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PBS

PBS: Samantha Brown’s Places to Love: Brooklyn

Posted on January 23, 2018May 14, 2021
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PBS, aired January 16, 2018

We were so proud to have the Brooklyn Navy Yard featured in Episode 3 of the new PBS travel program Samantha Brown’s Places to Love, which explored unique sites around town including our friends at Prospect Park, Kings County Distillery, and the Gowanus Canal. Jump to 5:40 to see the segment on the Navy Yard.

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Learn how one New Yorker quit his job, checked out Learn how one New Yorker quit his job, checked out a Citi Bike well beyond 30 minutes, rode it across the country, and fell in love with Tulsa along on the way. Author, entrepreneur, and tour guide Jeffrey Tanenhaus @countribike joins our free virtual program on Thursday 9/9 at 12:30pm EDT / 11:30am CDT for a discussion of his journey, his new book “West of Wheeling,” and his new passion leading tours of Tulsa @tulsa.tours. Link to free RSVP in bio. _______________________________ #countribike #bikelife #bike #citibike #bicyclelife #tulsa #tulsaoklahoma #roadtrip #bicycletouring #virtualprogram #virtuallearning #bicycle #longdistancecycling #jeffreytanenhaus #westofwheeling @scribemediaco
#OTD in 1919, the @brooklynarmyterminal was comple #OTD in 1919, the @brooklynarmyterminal was completed after 16 months of construction. Originally planned to be built in just seven months, the Armistice and a major strike delayed the completion significantly. On #LaborDay, let's talk about the workers who built BAT. Built by @turnerconstructioncompany, at the peak the massive project employed 7,400 people. During World War I, the federal government had wage controls in place for contractors, but abundant overtime meant you could make a good living; laborers at BAT could make up to $35 a week, 40% above the prevailing wage, and skilled craftsmen made $50 or more. The Terminal and other government construction projects attracted large numbers of people to Brooklyn, including more than 10,000 Black workers from the South in 1917–18 alone, as seen here among these “bucket boys” carrying tools and supplies. When the Armistice was declared on November 11, 1918, the government maintained wage controls, but eliminated overtime for all federal contractors, effectively giving all Terminal construction workers a huge pay cut. On November 14 and 15, 5,000 laborers walked off the job, demanding the reinstatement of overtime. At least 2,000 would stay on strike for another week, but on November 21, the government reaffirmed its stance—no raises, no overtime. The tensions increased when, in response to the government’s intransigence, skilled carpenters and dockbuilders joined the strike. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners organized a nationwide strike, eventually involving 25,000 workers, and they would remain on strike for three months. The lack of carpenters made it impossible to build forms for pouring concrete, greatly slowing construction. The strike eventually led to arbitration, but the workers achieved very little; craft-based unions like the carpenters had no interest in broad-based organizing with “unskilled” workers, and the post-war Red Scare would set union organizing back for a generation, undoing the modest gains made during the war. ____________________________________#laborhistory #union #unionstrong #labor #brooklynarmyterminal #strike #wwi #worldwar1 #ww1 #firstworldwar #brooklyn #sunsetpark
From Flushing Bay to Jamaica Bay, Gowanus Creek to From Flushing Bay to Jamaica Bay, Gowanus Creek to the Harlem River, the tides of New York City’s waterways powered mills well into the 19th century. Join us tomorrow at 12:30 EDT for a discussion about tide mills’ history, their uses, and how the technology could be applied today, with @bowerybird and @forepeaksolutions. Link to the virtual program in bio. ____________________________________ #tidemills #nychistory #colonialamerica #gowanus #flushingbay #jamaicabay #seeyourcity #greenenergy #renewableenergy #discoveringnyc @gowanusdredgers #tidemillinstitute #virtualtour #virtuallearning
Furrow spider watching the sunset with us. Furrow spider watching the sunset with us.
We love this map of @prospect_park published by Ma We love this map of @prospect_park published by Matthew Dripps in 1869 (from @nypl), because it presents a sort of Franken-park, a combination of two designs that never did, and never was supposed to, exist. In 1861, Egbert Viele completed his design for the park’s commissioners, which straddled Flatbush Avenue and had the Mount Prospect Reservoir at its center. Delayed due to the Civil War, in 1865 the commissioners asked architect Calvert Vaux to reevaluate this design, and after he brought in his partner Frederick Law Olmsted, they shifted the park entirely south of Flatbush and designed a watercourse and 60-acre lake to be added further south. Here we can see the Esplanade, the Parade, and the Botanical Garden—all elements of Viele’s design within the original park boundaries—with Vaux and Olmsted’s lake grafted onto the bottom. It’s unclear why the mapmaker made this choice, as Viele’s design had been wholly rejected several years before. Perhaps it was because the city was still debating what to do with the unused land north of Flatbush; some wanted to it sold or returned to the original owners, others wanted it used as parkland, but ultimately the city decided to keep most of it and use it instead to build other important civic institutions, namely @brooklynmuseum, @brooklynbotanic, and @bklynlibrary. Learn more about Prospect Park’s history on our weekend walking tours, coming up next on Saturday, Aug 21 at 10:30am (link in bio). ____________________________________ #prospectpark #brooklyn #brooklynmuseum #bbg #brooklynbotanicgarden #bpl #brooklynpubliclibrary #fredericklawolmsted #calvertvaux #parks #urbanparks #landscapearchitecture #brooklynhistory #olmsted #olmsted200 #civilwar #centralpark @olmsted200 @naolmstedparks
Fayal, Azores has played an outsized role in Ameri Fayal, Azores has played an outsized role in American maritime history. The Portuguese port was an important waystation for New England whalers, and this depiction comes from “The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World,” created by Benjamin Russell and Caleb Purrington in 1848 and toured around the country. The 1,275-foot painting is currently on display at @mysticseaportmuseum, where different scenes are unfurled every two weeks. Fayal was also the site of a pivotal battle in the War of 1812, when on September 26, 1814, the American privateer General Armstrong repulsed a British attack and inflicted heavy casualties. The ship, commanded by Captain Samuel Chester Reid, managed to avoid capture and killed or wounded more than 100 British from the invasion force headed for New Orleans, though Reid ultimately had to scuttle his ship. Reid is buried in Brooklyn’s @historicgreenwood, where his grave was long unmarked until this new monument was installed in 1956, seen here with a 15-star flag, as Reid is credited with creating the convention of adding a star for each new state but maintaining 13 stripes on the flag (prior to this a star and a stripe was added for each new state). ____________________________________ #mysticct #mysticseaport #warof1812 #maritime #nautical #maritimehistory #navalhistory #usnavy #brookylnnavyyard #azores #portugal #panorama #cyclorama #arthistory #americanflag #flagcode #samuelcheaterreid
We had an incredible time yesterday exploring @mys We had an incredible time yesterday exploring @mysticseaportmuseum, and we’ll be sharing more of what we learned in the coming weeks. Not only is it an immersive representation of a seaport town in the nineteenth century, it is also an active shipyard specializing in the preservation and restoration of wooden ships. Their collection contains more than 500 vessels of all sizes, and they do a fantastic job of preserving not only seafaring history, but more importantly, seafaring crafts. It was so amazing to see preserved, and in some cases still-active, workshops that have long since disappeared from the @bklynnavyyard—ropemaking, patternmaking, caulking, blacksmiths, etc. This exhibit of figureheads is just a small part of their collection, and they still have a working ship carver’s shop. ____________________________________ #mysticct #mysticconnecticut #ctshoreline #mysticseaport #maritime #waterfront #nautical #shipyard #shipbuilding #woodenships #maritimehistory #ct #connecticut #roadtrip #notinnyc
Just spotted the Edward V. Kramer, the ferry used Just spotted the Edward V. Kramer, the ferry used to shuttle employees and equipment back and forth from Old Saybrook, Connecticut to the Plum Island Animal Disease Center of the Department of Homeland Security. Plum Island has been home to this high-security facility since 1954, and off-limits to the public for more than a century, but in 2005, the federal government announced plans to move research on livestock pathogens to Manhattan, Kansas. Initial plans called for Plum Island to be sold to a private buyer, but in 2020, Congress passed legislation blocking the sale and setting aside the island for wildlife conservation. Despite the imminent closure, DHS built this ferry for the island in 2018, as the controversial research lab will remain open until 2023. The vessel is named for a technician who began working at the lab when it opened at age 19 and remained until his passing in 2015. ____________________________________ #longislandsound #ctshoreline #oldsaybrook #connecticutriver #plumisland #dhs #instaship #shipspotting #ships #maritime #waterfront
This morning we took a kayak out to Poverty Point This morning we took a kayak out to Poverty Point in Old Lyme, Connecticut, at the mouth of the Connecticut River where it meets Long Island Sound. Andrew canoed the Connecticut River from Windsor, Vermont to Old Saybrook in 2000 (about 180 miles), but the boat ramp where the trip ended was about two miles short of the Sound, so this was his first paddle on this section of the river. An early English colony was established on the opposite bank of the river, in Saybrook in 1635, hoping to make this a hub for commercial navigation of the Connecticut. Unfortunately, unlike the Hudson, the mouth of the Connecticut River has a substantial bar created by the river’s heavy silt flow, making it only one or two feet deep without dredging. This, combined with the colony’s other financial difficulties, led to it being merged with the Connecticut Colony in Hartford in 1644. Despite these early challenges, Connecticutians persisted for another 200 years (it is the Land of Steady Habits, after all) trying to turn the river into a commercial highway, dredging and building canals, with limited success. ____________________________________ #connecticutriver #kayak #oldsaybrook #oldlyme #ctshoreline #connecticut #colonialhistory #longislandsound #ct #roadtrip #notinnyc #ctriver
Literal moments after Andrew Cuomo resigned, we fo Literal moments after Andrew Cuomo resigned, we found this mug in the shape of Al Smith’s head in an antique store. And we bought it.
This should be on the flag of Connecticut. #whitec This should be on the flag of Connecticut. #whiteclampizza
Today we said goodbye to the last remaining histor Today we said goodbye to the last remaining historic buildings of the Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne (MOTBY). Built during WWII as a supply base for the US Navy and the annex yard of the @bklynnavyyard, the facility was transferred to the Army and became the harbor’s Port of Embarkation after the decommissioning of the @brooklynarmyterminal in 1966. MOTBY continued to be used through the Cold War and was a major base for Operation Desert Storm/Shield in 1990-91, but was closed by the Army in 1996 and sold to the City of Bayonne. Since 2019, Lincoln Logistics has been redeveloping a large portion of the site for a major shipping hub for UPS, and today they imploded 1.5 million square feet of these WWII-era structures. The site has been carved up for various purposes, including housing and the cruise ship terminal. It is a real shame that the site’s historic buildings could not be repurposed for industrial uses, but instead will be replaced with a logistics hub choking roads with last-mile e-commerce truck deliveries. We took these pictures of the buildings in 2016, now all gone, with the exception of the @bayonnedrydock, which is still a working shipyard. ____________________________________ #nyharbor #maritime #waterfront #motby #bayonne #usarmy #usnavy #brooklynnavyyard #brooklynarmyterminal #desertstorm #ups #industrialpark
Happy birthday, @uscg! Founded in 1790 as the Reve Happy birthday, @uscg! Founded in 1790 as the Revenue Cutter Service, the Coast Guard has roots in New York going back to its founding. The @bklynnavyyard has built several Coast Guard cutters, starting with USRC Morris in 1831 and continuing with the World War II-era cutters Hamilton and Spencer. Today the Yard continues to service cutters, like USCGC Campbell currently in the Yard, and the Coast Guard is the largest armed service in New York Harbor, with major bases on Staten Island and Bayonne, NJ ensuring port security and safe navigation. ____________________________________ #uscg #coastguard #uscoastguard #nyharbor #maritime #shipyard #shiprepair #uscgccampbell #brooklynnavyyard
Join us tomorrow for a (virtual) ride to the beach Join us tomorrow for a (virtual) ride to the beach! We’ll be riding @nycferry from the @brooklynarmyterminal to Rockaway Beach and sharing the history of the harbor from the Narrows to Coney Island to Jamaica Bay along the way! Join Andrew and @forepeaksolutions for the ride beginning at 12:30pm EDT (link in bio). ____________________________________ #nyharbor #nycferry #bayridge #rockawaybeach #statenisland #virtualtour #virtuallearning #harborhistory #maritime #maritimehistory #nautical #instaship #shipspotting #coneyisland #jamiacabay #gravesend #verazzanobridge
On July 2, 1863, General Gouverneur Kemble Warren On July 2, 1863, General Gouverneur Kemble Warren stood at the summit of Little Round Top in Gettysburg, directing the defenses of the extreme left of the Union line, a pivotal moment in the battle and the entire Civil War. He still stands atop it today – in Pennsylvania where a statue stands, and here in Brooklyn. Commissioned by Grand Army of the Republic and dedicated in 1896, the Henry Baerer sculpture of Warren in Grand Army Plaza stands on a plinth carved from stone quarried from Little Round Top. Learn more about the Civil War history of @prospect_park on our virtual program tomorrow 7/30 at 12pm EDT. Link in bio. ____________________________________ #prospectpark #civilwar #civilwarhistory #grandarmyplaza #virtuallearning #virtualtour #walkingtour #sculpture #architecture #brooklyn #seeyourcity #allinnyc #nyc
On July 26, 1956, ships carrying survivors from th On July 26, 1956, ships carrying survivors from the Andrea Doria began arriving in New York Harbor. The Italian cruise ship had been struck amidships the night before in dense fog 45 miles off Nantucket by its Swedish counterpart Stockholm, cutting a hole in Andrea Doria and shearing 30 feet off Stockholm’s bow. As the hole filled with water and Andrea Doria listed, ships responded to rescue the passengers and crew. French liner Île de France picked up 753, and fruit freighter Cape Ann 129, which they delivered to West Side piers 88 and 84. Navy transport USNS Pvt. William H. Thomas took on 159 and destroyer escort USS Edward H. Allen 77, including Andrea Doria’s captain, all landed at the @brooklynarmyterminal. The last to arrive was Stockholm, limping into port on the morning of July 27, with 545 passengers at Pier 97. The next day, the ship headed to Bethlehem Steel Brooklyn Shipyard at 56th St to be placed in dry dock for repairs. This images shows members of the US House Merchant Marine and Fisheries subcommittee, which was investigating the disaster, inspecting the damage to Stockholm on August 1. The repairs took three months and cost over $1 million, and the ship is still in service today (though its future is uncertain due to the pandemic’s impact on the cruise industry). No one was officially held responsible for the sinking and 51 deaths, though there were many out-of-court settlements, but the disaster led to reforms in ship-to-ship communication, radar use, and crew training. ____________________________________ #andreadoria #ssstockholm #maritime #nautical #shipyard #shiprepair #brooklyn #brooklynwaterfront #sunsetpark #bethlehemsteel #merchantmarine #ships #maritimedisaster #seastories #nyharbor #brooklynarmyterminal #otd
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