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Sincere thanks to
Frank J. Dmuchowski
Chapter One
The Discovery
One can only guess as to whether it was it’s high, pure white, sandy
bluffed, shoreline offering a lofty position overlooking the river
upstream from New Amsterdam, or it’s peninsular like shape, creased with
many creeks and tributaries that first attracted him to this finger of
land along the East River. Certainly, Captain Pieter Janse Wit, of the
Dutch West Indian Company saw great value in this tract of land.
Otherwise, why would he so ardently negotiate it’s purchase from the
Keshaechqueren
Indians in 1638, and then proudly write to the Dutch Governor, Pieter
Stuyvestent, in 1660, “Fourteen Frenchmen with a Dutchman, Pieter Janse
Wit their interpreter, have arrived here” (Felter, pp.17) in his
petition to have this, and a larger parcel of land South and East
declared the Township of Boswijck. Later, this territory would be known
as Bushwick Township after the British took control from the Dutch.
Perhaps Captain Wit saw the tract for its possible military value.
The River on the West, Maspeth Kill ( later known as Newtown Creek) on
the North and East, and Norman's Creek (later known as Bushwick Creek)
to the South surrounding it on three
sides, and it’s great salt marsh, that on high tide became a small bay,
did give it a highly defensible position. This finger of land was dubbed
by ship navigators of the time as, Green Point. This was due to the high
bluff and green lushness of the point of land that grew out of the bank
and jutted a considerable distance into the river at approximately the
foot of present day Freeman Street. From here an attacking force coming
downstream could be readily observed and challenged before it reached
New Amsterdam proper. And, in the case of an attack on this position
itself, there weren’t very many places an enemy could easily, and
surreptitiously, storm it by either water or land.
Or, could it be, Captain Wit had seen something else! Could it be he saw a
place whose Jack Pine forest and meadows, and fresh water creeks would
provide a good life for his small band of explorer/settlers. Since a
military complex was never built there, although later it would play a
military role, and since Captain Wit latter settled there himself, One
must then conclude the latter. Captain Wit would come to play a
important role in providing leadership and direction to the emerging
community of settlers.
Thus, began the recorded history of Greenpoint. Of course, the European
explorers were not the first to see the beauty and abundance of this
land. The Indians, according to the accounts of Greenpoint’s earliest
settlers, extensively used this area to hunt and fish. It’s briny
marshes attracted an abundance of water fowl, pan fish and shell fish.
And , according to Indian tradition, a mighty, primeval, forest of
pines, oaks and aspens used to exist there, attracting deer and other
game in abundance. However, due to some act of nature, probably a
lightening storm, the mighty forest was replaced by bush-like Jack Pine
and small Oaks that populated the land when the European explorers first
landed there. In fact, for generations afterward, ancient Indian trails
formed the basis of the roads, such as they were, that separated the
early settlers of Green Point with the rest of the world.
The first Europeans to lay claim to this land were actually Huguenots. The
Huguenots were French in origin who, a generation earlier, fled to the
Netherlands in search of religious tolerance. However, the first to
actually take up residence in the area that eventually became known as
Green Point was not one of them. Instead it was the wily
Dirck Volchertsen, referred to locally as “Dirck The Norman” because
of his Scandinavian origin. He too apparently saw the great potential in
this land. Dirck was a seagoing man, a ship’s carpenter by trade, who
sailed from Scandinavia to the New World. Dirck was, also, well known in
Governor Stuyvestant’s court. Court minutes show his name as both
plaintiff and defendant in a number of proceedings. Although One would
not have known at the time how important it was to Dirck, his most
important victory came in 1644 when he challenged a certain Jan de Pree
to title of a parcel of land in the Northern section of Boswijck
Township. The Court ruled in his favor, thus Dirck obtained for himself
a portion of the land he favored. A measure of Dirck’s personal interest
in this land is evident by the fact that he built the first house in
Green Point only a year later in 1645, and became its first recorded
resident. Dirck built a one and one half story
Dutch type farmhouse, typical of the period, overlooking the river
on a spot roughly at the present intersection of Calyer and Franklin
Streets. The creek which ran by his farmhouse and emptied into a great
salt marsh to the East, became known as Norman Creek. Norman Creek has
since been filled in, but the present day Norman Avenue still remains as
a testament to Dirck and his family. Although a seafaring man, after
settling in Green Point, Dirck gave up the sea to focus all his
attention to agriculture. He cleared the land, planted his crops and his
orchards, and raised his sheep and cattle to become a prosperous, well
regarded, settler of the New World. Here he remained until his death in
1718. Upon his death, Dirck’s sons sold the land to seek out their own
fortunes in the New World moving further into other parts of Brooklyn
and New Jersey. Dirck must have imparted his pioneer vision and sense of
leadership to his sons as it has been said of them, “..wherever they
went they became men of affairs and influence”. (Felter, pp.19)
Captain Pieter Praa and other Huguenot families were not far behind old
Dirck in settling in this land. Captain Praa established himself in
Green Point, and, who like Dirck, gave himself over to an agricultural
life. As Captain Praa had a military background, he was able to use
these skills by playing an important leadership role in the new
agricultural community that sprung up at Green Point. The Praa family
would be influential in the affairs of Green Point for generations. It
was here that Captain Praa and his ancestors would, for nearly 200
years, find an idyllic life fitting the name of Green Point.
The Praa’s and Volchertsen’s, together, with the Mesorole’s, Calyer’s,
Provoost’s, and Bennet’s formed the core of settler farmer families that
lived and flourished on the land consisting of Green Point. They and
their ancestors would do so for almost 200 years. The fertile land
provided enough to supply the needs of the families that toiled on the
land, and an abundant excess to trade at nearby markets. Each family
kept a large row boat on the river to transport their harvest to the
markets downstream in the emerging cities of Williamsburg and Brooklyn,
and across the river in New York. Thus, Green Point became a major
agricultural center and breadbasket for the area. It’s grains, cereals,
fruits, vegetables and livestock made it possible for others to take up
other trades in the New World, and contributed to the overall success of
the pioneer efforts of that era.
What did Green Point look like to those Dutch and French explorers?
Figure 1, is a map of Green Point as it may have looked in 1638. The
map is based on descriptions and locations provided by William L. Felter
in, Historic Green Point , published by the Green Point Savings Bank in
1918 commemorating its 50th Anniversary. From the East River imagine
standing at the foot of present day East 23rd Street in Manhattan
looking across the river at the opposite shoreline. Now interpose a view
of the North Shore of Long Island around, for example, Northport or Port
Jefferson, with its high banked headland, and white sand beaches. If you
then launched a boat into the river, crossing it to enter the mouth of
Newtown Creek, known at the time as Maspeth Kill, and sailing East you
would pass by high banks until around the foot of present day Manhattan
Avenue. From here the banks diminished in height into a great salt marsh
that extended East and South toward Maspeth Creek to a point just south
of the present day Greenpoint Avenue bridge. The marsh, now filled in
many years ago, was known as the Back Meadows. Inland from its
boundaries on the Kill, it formed an irregular triangle whose apex was
roughly at the intersection of present day Driggs Avenue and Humbolt
Street. Continuing our journey South along Maspeth Kill, once passing
Back Meadow, the bank rose again and continued past the point of the old
Penny Bridge, just south of the present day Meeker Avenue and Kosciusko
Bridge.
Now, let’s change course by turning around and going back up the Creek to
the river. Once on the river, let’s sail south along the high banks of
the shoreline towards New Amsterdam at the Southern tip of Manhattan
Island. Just South of the confluence of Maspeth Kill and the river, we
must be careful as not to run aground on Green Point. For as Felter
wrote in 1918, “Near where the foot of Freeman Street now lies, a point
of land jutted abruptly beyond the shoreline into the river for a
considerable distance.” (Felter, pp.14) This point of land, covered with
green grass, was a favorite landmark used by the sailors in those days
to safely navigate the river, which they dubbed, “Green Point”. Once
safely around Green Point, we continue South until we see what appears,
on high tide, to be a small bay extending inland for some distance East,
South East to a point that takes in all of the present day McCarren
Park. However, on low tide we would, instead, see the mouth of the
channel of Norman’s Kill, later known as Bushwick Kill that cut a path
down the middle of the sedge and marsh grass of the salt marsh. All that
remains to this day is what is known as Bushwick Inlet, a small inlet
from the river terminating at the intersections of Quay Street and
Franklin Avenue. During the course of our journey we would have noticed
the crystal clear water of the river and creeks and would have seen the
abundance of both finned and shell fish. More than likely we would have
stopped somewhere to enjoy a seafood shore lunch. Although originally
used to describe the point of land jutting out into the river, Green
Point was to come to describe the entire peninsular extending from
Maspeth Kill (Newtown Creek) to the North and East and Norman’s Kill
(Bushwick Creek) to the south.
Continuing our journey, we sail into the mouth of Norman’s Kill and follow
its deep channel inland, through the salt marsh and into the woods,
until the channel narrows and becomes shallow. However, before we run
out of navigable water, we notice a small clearing on the creek’s bank
and land our boat at a spot approximately where present day Guernsey
Street and Driggs Avenue intersect. Now, on shore, and walking into the
woods, we would come upon one of the ancient Indian trails in the area.
This trail, heading East formed an upland bridge between the marshlands
of Norman’s Creek to the West and the Back Meadow in the East. The trail
followed a path roughly along present day Driggs Avenue to the
intersection of where Humbolt Street currently lies. Later the settlers
would name the clearing on the Kill, Wood Point Landing, and the path as
Wood Point Road, Green Point’s sole public highway until 1838. Walking
East on the path, and just before we reached the apex of the Back
Meadow, we would come upon the intersection of another path that ran
from Southeast to Northwest toward the confluence of the river and
Maspeth Kill. Later this path would be used by the settler farmers in
the Northern end of Green Point as a farm path, with gates in between
the individual farms in order to reach Wood Point Road, and points
beyond. Later still, the path on its northern end would become Green
Point’s first business district, Franklin Avenue, and the “main street”
of the emerging village of Green Point. Upon reaching this intersection,
we would have nearly traversed the entire circumference of Green Point.
It was in this environment that Dirck Volchertsen, Captain Pieter Praa,
and the Dutch settlers that followed, would build their homes, raise
their children, and begin the agricultural phase of Greenpoint’s
history.
Chapter Two
Agricultural Phase -
1645 to 1830
The Ground Breakers
The first European to settle in Green Point was Dirck Volckertsen, known
as Dirck the Norman. Dirck the Norman was a ship’s carpenter who came to
the New World from Scandinavia. He was granted a patent in 1645 by the
Dutch Governor as an outcome of the case, Jan de Pree vs. Dirck the
Norman. This patent included all the land between Maspeth Kill (Newtown
Creek), Bushwick Creek and the Back Meadow. Essentially, this patent
encompassed most of the entire area of present-day Greenpoint. A year
later in 1646, Dirck the Norman, built his house on a knoll near the
northern branch of Bushwick Creek, known in his day and long afterwards
as Norman’s Creek or Kill. According to Felter, Dirck’s house was west
of the present day intersection of Calyer and Franklin Streets (Felter,
pp. 18). Armbruster tells us that Dirck’s house had a view of the river
to the west. Felter also tells us the site was carefully laid out with
lawns that “..sloped gently in front to Norman’s kill on the south, and
gradually to the East River on the west.”(Felter, pp.18)
Dirck built his house along the lines of the
Dutch style. Felter describes the house as constructed, “..of stone,
one and a half stories in height, with dormer windows... ” It also had,
“..old Dutch doors, studded with glass eyes, and brass knockers.”
(Felter, pp. 18). As was common for houses located outside the Stockade
at New Amsterdam, Dirck no doubt, had to fortify his house against
occasional Indian attacks. The Indians became hostile toward the
European settlers as a result of some unspecified crimes committed
against them by William Keith, a Dutch Governor. Although the Indian War
(1631-1645) had ended, there was still the danger of an occasional
Indian raid. To defend himself, Dirck’s house more than likely sported
two gun holes in the house’s wall, just under the porch. Thus, he and
his family could fend off an attack with their muskets safely behind the
house’s stone wall.
As is the case with most of the North Shore of Long Island, Green Point’s
terrain and soil was affected by the retreating glaciers at the end of
the Ice Age. The terrain was hilly and moraine-like with no shortage of
glacial rocks. As any New England or Upstate New York farmer will tell
you, clearing this kind of land is very hard work. To prepare this type
of ground for planting, first the trees need to be cleared, an arduous
task in and of itself. Once the tress and stumps are cleared, then the
soil must be cleared of the rocks of all sizes deposited by the retreat
of the glaciers so the soil can be tilled for planting. Fortunately,
this process also provided an abundant source of building material to
construct houses and barns, and to fashion stone fences to contain their
horses and other farm animals. As was the custom of the time, Dirck was
a slave owner. He and other pre-Colonial and Colonial families had
slaves to help them in clearing and tilling the land. The historical
record indicates that these settler families were kindly in their
treatment of their slaves. So much so, that when slavery was abolished
in New York State in 1824, these slaves, now free, choose to stay with
the families of their former masters.
And so, for eight years Dirck and his household tended to and nurtured the
land of Green Point as its sole owner and inhabitant. In 1653, Dirck
sold the northern portion of his holding to Jacob Hay. He sold 65 acres
of land to Hay running along a line from the River at the north end of
present day Franklin Street, northeast to approximately the northwest
corner of where St. Anthony’s Church (Manhattan and Milton Street) now
stands, then east to the Back Meadow whose western border roughly ran
along present day McGuinness Blvd. The historical record seems to
suggest that Hay himself never established a farm nor lived in Green
Point. However, the land was inherited in 1693 by Christina Cappoens,
whose mother was Maria Cappoens, Jacob Hay’s widow who had remarried
after Hay’s death. Christina married, Captain Pieter Praa, a Captain in
the Militia and of Huguenot extraction. Shortly thereafter, they
established a farm and built a house on a site located near the edge of
the Back Meadow near present day Freeman Street and McGuinness Blvd.
Pieter Praa played a significant role in the early days of Green Point
and the greater Bushwick Township as a magistrate and an influential
local and provincial politician. He was described as a “..magnificent
horseman and a genuine sportsman”. (Felton, pp. 20).
Praa expanded his land holdings in 1687 when he purchased from Anneke Jan
Bogardus of New Amsterdam approximately 130 acres of land at the
opposite side of the mouth of the Maspeth Creek known in that day as
Dominie’s Hoek. Later it would come to be known as Hunter’s Point and
then as Long Island City. (Felter, pp. 22). The Praa’s also owned some
40,000 acres of New Jersey, that was apparently purchased for
speculation purposes. Then in 1718, Praa purchased the remainder of
Dirck the Norman’s land from his sons.
In 1681, Joost Durie (George Duryea) settled the land south of the Back
Meadow and built his house near the foot of present day Meeker Avenue on
the banks of the then Maspeth Kill (today’s Newton Creek). This farm was
in a section of land whose ownership was disputed between Newtown and
Bushwick Township. Joost also built his house in the Dutch style. This
house was still standing in 1918! Felter included a
photograph
in his book (Felter, pp.21). This house, known for a time as the Duryea
House, was refurbished in 1838 and was used as the toll house for the
toll bridge built by the Newton and Bushwick Turnpike Company, known as
the Penny Bridge. The toll was only a penny, hence its name. The Duryea
family lived and farmed here for more than a century.
South of the apex of the Back Meadow and Wood Point Road, Captain Pieter
Janse Wit settled and farmed the land. His farm included present day
Monsignor McGoldrick park, better known to Greenpointer’s by its
original name, Winthrop park.
These then, were the New World founders of Green Point. Their success at
taming and tilling the land ensured a firm foundation for the future of
Green Point. They were able to demonstrate that the land was not only
inhabitable, but that it also provided a hospitable and thriving
environment in which to live.
The Roots of Community Development
Large families was the custom of the times. As these first settler’s
families grew and thrived on the land, their children established
families and farmed Green Point as well. Pieter and Christina Praa had
four children, all daughters. To his dismay Captain Praa did not have
any sons to carry on the Praa name. However, through his daughter’s his
numerous progeny have taken prominent positions in Greenpoint’s history.
On the other hand Dirck and his wife had 10 children and several sons.
However, Dirck's influence in Green Point would not survive much beyond
his own life. Captain Praa died in 1740 as the owner of most of modern
day Greenpoint. For 56 years, Captain Praa made Green Point his home
inspite of land holdings elsewhere. Here he prepared the way for his
children and grandchildren to continue his devotion to his beloved Green
Point. By the time of the Revolutionary war (1775-1783), the entire
population of Green Point consisted of five families: Abraham Meserole,
son of Jan Meserole (who was married to one on Pieter Praa’s daughter’s
, hence a grandson of Pieter Praa), and his family lived on the banks of
the East River between the present day India and Java Streets; another
son of Jan Meserole and grandson of Pieter Praa, Jacob Meserole and his
family farmed the entire south end of Green Point and built a house near
the Bushwick Creek meadows between present day Manhattan Avenue and
Lorimer Street near Norman Avenue; Jacob Bennett, his wife Annetti (a
daughter of Pieter Praa) and their family farmed the land in the
northerly portion of Green Point and built their house near present day
Clay Street roughly between present day Manhattan Avenue and Franklin
Street; Jonathan Provoost, his wife Christina (also a daughter of Pieter
Praa) and their family farmed the eastern portion of Green Point, and
lived in the house built by Pieter Praa near the Back Meadow; finally,
Jacobus Calyer and his wife Janitie, a daughter of Jan Meserole and
granddaughter to Pieter Praa and their family farmed the western portion
of Green Point, and lived in the house built by Dirck the Norman near
the mouth of Bushwick Creek. These families formed the nucleus, and set
the nature and character of the community and society that would come to
flourish at Green Point
These families lived in relative seclusion from the rest of the world.
Partly due to Green Point’s topographical and geographical aspects, the
earliest Greenpointer’s were highly independent and self-sufficient.
Since there was only one road, no market, store, church, or school,
their contact with others was confined to occasional trips to these
places out of necessity. The only public road in Green Point until 1838
was the Wood Point Road. The Wood Point Road, which followed an ancient
Indian path, ran from Bushwick Landing located on Bushwick Kill near the
present day intersection of Guernsey Street and Driggs Avenue on the
west, and ran east approximately along the course of present day Driggs
Avenue to the western edge of the Back Meadow near the present day
intersection of Humbolt Street and Driggs Avenue. The only other means
of communication with and among the farm families was to travel the farm
paths that were formed among the farms. There was, however, a central
farm lane that served as the main north to south passageway through
Green Point. It too, followed the path of an ancient Indian trail. This
path started in the north at a point just west of present day Freeman
Street (near present day Manhattan Avenue). From there it meandered
southeast to about the corner of present day Greenpoint Avenue and
McGuinness Boulevard. Then, it roughly followed the edge of the Back
Meadow along the course of present day McGuinness Boulevard to intersect
with Wood Point and Bushwick Roads at present day Humbolt Street. This
was an arduous trek that required One to open and close several gates of
the fences that separated the farms. The closest church and store was
located at Bushwick Village (approx. corner of present day Humbolt
Street and Grand Avenue). To get there, One would have to travel to the
Wood Point Road, then to and down the Bushwick Road that ran south
through Bushwick Township. Therefore, under these conditions the folks
at Green Point had to develop a strong interdependence to supply their
immediate needs.
A ferry service between Greenpoint and New York was established at the
Wood Point Landing in 1790. Before this, and unless you had your own
boat on the river, the only way to get to New York was to travel down to
Bushwick Shore (later in 1827 to become the city of Williamsburg) to
take the ferry that was established there in the 1660’s. The Wood Point
Road connected with the Bushwick Road that ran south following
approximately the path of present day Humbolt Street to Bushwick
Village. From here, it continued south over the hills through the
Bushwick Crossroads (approx. corner of Bushwick and Flushing Avenues)
and then west to Bedford Corners (approx. corner of Bedford and Flushing
Avenues) where it joined with the Jamaica Turnpike leading to the
riverfront. Fortunately, the Green Point families did not have to make
this tedious journey. The families kept long boats and sail boats on the
East River shore in order to make the trip to the New York markets where
they would trade the grains, meats and vegetables they produced. This
too, contributed to Green Point’s isolation, as there was very little
need to travel to other areas of Long Island where communities such as
Bushwick Village, Bushwick Shore and the City of Brooklyn were
developing. However, Green Point was not totally isolated. Politically
Green Point was part of Bushwick Township, so this required someone to
represent Green Point’s interests in the affairs of the Township, and to
travel to Bushwick Corners from time to time to attend Township
meetings. Therefore, its geographical remoteness and inaccessibility
allowed the families of Green Point to remain aloof and removed until
the 1840’s. As a consequence, very little historical information about
Greenpoint's earliest history is available other than the chronicles,
journals, and diaries of the five descendant families of Captain Pieter
Praa. Much of Felter's account of this period of Greenpoint's history
was derived from these documents, and the oral history of the remaining
decendent family members in 1918.
The Revolutionary War
Green Point as well as much of Long Island was the possession of the
British throughout the Revolutionary War. As a result, whether real or
feigned, it was expedient for the families of Green Point to remain
loyal to the King. However, apparently there were some who may have had
other notions. The record shows that John Meserole, son of Abraham
Meserole, appears to have come under British suspicion as a
revolutionary. This resulted in his being taken and imprisoned in a New
York jail. Without any doubt, the British Army saw the strategic
military advantages that Green Point’s topography and geography
afforded. This is evident by the fact that British troops were encamped
in Green Point during the war. However, it appears the relationship
between the troops and the Green Point families was less than favorable.
For Felter tells us, “Tradition reports that all the families suffered
severely from the depredations of the British soldiers and their camp
followers.” (Felter, pp.27) When the war was over, Green Point returned
to it’s well ordered, secluded farm life well into more than a third of
the ensuing century. In 1838 the first public highway was opened in
Green Point that connected it with bridges across Newton and Bushwick
Creek’s to the cities of Astoria to the North, and Williamsburg the
South. This made it possible for the isolated little farming community
to develop into a small town.
Chapter Three
Farm to Town - 1832 to 1855
From the first European settler house built
by Dirck Volckertsen in 1645 to 1840, Green Point was a collection of
farms devoted to agriculture. For two hundred years, first as part of a
Dutch, then British colony, and finally the State of New York, Green
Point was able to exist in relative isolation. However, two events
inexorably and forever changed its course through history. The first was
the completion of the first public road through Green Point the second
was the coming of the shipbuilding trade. In this chapter we will look
at these and other formative events that contributed to Green Point’s
transformation from an idyllic agricultural community into a thriving
bustling town. Both of these developments can be greatly attributed to
the vision and tenacity of one man,
Neziah Bliss.
Since the events leading to Green Point’s
transformation are intertwined with those going on at the same time in
other parts of Long Island and New York, we will pull the camera of
inspection up high in order to obtain a more panoramic view of the
historical landscape. Let’s start by focusing on what was going on to
the west and across the river, in Manhattan.
By the turn of the nineteenth century, New
York City, on Manhattan Island, had grown into the largest and most
productive commercial and manufacturing center in the fledgling United
States. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing. Each year, its
success attracted thousands of new, mostly European immigrants seeking
fortune and the good life. And with each year, the number was growing.
Land for development was already scarce and expensive. It was evident to
merchants and bankers that if this commercial success were to sustain
itself and grow, more nearby land would be needed to build new factories
and to house its workers. Many eyes turned east to Long Island.
Long Island contained a vast store of
natural resources allowing for easy development. By the early 1800’s
most of the suitable land of present-day Brooklyn and Queens was already
under plow and cultivation. Further east on the island, additional
farmland was continuing to be brought under production. In addition, the
growth and advancement of the shipping and transportation industry made
the greater New York area less dependent on local agriculture.
Agricultural goods could easily be shipped to New York markets from the
surrounding states. Thus, the farmland on Long Island’s immediate
western edge was no longer critical to sustain life. The time had come
to form a new vision of what this land could be used for.
City and town development was already
taking place in western Long Island. The City of Brooklyn, incorporated
in 1834 was already the nation’s second largest city, second only to New
York City itself. It too was experiencing great commercial success and
phenomenal growth. To Green Point’s immediate south, the City of
Williamsburg, incorporated in 1836 was taking shape. To the immediate
north, the City of Astoria was developing as well. As we will see these
developments in particular had the most profound effect on Green Point.
The shipping and transportation industry
was highly dependent on the waterways to move goods locally, as well as,
for import/export. In addition, the United States military was
developing its Navy into superpower proportions. There was a great need
to build more ships and other maritime vessels. Caught up in this nexus
of time and events, it was time for the sleepy little farming community
to be startled and awakened to a new era. Neziah Bliss, visionary,
inventor, shipbuilder, industrialist, gave Green Point its wakeup call.
Born in Hebron, Connecticut in 1790, Bliss,
due to some set of circumstances early in life became a self-supporting,
highly responsible and creative individual. He had a highly developed
sense of initiative, resourcefulness, and vision for a young man. For
the most part, he was a self-educated man who sought out the
acquaintances of like-minded men. This led him to leave Connecticut
around 1810 and head for New York where he could easily find many
like-minded men. Here he met Robert Fulton whose work with steam engines
as a means of propulsion, was making steam navigation a reality. Bliss
caught Fulton’s vision, and along with his own resourcefulness led him
to become a successful manufacturer of steam engines and steamboats.
In 1811, only a year after working with
Fulton, Bliss organized a company in Philadelphia with Daniel French and
built a steamboat. Quickly, he became a well known and sought out expert
in the steam engine and steamboat building industry. This led him to
Cincinnati in 1816. There with the backing of then General, soon to be
President, William Henry Harrison, he continued his experiments with
this technology and built a steamboat that plied the Mississippi River
for many years. Through his travels in the west, Bliss continued to gain
knowledge and skills in obtaining and using natural resources, in
particular, iron and steel.
Bliss returned to New York in 1827. It was
then that he capitalized on his vast and seasoned knowledge and skills
by establishing the Novelty Iron Works at the foot of East 12th
Street in Manhattan. His company became famous for its maritime engines.
Most of the vessels built in the New York area had Novelty engines
installed.
As a man of vision and a shrewd
businessman, Bliss saw the need to encourage more shipbuilding. After
all, the more ships built the more the need for his engines. It is no
doubt, that the high banks of Green Point caught his imagination, as it
had others before him. The slope of the banks and the white sandy beach
made it perfect in Bliss’ eye for building boats. So, in 1832 Bliss and
Dr. Eliphalet Nott, the then famous president of Union College,
purchased 30 acres of riverfront land from John Meserole. A year later
they purchased the Griffen farm. Apparently, Bliss found his eye on more
than land during these transactions. Bliss married, Mary A. Meserole,
the daughter of John A. Meserole. Thus by marriage, Bliss was
incorporated into the five interrelated families of Green Point. Bliss
continued to consolidate his Green Point land holdings by eventually
purchasing all of the remaining land of the five families. He also
purchased land across the Newtown Creek in what is present day Long
Island City.
In 1834, Bliss’ plan finally took a more
formal shape. At his own expense, he had all of the land consisting of
Green Point surveyed and laid out into streets and lots so that it would
properly connect to the adjoining towns of Williamsburg, Bushwick and
Hunters Point. Thus Green Point made its transition from farm community,
to village, to town. Bliss’s vision of shipbuilding on the Green Point’s
riverfront, required workers, and workers need to live nearby.
Shipbuilders also needed other supporting trades and suppliers, and they
in turn needed a place to set up shop. A town was needed, and Bliss
provided it. Thus the town of Green Point was conceived and developed to
support a shipbuilding industry on its shores.
However, because of the topological
features that kept Green Point isolated for so long, Bliss knew that
unless something was done to overcome its natural barriers Green Point
would not be able to come to fruition. His first step was to build a
foot bridge across Bushwick Creek in 1838 roughly at the intersection of
present day West Street, Kent Avenue and Quay Street. This provided a
connection between Green Point and its neighbor, Willamsburg. This also
set the stage for the Ravenswood, Green Point, and Hallett’s Cove
turnpike that opened for traffic in 1839, and that was promoted heavily
by Bliss. This turnpike followed roughly the line of present day
Franklin Street, and provided a road for raw materials and goods to come
in and out of Green Point. It was around 1840 that Bliss’ vision bore
fruit and the first skeletons of boats began to appear on the Green
Point riverbanks. Shipbuilding had come to Green Point. So too came
houses, shops, streets, churches and schools, and, of course, the people
to build and inhabit them. Bliss too apparently liked what was going on
here. He built a home in Green Point for him and his family, and became
known as Neziah Bliss of Green Point.
Since his foundry was across the river, as
were many other suppliers and tradesmen needed to build Green Point,
dependable ferry operations between Green Point and Manhattan was
needed. Even as late as 1850, skiffs were used to cross the river.
Several skiffs manned by their owners maintained a service between
Greenpoint and the foot of East 10th Street. However, these
skiffs and their owners were somewhat unreliable. From day to day,
riders would not know how much they would be charged or where they would
be let off once on the Green Point shore. So, in about 1850, Bliss
obtained a permit from New York City to begin regular, dependable ferry
operations from the foot of Greenpoint Ave first to the East 10th
Street, and then an East 23rd Street landing.
Apparently not content with building
Greenpoint, Bliss acquired land across Newton Creek and formed the town
of Blissville. He also built the first version of what was to be known
for many years as the Blissville Bridge. Today we know it as the
Greenpoint Avenue Bridge. Blissville, now part of Long Island City, was
on the now Queens side of the Greenpoint Avenue bridge. In addition,
Bliss was very much involved with Williamsburg and the town of Bushwick
in general.
Bliss was a very influential leader and
community builder of his day. He apparently played a very significant
role as a founding father in shaping Greenpoint into what it is today.
However, sad to say there are no monuments or plaques in Greenpoint
denoting his great contributions.
TRANSPORTATION
Others too made their contributions to
establishing the fledgling town. An Englishman by the name of New (first
name unknown at this time) started a stagecoach line along the turnpike
that Bliss help establish. It ran from the Williamsburg ferries at the
foot of present day Grand Street through Franklin Street to what was
known as Poppies Tavern near to corner of present day Green Street.
However, this was not his greatest contribution. Ironically enough, his
greatest contribution also put him out of business. In 1855 the City
Railroad Company, a precursor to the New York City Transit Authority,
ran its cars through Williamsburg up to the bridge over Bushwick Creek
built by Bliss. It was because of Mr. New’s persistent coaxing that the
tracks were extended over the bridge and eventually all the way up
Franklin Avenue. Once the train service was available, no one wanted to
take the stagecoach. Thus leading to the demise of Mr. New’s stagecoach
line.
COMMERCE
In order to meet the need for docking
facilities, David Provost – a descendant of Pieter Praa - built the
first private commercial dock. It was built on property he owned at the
foot of present day Freeman Street. He expanded his operations by
establishing the first material and supply yard for building materials.
In 1850 David Swalm opened the first
general store on the West Side of Franklin Street near Green Street. Not
only did it provide goods for sale; it also became a center of social
life in the neighborhood and center of politics and literature. Around
the same time, Lucian Brown, who married Neziah Bliss’ daughter,
Magdalen, opened a hardware store near the corner of Franklin Street and
Greenpoint Avenue. In 1847, Dr. Isaac K. Snell, became Green Point’s
first physician and druggist. Andrew J. Provost and his brothers Perry,
Chauncey and Timothy, sons of David Provost opened Green Point’s first
legal firm. Dr. William Starr was the first dentist to put up his
shingle.
THE ARTS
Green Point also attracted two renowned
artists to its shores. George Innis and Albert Ralph Blakelock set up
their studios in Green Point in the late 1840’s and early 1850’s. Some
of Innis’ greatest works were produced at his Green Point studio.
EDUCATION
Education and schools also came to Green
Point. Its first teacher was a Mrs. Masquerier. She taught twenty to
thirty children at her home, without pay, until the first formal school
was built in 18??. The first formal public school came about chiefly due
to the efforts of Martin Kalbfleisch. When Kalbfleisch moved to Green
Point from Connecticut in 1842, he apparently did not find the existing
school acceptable. Apparently, he had a large family of children so he
immediately began an effort that led to the building of the first formal
schoolhouse on Manhattan Avenue between Java and Kent Streets. The first
principal was Benjamin R. Davis. This school was the forerunner to P.S.
22. Before Green Point was merged with the City of Brooklyn in 1855, it
had 4 well-equipped and staffed public school houses. In his "Historic
Green Point", (Felter, pg. 43) published in 1918, Dr. Felter stated,
"These schools and their successors to-day are among the best of the
city." Echoing Dr. Felter in 1998, Greenpoint’s schools continue to be
among the best schools in all of New York City.
RELIGION
Green Point’s first organized church was
the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Green Point. It was establish
built in the winter of 1847-48 on Union (present day Manhattan Avenue)
between India and Java Streets. However, it was preceded by a Sunday
school that was organized by and met in the home of Clark Tiebout
located on Franklin Street. Mr. William Vernon was the superintendent.
The first Catholic parish, St. Anthony of Padua was established in 1856.
The Rev. John Brady was its first pastor.
POLITICS
From its first settlement, Green Point was
part of the Bushwick Township. Starting with Peiter Praa, Green Point
was always represented on the Town Board. In 1851 Martin Kalbfleisch,
who was instrumental in establishing the first public school in Green
Point, was elected to the Board. To the south, the City of Brooklyn was
incorporated in 1834. It shortly consolidated with the city of
Williamsburg. Kalbfleisch was involved in drafting the charter for the
consolidation of cities of Williamsburg and Brooklyn with their outlying
towns, including Bushwick (Green Point included) and was elected its
Mayor in 1861. After Green Point became the 17th Ward of the
City of Brooklyn, H. Bartlett Fenton became its first supervisor.
For better or worse due to the coming of
roads, ferries and railroads, Greenpoint was no longer able to remain
isolated from the world. After almost two hundred years as an idyllic
agricultural community, Greenpoint made a relatively swift transition
into village, town and, finally, part of one of the most thriving and
successful cities the world has ever known. Its transition into a town
brought about by the vision of Neziah Bliss allowed Green Point to take
its place, and play an integral role in the growth and history of the
nation. It became a place of industry, and provided homes and a
community for people of various ethnic and cultural heritages. In a
forthcoming chapter we will trace the ethnic history of Greenpoint and
the contributions that each ethnic group made to the "persona" that was,
and still is, Greenpoint.
Bibliography
Armbruster, Eugene L.,
Brooklyn’s Eastern district , Brooklyn, N.Y., 1942
Felter, William L., Historic Green Point , Brooklyn, N.Y., 1918,
Green Point Savings Bank
Welch, Richard, F. An island's trade : nineteenth-century shipbuilding
on Long Island, Mystic, Conn. : Mystic Seaport Museum, 1993.
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Frank J. Dmuchowski, 1996-98, All Rights Reserved
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