Brooklyn Waterfront History

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  • Where Coffee Was King

    Path Location: 3

    In the early 20th century, Brooklyn was the capital of the coffee business in America.

  • Mass Transit, Brooklyn Style

    Path Location: 18

    In 1814, Robert Fulton’s steam ferry helped transform Brooklyn from a rural hamlet to a booming city.

  • A Crossroads of Immigration

    Path Location: 5

    Immigrants have lived and worked in neighborhoods near the Brooklyn waterfront for generations.

  • Warehouse Way

    Path Location: 4

    Brooklyn’s waterfront was once dotted with warehouses storing tons of cargo from all over the world.

  • A Nation’s Waterway

    Path Location: 10

    In the 19th century, the East River was one of the world’s busiest waterways.

  • Fire!

    Path Location: 13

    Dangerous and destructive fires occurred frequently along the Brooklyn waterfront.

  • A Working Waterfront

    Path Location: 11

    Longshoremen, boatmen, drivers, clerks, U.S. Customs inspectors and others once labored along Brooklyn’s waterfront.

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