Brooklyn Memories: A Glance backwards, 60 years Ago (3))

(Continued from Page: 2)

The villages of Brooklyn, Bedford, Gowanus, Brooklyn Ferry, Red Hook and Wallabout-A curious fact for office-seekers-Political corruption-The pay of public officers, &c., &c.,

About the beginning of the century, Brooklyn township was divided, as the writer says, into seven villages, namely, Olympia, Brooklyn, Bedford, Gowanus, Brooklyn Ferry, Red Hook and Wallabout. In Thursday's paper we gave our historian's opinion of his favorite Olympia. The other villages he dismisses in a briefer manner.

Brooklyn, he says, "is an inland settlement, about a mile from the Ferry, three from Flatbush, two from Bedford, and two from Wallabout," in other words, it was situated back of the present City Hall. "Brooklyn contains a Dutch Church and a number of pleasure gardens;" which fact would seem to indicate that our Dutch progenitors were rather more inclined to lager than preaching; the gardens, however, were largely patronized from abroad, and in summer the inhabitants of new York regaled themselves with a sail across the East River, a walk through the fields, and such luxuries as were dispensed in the gardens aforesaid. "The village," says our author, "has no peculiar privileges of its own. Joined with the several townships, it supports two ministers."

"BEDFORD," he says, "is also an inland settlement, situated in a very pleasant dale, at the conference of four roads, which lead to Jamaica, Flatbush, Brooklyn and Bushwick. The soil is luxuriant," but it did not enjoy stated preaching of the gospel, it would seem, or any peculiar privilege or distinction.

"GOWANUS is in a southern direction from "Olympia, between three and four miles distant, "on the shores of the island. The country seats "are very pleasantly situated, commanding extensive views of new York, the East and Hudson "Rivers, with the several islands in the bay; but," concludes the historian, "it has no public buildings except the school house, and no peculiar "privilege of its own."

BROOKLYN FERRY.-This village seems to have been created by the little trade that centered around the ferry which was then as now, at the foot of Fulton street. "The epithet Brooklyn is attached tot he word Ferry as it is the landing, where the inhabitants of new York and others arrive at from that city to pass to Brooklyn, further on the islands. it is directly opposite the City of New York, about three quarters of a mile distant on the Southern shore of the East River. Though in our historian's opinion it had no future before it, such as he dreamed for his beloved Olympia, yet he states that it had already had the honor of having the Clerk's office, and the Records of the County kept there, and what was of more consequence to the b'hoys of that day, it enjoyed a privilege above the other villages of maintaining two fire engines, which were allowed by law."

" RED HOOK- Is about two miles in a Southern direction from Olympia, and one from Brooklyn and is on a point of land which may be said to project into New York Bay. it derives its name probably from a promontory of red sand, which raises itself at the point on this cape. But the most remarkable thing about Red-Hook appears to have been the fact that its ownership was claimed by New York, who alleged it to be the Southern boundary of their charter-grant. The "promontory" has given way to the incessant action of the tides, and New York's preposterous claim has vanished with it. How important the change effected by the water of the East River, is shown by the following which is well authenticated: "It is also remarkable," says the writer, "that persons now living remember when Buttermilk Channel was crossed on a small bridge, by the Dutch girls to carry that article [buttermilk-"not the girls] to New York Market. it is probable that it took its name from that circumstance. The Channel is now [about the year 1860] more than half a mile wide, and ships of considerable burthen may sail through it. The land here is not as good as other parts of the township. "Buttermilk Channel," the writer says in another place, has been made since the settlement of new York. The occasion of its present width, which is half a mile, was by extending docks from the City of new York into the East River, which crowds the water on Long Island shore. In September, 1776, a forty gun ship passed through this Channel and went up the East River, and in the same month after six English ships, one or two of which were men-of-war."

THE WALLABOUT (in Dutch Wallabout) is a cove to the east of Olympia, of about a half a mile across and the same distance inland. it was formed probably by the tide of the East River, which, crossed from Corlaer's Hook. As in natural philosophy, all bodies keep the direction in which they are forced, until impeded by some resistance, so the East River originally in the ebb kept its direction until it arrived at the western shore of the Wallabout, when meeting with resistance it passed off to the west, carrying with it the loose riches of the soil. This is observable, if attention be paid to the course of the river, the channel of which runs very near Long island shore." The writer, in closing his account, incidentally bears testimony to the primitive character of the Wallabout by stating "that there are handsome houses and very productive farms near this cove."

From the extracts we have made, then, it appears that Brooklyn township, at the beginning of the century, contained a population of 1603, of which 405 were slaves; divided into six hamlets, from one to three miles distant from each other. Agricultural was the chief resource of the people, and "the inhabitants, the writer says, being convinced that agriculture is the original and principal source of wealth and independence make it their chief employment."

To be continued: A Glance Backwards Sixty Years Ago (4)

Source of Information: Brooklyn Daily Eagle 5/7/1860
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