THE EASTERN DISTRICT of BROOKLYN



C..Streets


CALYER STREET

Dirck VOLCKERTSE'S one and a half story stone house, built about 1645, stood on a knoll of land 
on the north side of Bushwick Creek near Calyer between West and Franklin Streets. The creek, 
earlier was known as NOORMAN'S Kil, named for Dirck VOLCKERTSE, who was the Noorman. 
The house, later known as Jacobus COLYER House. Hence the name, CALYER. 
It was opened in 1857, from the East River to Sutton Street, consisting of P Street 
and Calyer's Road aka Calvary Road.

Thos. F. ROWLAND, established in 1859, a shipyard at Calyer & West Streets.

John ERICSON'S, iron clad 'MONITOR' was built here, launched on January 30, 1862. 
The Monitor destroyed the Merrimac on March 9, 1862. She foundered off Cape Hatteras on 
December 20, 1862. This plant became known as the Continental Iron Works. 

The old shanty, Calyer & West Streets, was floated across the creek for the export lumber yards 
in Long Island City. The building was set upon an old scow and moved over to Alexander DARRAUGH'S 
place on Manhattan Avenue, becoming headquarters of the Greenpoint Lightmen's Club.

CURLEY & BURCHARD, metal dealers, #104.

An old school house stood on Calyer at Manhattan Avenue where the Greenpoint theatre is now.

The Greenpoint Baptist Church, Calyer & Leonard, organized in 1847, a small church was erected 1849.

ECFORD Hall, #206.
J. F. GAHARDT, manufacturer of moldings, #255.


CATHERINE STREET

Emil HEGER, carriage painter, #18


CENTRAL AVENUE

Was opened about 1870 thru Adrian Martense SUYDAM farm.

Henry MATHEIS, wagon maker, opened his shop in 1877 on Central near Flushing Avenue.
In 1885 he enlarged his plant by adding #41 & #43 to it.

Theodore JAHRDOERFER, provisions, #71.
John FUGERER, provisons, #85.
John SUTER, provisions, #89.
Andrew GOETZ, #174, also in provisions.
Otto WICKE'S drug store was in 1890 at #177.
David GRIFFIN, mason, #228.

The Roman Catholic Church of St. Barbara, for Germans, organized in 1893, a frame church was 
erected on Bleecker Street near Central in the same year. Layer the stone ediface was added 
on Central, the north side, at Bleeker Street.

Joseph EPPIG'S brewery was on Central, Grove, & Linden Streets.
(Note: Later Frank Ibert's Brewery)

The Palmetto Hotel #387.
Nicholas LYNCH, stair builder, #444.
The TACOMA house #627,on the north west corner of Decatur.

The old road house on the William Van VOORHIES tract, on the southeast corner of Cooper Street,
long known as the Old Homestead,taken down in 1925.

The monument works of Phillip HASLACH were at the corner of Chauncey Street.

The original entrance to the Evergreens was here at the end of the Old Bushwick Road at what 
is now the end of Central Avenue. The cemetery was chartered in 1849 and has been enlarged.

The Most Holy Trinity Cemetery for Catholics, was established by the Montrose Avenue Church of 
the same name, between Cemetery Lane, the old Manhattan Beach Railroad, or the present 14th Street 
Subway line, the Old Bushwick Road and the Queens County line, taking in besides a track of land 
beyond the county line, in all 25 acres.

On December 11, 1898, a ruinous deluge was caused by a broken water main in the region around 
Central Avenue & Covert Street. Many residents had a narrow escape and a number of houses and 
much property were damaged and destroyed.


CHARLES PLACE

William ECKERT'S, livery stables #16.


CHAUNCEY STREET

North of Broadway, was formerly known as Elizabeth Street and later as Fairfax Street, has 
since become a continuation of Chauncey Street 

NIELAND & Son, provision dealers, #9.
Anthony REMPE, wood & willow ware, #162.
William GOEBEL'S, stone yard, #549.


CLASSON AVENUE

TUCKER & CARTER Cordage Co. was at #101.
C. R. INGERSOLL,soap maker,who sold the New Discovery soap, was at #s 108-116.
John J. SULLIVAN,spring-bed maker, #134.
FLEISCHMAN & Co.yeast manufacturers, #210.


CLAY STREET

Jacob BENNETT'S house stood on the Newton Creek shore, bounded by Clay & Dupont, 
Franklin & Manhattan Avenue. His father lived on the farm on the Queens County side, 
which was owned by his son-in-law, HUNTER.

A fire in the 1860's in a coal yard on Clay & Manhattan, buildings near the yard caught 
in the fire, spreading over 4 square blocks and burned for 2 weeks before it was finally 
brought under control.

The Glen Cove Machine Co., #28.
Frederick SCHAESAR, #85.


CLOVE ROAD

The Clove Road was called in 1662 the old Bay Road.

Thos. LAMBERTSE, May 14, 1700, sold his Bedford farm to Leffert PIETERSE. 
Jacobus LEFFERTS, a son of Leffert PIETERSE of Flatbush, was born 1686, 
and settled on this farm. On October 7, 1716, he married Jannetje BLOM, daughter of Claes BARENTSE BLOM,
whom later had come to the U. S. in 1662. BLOM sold to Jacobus LEFFERTS, who by trade was a carpenter, 
for the sum of 800 pounds. In 1725, his farm of 40 morgen at Bedford, bounded on the west side 
by land of Johannes BERGEN (later of John REYERSON). 

Jacobus LEFFERTS lived in the farmhouse on the south west corner of Glove & Jamaica Roads, 
built about 1759 by Andries ANDRIESE. It came with all the land in possession of Jacobus LEFFERTS. 
The house was surrounded by locust trees and it's roof gave shelter to Major ANDRE & General GREG. 
Jacobus died in 1768. 
His son, Leffer LEFFERTS then lived in the house. He was born 1727, and died 1804. 
His house was taken down in 1877. 
Judge LEFFERTS, son of Jacobus LEFFERTS & brother of Leffert LEFFERTS (1727-1804) was born in 1736 
and died 1819. He lived on the northeast corner of Jamaica & Cripplebush Roads in the house 
formerly occupied by his father-in-law, Rem REMSEN. 
Barents son, Rem LEFFERTS bought the house and put a new front on it in 1838. The house was 
built in the 18th century by Jeromus REMSEN and was known at one time as John LEFFERTS house. 
The site was later known as Arlington Pl. & Fulton Street.

The Antiquarian, Wm. PAYNE, used the house for many years as a store house.

The John D. CUTTER house, 1208 Pacific St, east of Bedford Avenue, erected in 1846 
on Clove Road by John D. CUTTER'S father. An additional entrance was added on the Pacific Street 
side for when the street would be opened. A stone wall ran along Clove Road. and locust trees, 
20ft apart, lined the road which was 50ft wide. A remnant of the wall and five trees remained 
on the property. 
John D. CUTTER lived here until 1914. The house has since been taken down.

George B.FISK, President of the L.I.R.R. in the 40s, also an alderman of the 9th Ward, 
lived on Clove Road. The gardeners cottage of his estate is still standing having been moved to 
802 Park Pl, west of Nostrand Avenue

A small red farmhouse in the 40's on the site later and for many years occupied by the 
Bedford Congregational Church on Pacific Street east of Bedford. Two of the locust trees which 
lined Clove Road. remained on the church grounds.

St. Bartholomew's Protestant Episcopal Church, organized in 1881, occupies the site now.

FRENCH'S Tavern was a very old road house on Clove.

Aaron Van NOSTRAND'S House stood here in the 1840's.

The Truant Home was organized by an act of the Legislature in 1853. The old penetentiary 
on Clove Road. was leased from the county and the school was transferred to that building. 
18 acres were bought upon Crow Hill for $3600, for the new Kings Co. Penetentiary. The 
building was occupied in January 1854, the female wing added August 1856. Part of the land 
was sold in 1871. A fire, June 23, 1890. Under the law passed in 1905, the land was sold 
July 17, 1906 at auction. The law provided that the buildings be removed no later than 
April 11, 1907. The prisoners were moved beginning December 8, 1906, and the last of them 
were taken to Blackwell's Island on January 30, 1907. The Comptroller of the state of N. Y.
sold the building to contractors who began demolition February 24, 1907.

The Brooklyn College, under the Jesuit fathers was established on the site in 1907. They had 
formerly been in the 1870's a small country residence, the old JONES Mansion in 
LLoyd's Neck, L. I. This was sold and the Jesuits acquired a place in Conn. The cornerstone 
of the college on "Crown Heights" was laid, May 24,1908, opened August 5,1908,the building 
was dedicated September29, 1908.

Crow Hill was in reality a succession of hills extending along the southerly side of Eastern 
Parkway running east & west from Utica to Classon Avenue & south to Empire Blvd & New York Ave, 
originally this was applied to the Utica Avenue portion of the range where then was the negro 
squatter colony. 
When the Kings Co. Penetentairy was built it was known as the Crow Hill Penetentairy and the 
association of the vicinity Crow Hill became permanent.

The old REMSEM house at Fulton & Arlington was taken down, December 1894. The 
house had been built about 1770. East was the Brooklyn & Jamaica Turnpike. Road in the north 
Cripplebush Road, connecting with the Newton Road and the south of it was Clove Road. The original 
home was smaller. The lower floor was divided into 3 rooms, 1 large in the centre extending from 
front to rear, on either side was a narrow room. 
A dutch fireplace, about 5ft. in width, and the stone in front of it extended about 3ft.was 
in the rear wall of the large room directly opp. the entrance. This served as the kitchen, dining 
room and living room, the others were sleeping quarters. 

It is claimed that Gen. George WASHINGTON and his staff had visited here. 
Other visitors; 
General ARNOLD & 
Major ANDRE. 
The upper rooms were narrow and low, the doorways leading to 3 rooms so low that a man of average 
height had to stoop to enter.
The fron top part of the house, a square portion near Fulton Street, built in 1838, in the Colonial 
style, had a wide entrance hall with rooms on either side. 

The LEFFERTS family had owned the house, the last owner, Mrs. Elizabeth SMITH, sold it in 1894 
to a builder on the condition that he would tear it down. The roof leaked & Mrs. SMITH refused to make 
repairs, so Wm. PAYNE who had been using it for storage moved out and the builder MORAN, 
tore it down using the materials for other building structures.

Barent LEFFERTS born 1736, married in 1757 a daughter of Rem REMSEN. 
He died in 1819. His son Rem LEFFERTS built in 1838 a new house in front of the old one, after 
the front of the old one had been taken down.

Bedford Congregational Church aka Pacific Street Congregation, organized 1849, and a frame chuch 
was built on the corner of Pacific & Clove December 5, 1848. The Rev. R. G. GREEN, was the 
minister in 1865.

SWANMITEL PIEPER & Co., manufacturing fertilizer on Crow Hill in 1850-51.
Joseph OEEHSTER started a rendering establishment in 1852 on Crow Hill, he ground bone extensively.
Fred LANGMAN began in 1855 the manufacturer of super phosphate of lime on Crow Hill.

(NOTE: April 2003 From the NY Times
http://www.shmais.com/jnews_Detail.cfm?ID=48

High Hopes for a Patch of Colonial History

 It's not much of a road. The pavement has long since given way to patches of
gravel.  Garbage is strewn about.  Children drag sticks and skid bicycles,
and pale gray cobblestones peek between bits of concrete.

 But the blocklong Clove Road has become a rising star for Community Board 9
ever since the discovery of its role in the American Revolution.

 Originally, the board wanted to use the little-traveled road as open space
for the growing number of local children.  Residents knew the road was old,
but didn't know much more.

 But last year, Robert Furman, President of Brooklyn Heritage, a non-profit
group that wants to create trail markers to follow the Revolu-ion, told the
board that Clove Road had played a central role in the Battle of Brooklyn,
the first battle fought after the Declaration of Independence.  The road,
Mr. Furman said, is Bedford Pass, one of three wooded routes the colonials
tried to protect to keep the British from Brooklyn Heights.

 In his book "The Battle of Brook-lyn, 1776" John Gallagher writes of the
road, "Where it passed through the hills it was called Clove Road because
'clove through,' making a pass that was an easily defensible chokepoint."

 Mr. Furman estimates 600 men were stationed near Clove Road.  "There are
numerous preserved colonial roads in  Brooklyn," he said.  "The one-block
remnant of Clove Road is one of the few that played a major role in the
battle and still resembles its 18th-Century configuration."

 The community board wants to create  a pedestrian mall that will celebrate
the road's history.  It hopes to redo the cobble-stones, make the area green
and add benches and other pedestrian amenities. To get financing, the board is 
seeking landmark status for the road, but so far without success. The state 
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation turned down a request 
for a battlefield designation.

 "No one is denying the history of the site," said Kathleen Howe, a historic
preservation specialist at the state office.  But, she said, the setting and
landscape of Clove road does not take one back in time, as does, say, the
Gettysburg battle site.

 But the community board is not easily dissuaded. A proposal is pending at
the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to make the road a landmark,
and the board hopes to hire an archaeologist to find historical proof of
the road's  importance.

 "We're just going to continue the fight," said Pearl Miles, the district
manager.)
 

CLYMER STREET

Named for George CLYMER, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The Abraham A. REMSEN farmhouse stood back from the road near the end of the street, 
built about. 1759 of hewn timber and filled with clay & covered with cedar shingles. 

James N. BREWSTER lived in the house about 1850 til about 1870. BREWSTER 
having heard that the houses on the Isle of Cuba were painted a blue color, decided to 
paint the old shingles blue. A wisteria vine covered most of the house. It was torn down 
in 1879 to make room for a factory.

George A. HAWKINS, sash & door maker factory, #42.

North Brooklyn being at the time of consolidation in 1855 apart of the 7th Ward, depended 
on the police depatment of the Fourth Precinct, which also included the 7th Ward. 

The 16th Precinct, formerly the Fifth Sub-Precinct, was located in 1886, at #44, between 
Kent & Wythe Aves. Later a new site was aquired at the corner of Clymer & Lee Avenue. 
This became the 159th Precinct.

Julius KAYSER'S lace factory, 1890, #51.
The Metropolitan Knitting Mills, S. BARON & Co., owners, #61.
The Ball Electric Co., makers of arc lamps, #71.
George J. DUNN & Co., makers of lithographers ink, #71.
Boisted Specialty Co., #71.
Roy & Co.,makers of watchcases, #71.
Alonzo E. DEITZ, lock maker, #73.

The only steam fire engine in the Eastern District was stationed on Clymer near Bedford Avenue.
Victory Engine Co. No.13, a man named DRUMMOND was the engineer.

Knickerbocker Hall, #163.
Wm. A. FRENCH, dancing teacher, #163.

DOUGLASS & PETERKIN'S, livery stables, #165, their storage area was at #159.
They later occupied #163-171. Some of the trotters, were prize winners of the Union Race 
Course tract. The building in 1911 was sold to KESTLER Bros., for their garage.

DUHAMEL & SINGER, carriage makers, #169-171.

POLHEMUS' Riding Academy, Clymer Street & Division Avenue. Union Hall, 
also on the same corner had a very large dance hall upstairs. One of the stores in the 
building was occupied by Louis HILKIN, butcher, who won $30,000 prize in the Lousiana lottery.

The Eastern District branch of the Kings Co. Wheelman, org. 1881 had their 
club house, #187.


COMMERCIAL STREET

Ernest G. STACHE, wagon manufacturer, #70.
HAVEMEYER Sugar Refing Co., #85.

The use of kerosene created in 1860, a demand for lamp chimney's & Christian DOERFLINGER, 
about that time, built his glass works on Commerical St on the edge of the creek. He retired 
from business in 1865, went to live on his farm in PA. The factory was sold to former employees, 

BAILEY & DOBELMANN. It failed in later years and the factory was leased to J. W. SIEBEL 
and later to Elliot P. GLEASON & Co. and finally the GLEASON-TIEBOUT Co. 
bought the property. The firms offices occupied the houses built by DOERFLINGER as tenements 
for his working people. The old chimney is standing in the rear of these buildings. The creek 
has been filled in.

The United States Net & Twine Co., #101.


CONSELYEA STREET

Ran through the farms of Andrew CONSELYEA and his brother, hence the name. 

Conselyea Street & the streets to the north led in an eastly direction into a patch of forest 
known as the BACKUS woods.

The B B B B yeast concern was at #19.

In 1870 the Hatfeild Methodist Episcopal Mission was located at the corner of Leonard St; 
the later Union Methodist Episcopal Church building at this corner was subsequently 
used as a meeting place of the 13th Assembly District Taxpayers Assoc., the building 
finally became a dance hall.

J. NEEGER & Co., manufacturer of soda water, #186.

Patrick O'BRIEN, who was born in 1839, built a later portion of P.S. No. 23, and 
portions of other schools as P.S. 3 7, 13, 5, 16, 25, 28, 41, 42, & 43.

Grace Church, Protestant Episcolpal, was organized on May 19, 1853 under the leadership 
of the Rev. Alvah GUION. 
Services were held in a private home until 1856. The site of the ediface was donated by 
Charles M. CHURCH, 
John SKILLMAN, & 
Joseph H. SKILLMAN.


CONWAY STREET

Samuel COCROFT, manufacturer of monuments, was in 1905 located on Conway near Bushwick. 
In 1890 the firm name had been R. COCROFT'S Sons.
Other makers of monuments were in 1890 located near Broadway: 
KOEHL & WEHLE, 
Andre MARKHALER, 
John MURPHY, 
Conrad NOLL, & 
John RODMAN'S Son.


COOK STREET

Was probably named for an old reident near the Cross Roads.

Ferdinand FRASS, upholsterer, #&.
Casper KIESLING, scavenger, #25.
Peter KUNKEL, tobacconist, #77.
A. SCHNEIDER, maker of slippers, #96.

The Bushwick Methodist Espiscopal Church at the Cross Roads was organized in 1840, and 
stood at Cook Street & Bushwick Avenue.

Among the early taverns were the Widow KEHOE'S near Humboldt Street.

Joe PENDER'S near Bushwick Avenue . PENDER, evidently had been a barber in the former days, 
his customers were in the habit of asking for a shave whenever they wanted a drink.

John McGREGOR, paper stock, #160.
Robert SCHLEICHER, mineral water, #183.
Anton FLUEGEL, maker of iron railings, #219.

The people of Cook Street had to go to Varet Street & Bushwick Avenue for their drinking water 
and if the rain barrels would run dry, they had to go to Morell Street for the water needed 
to do the family washing.


COOPER STREET

Edwin PLEFFER, monument maker, was located on Cooper Street near Central Avenue.

This noted under Old Bushwick. It does NOT say whether this is COOPER of COOPER Street.
NOTE : Peter COOPER had operated a glue factory on 
Manhattan Island, which he had purchased for the sum of $2.000, under a 21 yr. lease. 
This plant was located on Middle Road, between 31st & 32nd Sts on Murray Hill. 
COOPER bought in 1840 10 acres of land at Bushwick & transplanted his factory to that 
place. Peter COOPER was born in 1891, he died in 1883. His 2 brothers married the 
BEADEL sisters. Gypsies used to camp at the place where 
William COOPER erected his residence & a smaller house next to his own for the use of 
a neice. In front of the houses ran COOPER'S Lane. An old wooden pump stood in front 
of the smaller house.

The COOPER Family gave in 1895 COOPER Park to the City of Brooklyn. The park included 
COOPERS Lane and the 2 houses were moved to Morgan Avenue where they were known 
as #439 & 455. There was no house between them. They have recently been taken down & 
a brick building has been erected on their site. Opposite the park on Maspeth Avenue & 
Debevoise Avenue are still standing the remains of a group of frame houses surrounded 
by large trees. These houses were erected by Peter COOPER 
for his workmen. In the rear of the row was the glue factory near Kingsland Avenue, 
near the factory toward Grand Street was Garrett FURMAN'S farm.


CRIPPLEBUSH ROAD

In 1805 extended to Bushwick Cross Roads. This part became a portion of the Brooklyn & 
Newton Turnpike which was replaced by Flushing Avenue in 1850. Other parts were later 
replaced by Bedford Avenue from Fulton to DeKalb Ave, by DeKalb from Bedford to Nostrand, 
and by Nostrand from DeKalb to Flushing Avenue

A windmill stood on Cripplebush near the southwest side of the old road.

From Ellery Street to a point south of the Park Avenue were the grounds of the florist W. COPLY'.

On the southeast side of the road was the farm of Nicholas EHLERS'.


CYPRESS HILLS PLANK ROAD

Was a continuation of Johnson Avenue from the Wallabout & Newton Turnpike, at Bogart Street 
& the line of Randolph Street to Cypress Hills Cemetery. 

The toll gate was at present Cypress & Cooper Avenue, the toll house is still standing having 
been moved to a side street near there and altered into a home. 

In 1859 the road became Cypress Hills Macadamized Road., now Cypress Avenue

James G. COFFY, ran stages from Grand Street & Peck Slip Ferries thru Broadway, 
Johnson, & Cypress Hills Plank Road to Cypress Hills Cemetery, the fare, 
one shilling or 12 and a half cents.

TROUTMAN'S Hotel was near the toll gate, near Bushwick Ave, conducted by George TROUTMAN.


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