In 1691, Governor Ingoldesby’s “Humble Address” to the King described New York as “situate upon a barren island.” And that, “The middle of the Island [is] altogether barren… All the rest of the Province, West Chester, Staten Island and Martin’s Vineyard excepted, consist of barren mountain hills not improveable by […]
American History / Articles / Exploding Brooklyn
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Vassar Students, Gum, and 19th Century Misogyny in Humor Columns
The article “Where Stenches Abound” mentions the curious creation of chewing-gum – and also the very strange mention that it is specifically sent to Vassar College. Quote: ‘The basis of the fertilizers here manufactured is what is called Charleston rock, a deposit found in the beds of the Ashley and […]
American History / Exploding Brooklyn / Railroads
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How US Railroads From China Ended Up In Greenpoint
One stray sentence from an article about a Lumberyard fire struck me strangely: “The bark Tiber was the last to leave. She had just brought from China the rails of the road which the Chinese Government ordered torn up some time ago.” I wondered, what rails? Why didn’t China want […]