Barren Island was a swampy speck in Jamaica Bay where a motley group of new immigrants and African Americans quietly processed mountains of garbage and dead animals starting in the 1850s. They turned the waste into useful industrial products until their eviction by Robert Moses in 1936, all in the name of progress. Barren Islanders built businesses, fought fires, demanded a public school and worshipped at churches as they created a quintessentially American community from scratch. Author Miriam Sicherman tells the story of a Brooklyn neighborhood lost in the annals of New York City history.
Barren Island was a swampy speck in Jamaica Bay where a motley group of new immigrants and African Americans quietly processed mountains of garbage and dead animals starting in the 1850s. They turned the waste into useful industrial products until their eviction by Robert Moses in 1936, all in the name of progress. Barren Islanders built businesses, fought fires, demanded a public school and worshipped at churches as they created a quintessentially American community from scratch. Author Miriam Sicherman tells the story of a Brooklyn neighborhood lost in the annals of New York City history.
Brooklyn's Barren Island: A Forgotten History
160
Brooklyn's Barren Island: A Forgotten History
160
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781467144315 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Arcadia Publishing SC |
| Publication date: | 11/18/2019 |
| Series: | Landmarks |
| Pages: | 160 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d) |