Elizabeth Gloucester made her name in Brooklyn Heights in the 19th century, and last week, her name became much better known, thanks to the “Overlooked” series in The New York Times. “Overlooked” is a series that redresses oversights of the past, acknowledging the lives of people who, for reasons of race, class, sex, or ethnicity, were […]
Tag Archives | brooklyn heights history
How did the Fruit Streets Get Their Names?
The Times’ “New York Today” offers an explanation…or two…without actually taking a stand. Cranberry, Orange and Pineapple Streets. A vitamin C trifecta. Why do these streets in Brooklyn bear names both boggy and tropical? As it turns out, there is no definitive answer to today’s question. Click away to see what Mrs. Middagh might have had to […]
Heights History: A Magnificent 1905 View Looking Up ‘Columbia Street’
This wondrous 1905 image shows Brooklyn Heights looking northwest up what was then known as Columbia Street. The background reveals nearly the entire span of the Brooklyn Bridge. In the upper right corner of the photo is the renowned Hotel Margaret, between Orange and Cranberry Streets, which was built in 1889 as the neighborhood’s “first […]
Heights History: November 1903, The Day BAM Burned To The Ground
As stagehands at the Brooklyn Academy of Music began preparing the opera hall for a banquet honoring Sen. Patrick Henry McCarren the morning of November 30, 1903, no one could have been prepared for the horrifying event about to take place at 176-194 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. The week before, during Thanksgiving, BAM had […]
Brooklyn Heights History: The Women’s Suffrage Movement, Henry Ward Beecher and the Tilton Trial
Perhaps not surprisingly, Henry Ward Beecher and his associate Theodore Tilton were early and prominent feminists. Their principal goal after the Civil War was obtaining the vote for women, but some also advocated full legal equality and what would become the feminist agenda of the 1970s. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the […]
Heights History: A.A. Low
Most people know the AA Low house at the Montague Street Promenade entrance (3 Pierrepont Place). But do we know who he was besides the father of Mayor Seth Low? Abiel Abbot Low was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1811 and, through his father, Seth the Elder, became involved in the China trade in a […]
Walking Tour: Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights
Sign up now for Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights walking tour on February 27 at 1pm. We’ll tour notorious addresses in the neighborhood and share some interesting tales of “unknown” Brooklyn Heights history. This is a test run of Homer’s first walking tour so space is very limited. Tickets for this maiden voyage are free. […]
Heights History: The Opinionated Bernard Atkins
On November 2, 1971 the New York Times told the story of florist/real estate agent Bernard Atkins. At that time, Atkins was in the middle of intertwined controversies. The first involved attacks upon his James Weir Florist Shop at 160 Montague Street. The newspaper reported that its huge store front window had been attacked four […]
Heights History: Murder on Joralemon Street
The Brooklyn Eagle’s This Day in History looks at the June 2, 1931 murder of Dr. George E. Deely of Joralemon Street: The doctor’s housekeeper Norma Lindaris came down the stairs at 8 a.m. on June 2, 1931 to start breakfast. She was puzzled at seeing the door to Dr. Deeley’s living quarters slightly ajar. […]
Heights History:The Nabeguy Collection
BHB community member Nabeguy has posted many vintage photos of Brooklyn Heights to the BHB Photo Club on Flickr. About the pics he says: These photos were taken in November 1961 by my father, who, along with other like-minded neighbors, was in opposition to the proposed zoning variance that would allow for construction of the […]
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