5 Brooklyn History Tales to Dive Into This Weekend

If Thanksgiving has left you with an urge to find a comfy spot and curl up with some reading, there are plenty of Brooklyn tales filled with fabulous architecture, unusual characters and iconic locations to help you fill up on the borough’s history.

We’ve rounded up five stories by Suzanne Spellen that stretch from Coney Island to Brooklyn Heights and first appeared in Brownstoner Magazine.

Major Talent: Parfitt Brothers Make Their Mark on Brooklyn

Deep in the heart of Somerset, the town of Frome in England is renowned for the caliber of its woven woolen goods, its arts school and the quality of the decorative objects produced by its foundries. Three brothers born and raised in the design haven left England for America in the latter half of the 19th century and rose to the top of Brooklyn’s pantheon of great architectural firms.

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Eden in Brooklyn: How the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Grew

Horticulture and the study of botany have been a part of Brooklyn since its inception. Following a long history of European colonizers bringing their favorite plants to new lands, the Dutch, English and other settlers carried a tradition of horticulture to New York. Once settled in, they piggybacked on the practices and plants used by the Lenape people, and also introduced species of plants new to the continent.

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Slee & Bryson: Architects for the Modern Age

Ever since architecture became a legitimate and fast-growing profession in the latter decades of the 19th century, Brooklyn has had its superstars. They were men (without exception) such as Montrose Morris, George P. Chappell, Theobald Engelhardt and the Parfitt Brothers, who painted on the canvas of the city. They, and many others whose biographies have been featured on Brownstoner over the years, created much of the Brooklyn many of us treasure today. They designed our houses and apartment buildings, churches and synagogues, and our civic, commercial and industrial buildings.

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Coney Island on My Mind: A Brief History of Brooklyn’s Waterfront Playground

New York City starts in Coney Island.

When Henry Hudson came to our shores looking for a passage to the East in 1609, his first landing was at Coney Island. There he found the Canarsie people, who used the island as a place to fish, dig for mussels and clams, and hunt the rabbits called “coneys.” From there he sailed up New York Bay to Manhattan, and then up the river that now bears his name.

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The Story of Brooklyn’s Grand Stage, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade

It is almost impossible to watch a television show or movie set in Brooklyn without encountering a scene set on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Whether it features heartbroken characters leaning on the railing with Manhattan as their backdrop or chase scenes along its length, the promenade is the perfect setting. With iconic brownstones in the background and the harbor, Statue of Liberty and the towers of Manhattan in the distance, the promenade is a New York icon.

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