A Coastal History of Brooklyn— Election Day PL for Educators
Oyster beds, salt marshes, and tidal inlets. Casinos, roller-coasters, and brothels. Factories, ferries, and bridges.The eclectic history of Brooklyn’s waterfront doesn’t just reflect the borough’s diverse and hard-nosed history; it has shaped it from Lenapehoking to the present day.
NYC Educators are invited to join the Center for Brooklyn History (CBH) on Election Day for a Professional Learning event on “A Coastal History of Brooklyn.” CBH Chief Historian Dominique Jean-Louis will give a lecture on the environmental, social, cultural, and economic history of Brooklyn’s waterfront. Jean-Louis will explore this story of Lenape stewardship, European colonization, industrialization, immigration, radical experimentation, and commercial development.
Educators will then explore maps from the Center for Brooklyn History collection in the Othmer Library, including Bernard Ratzer’s pre-revolutionary survey map of New York and “Brookland’s” beaches, swamps, and streams. Author and Teacher Miriam Sicherman will give a talk on Barren Island, drawing from her book “Brooklyn’s Barren Island: A Forgotten History.” CBH educators will finish the day by creating their own maps of Brooklyn’s waterfront using primary sources from CBH’s archive.
The PL event is free for all educators. It includes breakfast and lunch, and will run from 8.30am to 3.30pm. Attending educators will be eligible for 7 CTLE credits.
CBH Education is generously supported by The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund, The Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust, The Hearst Foundation, Epstein Teicher Philanthropies, The Michael Tuch Foundation, The Nissan Foundation, National Grid Foundation, The Pine Tree Foundation, and Con Edison.
(Register for this free event at the Brooklyn Public Library website here)
