of the most overlooked Revolutionary War sites in New York City, and it may also hold a key to the community’s climate resilient future, according to Friends of Fort Defiance and Resilient Red Hook organizers. [Read more…] about Tides of History: Red Hook, Fort Defiance & and Climate Resiliency
Red Hook Brooklyn
2025 Six to Celebrate Historic Preservation Awardees Named
The Historic Districts Council (HDC) has announced its Six to Celebrate annual listing of historic New York City neighborhoods that merit historic preservation attention.
Throughout 2025, HDC plans to work with neighborhood partners to set and reach preservation goals through strategic planning, advocacy, outreach, programs, and building public awareness. [Read more…] about 2025 Six to Celebrate Historic Preservation Awardees Named
The Erie Basin Project Transformed Red Hook’s Docks
With the construction of the Atlantic Basin on Red Hook‘s western shore in the 1840s, Brooklyn became the region’s great bulk goods handling center. The material dredged from the basin provided fill for other areas of Red Hook.
Around 1856, work began on the largest waterfront project in 19th century Brooklyn – Erie Basin, developed by William Beard and two brothers, Jeremiah and George Robinson. [Read more…] about The Erie Basin Project Transformed Red Hook’s Docks
Coalition Hopes To Bring Historic Ship to NYC
The battle to save the SS United States, one of America’s most historic ships, which spent most of its career traveling between New York City and Southampton, England, continues. The SS United States Conservancy transferred ownership of the SS United States to Okaloosa County, Florida in order to convert the ship into the world’s largest artificial reef.
The Conservancy had failed in its effort to raise $500,000 to help cover the costs of preservation and reloceation from its pier in Philadelphia where it has sat virtually abandoned for decades. [Read more…] about Coalition Hopes To Bring Historic Ship to NYC
Brooklyn’s Little Staffordshire: Pottery & Chain Migration
The village of Red Hook (Roode Hoek = Red Corner) was established by Dutch colonists in 1636 and named after the locality’s red clay soil. Two decades later its community became part of Brooklyn.
During the 1650s, settlers brought over ovens from the Low Countries to supply fellow colonists with household vessels. Manhattan’s production of red earthenware is thought to have begun with Dirck Claesen, a potter based in the New Amsterdam settlement. [Read more…] about Brooklyn’s Little Staffordshire: Pottery & Chain Migration
New York City’s Longshoremen: Some History
Until the later 20th century, the docks of New York Harbor were crowded with men loading and unloading cargo. These stevedores – also known as dockworkers or longshoremen – had a dangerous job, and the knowledge required to handle heavy cargo in order to load and unload ships properly and safely. [Read more…] about New York City’s Longshoremen: Some History