The Secret History of Staten Island

To most people, Staten Island is only known for a handful of things:

The Ferry

ferry

Wu-Tang Clan

wutang

The Landfill

landfill

Big Ang (Rest in Peace!)

big ang

Well I’m here to tell you, there’s plenty more to know about forgotten borough.  For example, did you know that said landfill, once the largest garbage dump in the world, is in the process of being renovated into a 2,200 acre park? (RIP, landfill!) Or that Staten Island was a staging area for the departure of British troops returning to England after the Revolutionary War? Or that on September 11, 1776, a delegation led by Benjamin Franklin row boated to Staten Island from Jersey to negotiate an end to the war with King George’s emissary? (Needless to say, they couldn’t come to an accord.)  The house where that meeting took place is still standing, and is now a museum known as The Conference House.

Staten Island also has interesting ties to the Civil War. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who led the all-Black Massachusetts 54th Infantry into battle and was subsequently immortalized by Matthew Broderick in the Oscar-winning epic “Glory,” was a Staten Islander.  Before the war started, he lived with his family right around the corner from where I live now in Livingston, a community of prominent abolitionists.

56.davis_.glory_

Just few days prior to Colonel Shaw’s heroic death on July 18, 1863 at the battle at Fort Wagner, there was mass terror back home in Staten Island and around New York City. In what came to be known as the Draft Riots, an estimated 120 people were killed during a four-day period from July 11th to 15th, when protests against draft requirements, which unfairly targeted immigrants and poor people, escalated into violence and outright attacks and lynchings of Blacks, abolitionists and Union sympathizers.    (Some death toll estimates are in the thousands).  Many Black and Abolitionist residents of Staten Island were forced to flee to New Jersey or fortify their homes to protect their community from angry mobs.  This fascinating and chilling history can be found in the archives at the Staten Island Museum.

Staten Island is also the location of the oldest, continuously inhabited free black settlement in the country. Sandy Ground, established in 1833, provided safe haven for freedmen from Maryland and other parts,who came to earn their living in the booming oyster industry.  The history of Sandy Ground was captured in the Sandy Ground Historical Society‘s quilting program, “Faces of the Underground Railroad” which provides profiles of some of Sandy Ground’s earliest settlers. The quilts are on display in a library exhibition at St. John’s University’s Staten Island Campus.

Sports? Football: Did you know that Staten Island was once home to an NFL franchise? The Staten Island Stapes, who played in (surprise!) the Stapleton section of the borough,compiled a tepid 14-22-9 record in four seasons from 1929 to 1932.  The Stapes also fielded the smallest player in NFL history, Jack “Soapy” Shapiro, a five-foot tall blocking back who played in one game for the franchise.  Baseball: Bobby Thompson, the New York Giant outfielder who hit the “Shot Heard Around the World” in 1951, rode the ferry back to his Staten Island home after his historic home run. Mary Outerbridge (for whom the Outerbridge Crossing is named) brought tennis to the U.S. by way of Staten Island, which is also home to the nation’s oldest cricket club.  This and more little-known sports history of the borough is being featured in an exhibition called “Home Games,” a collaboration between the Staten Island Museum and the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame.

I’m pretty certain that you’re aware that Staten Island is surrounded by water. But how much do you know about the Island’s rich maritime history, such as the story of Katherine Walker, one of the earliest known female lighthouse keepers? The Noble Maritime Collection, located on the campus of Snug Harbor Cultural Center (nee Sailor’s Snug Harbor),  captures her story and chronicles the fascinating evolution of the shipping industry in New York Harbor through visual art and interactive classes.  Trust me, it’s a lot more interesting than you might think.

And the same can be said for my hometown.

AUTHOR

Coach Dave

All stories by: Coach Dave

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.