People looking south towards Brooklyn from bridge in 1883 were treated to a spectacular view. 135 feet below them dozens of ferries, looking like toy boats, crisscrossed the East River, taking passengers to and from Manhattan. Along the busy waterfront the chimneys of factories and distilleries spouted great clouds of smoke as clipper ships and steamers sailed into the harbor, bound for the warehouses and docks that lined Brooklyn’s shore. Rising above the horizon in the distance were the steeples of Brooklyn’s many churches. Most were built in the nineteenth century when clever speculators offered land to congregations at no cost. Once a church was built, the lots around it were usually quickly sold off and developed for residential use. Because of its many ecclesiastic structures, Brooklyn was known as “the city of churches.” Brooklyn’s city seal, which dates from 1834, depicts the Goddess Vesta and bears the motto “Eendraght Maakt Magt” – “In Union There is Strenght.”
Crossing the Bridge
1883 – Cable cars are installed on the Brooklyn Bridge, running on both sides of the promenade next to the roadway.
1898 – Electric trolleys come into service on the bridge. Electric trains of the Brooklyn Elevated Company are also introduced, replacing the cable cars except during rush hours when both kinds of trains are run on the same tracks.
1952 – The bridge re-opens after extensive remodeling and accommodates only vehicular traffic. Cable cars were removed from the bridge in 1908. Elevated trains discontinued service in 1944, and trolleys made their last run in 1950.
United States Navy Yard
The U.S. Navy Yard was established in 1801 on the site of a small local shipyard. Over the years it was expanded to 291 acres, comprising six dry docks, many miles of railroad tracks, lumber yards, warehouses, a hospital and officer’s housing. Ninety-three ships were built at the Navy Yard and several hundreds were refitted for battle in the Civil War, World War I and World War II. Some of the important ships launched at the Navy Yard were the “Ohio” (1820), the “Maine” (1890), and the “Missouri” (1944). The “Duluth,” the last ship to be built at the Navy Yard, was launched in 1965, a year before the Navy Yard closed.
Edward I. Koch, Mayor of the City of New York
Howard Golden, Borough President of Brooklyn
Andrew J. Stein, Borough President of Manhattan
The 1983 Brooklyn Bridge Centennial Commission
The New York City Department of Transportation
(Bridges & Viaducts • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
