USA > New York > New York City > Old New York : a journal relating to the history and antiquities of New York City, Vol. II > Part 1
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OLD NEW YORK
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A JOURNAL RELATING TO THE
, HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES . CTHE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF
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AALLEW CO., INC.
NEW YORK CITY.
W. W. PASKO, EDITOR.
Feb. 1790 0
VOL. II.
march 1691
NEW YORK :
W. W. PASKO, 19 PARK PLACE. 1890.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS. N
PAGES
BAPTIST CHURCH IN GOLD STREET, 245
CHOLERA IN NEW YORK IN 1849, 39
CHURCHES IN NEW YORK IN 1848, 442
CITY CHURCHES IN 1827, 283, 308
CONDITION OF NEW YORK IN 1757,
166
DIARY OF DR. ALEX. ANDERSON, 88, 184, 217, 289, 428 GEN. ALEXANDER MCDOUGAL, 250
GEORGE WARNER,
364
GLEANINGS FROM THE SURROGATE'S OFFICE,
202
GOWAN'S WESTERN MEMORABILIA,
130, 177, 226
GULIAN C. VERPLANCK, 356
JENNY LIND'S FIRST CONCERT, .
43
JOHN CASTREE, 4.37
JOHN H. STARIN, 289, 344
JOHN M. TILFORD, 452
LAND TITLES IN NEW YORK CITY,
123
LAST ACT OF THE REVOLUTION,
27
LETTERS OF DOMINIE JOHANNES MEGAPOLENSIS,
145
LIST OF THE ISSUES OF THE PRESS IN NEW YORK, BETWEEN 1693 AND 1752. 23
MINOR AND OBSOLETE STREETS OF NEW YORK, 106
MINOR NOTES, . 367
MINOR PARAGRAPHS, 66. 141, 205. 287. 471
NEW PUBLICATIONS, 138
. NEW YORK IN 1756. 36
NICHOLAS FISH.
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PAGES
OLD CHELSEA,
NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF PRINTING IN NEW YORK, 52, 73, 152, 269 360
ORIGINAL CINCINNATI OF NEW YORK,
O PEARL STREET, I PETER CARPENTER BAKER, 327
192
PORTRAIT OF HAMILTON FISH,
217
PORTRAIT OF MARVELLE W. COOPER,
404
THE APPRAISER OF THE PORT OF NEW YORK, 404
THE DUTCH RECORDS OF NEW YORK, 216, 251. 337, 462 THE LEISLER TROUBLES IN 1689, 369
THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY, 61
WILLIAM HENRY, WEBB, 30 .
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Vol. II. FEBRUARY, 1890. No. 1.
OLD NEW YORK
A JOURNAL RELATING TO THE
HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES
OF
NEW YORK CITY.
W. W. PASKO, EDITOR.
NEW YORK : W. W. PASKO, 19 PARK PLACE.
SINGLE NUMBERS, FIFTY CENTS.
FIVE DOLLARS A YEAR.
Entered at the Post Office of New York as second-class matter.
ИЯРУ ШЛИ aJO
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ЭТАКУ ЧЕРЯ ТСЯЗаНИЙ ТЛЬМа
OLD NEW YORK.
CONTENTS FOR FEBRUARY, 1890.
PEARL STREET, . PAGE 1
The First Thoroughfare in the City -- List of Inhabitants-Mansion at the Junction with State-Fraunces's Tavern-Sales of Property- Hanover Square-Mrs. Wright's Waxworks -- The Collect-The Great Fire of 1835.
Illustrations-Beginning of State Street-Hamilton's Law Office-House on Frank- lin Square-Interior Decoration in the Sailor's Home -- Hague Street, viewed from Pearl-Tablet Concerning the Great Fire -- Holt's Hotel in 1832-Felt's Stationers' Hall.
LIST OF THE ISSUES OF THE PRESS OF NEW YORK BETWEEN 1693 AND 1752,
23
LAST ACT OF THE REVOLUTION, 27
Evacuation of New York-Raising of the American Flag-John Van Arsdale-His Military Services-Imprisonment in the Sugar House-Teunis Van Arsdale.
NEW YORK IN 1756, 36 Letter of Edward Thompson, an Officer in the British Navy.
CHOLERA IN NEW YORK IN 1849, 39
Report of the Sanitary Committee-Hospitals Made Ready-Deaths during the Epidemic.
JENNY LIND'S FIRST CONCERT, 43
Decorations of Castle Garden-Arrival of Jenny Lind-Her Songs the First Night-Bayard Taylor's Poem-Barnum's Speech-Jenny's Gifts to Charity-Advertisements of the Day.
NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF PRINTING IN NEW YORK, 52
Zenger's Imprisonment - Why He Wore a Sword - Speaking Through a Hole in the Door-The Jurisdiction of the Court-Ex- clusion of Alexander and Smith from the Bar-Empanneling a Jury.
THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY, 61
Formation of the Association-Beginning of the Library-Gifts by Merchants-Lectures by Thackeray.
MINOR PARAGRAPHS, 66
Peace After the War of 1812-Growth of New York between 1810 and 1800-Building of the Tract House-Boarding Houses for People of Color-Fortieth Anniversary Discourse of Dr. Gardiner Spring- Proposed Burning of New York by General Washington-Progress of Jersey. City.
No. 19 Park Place, New York.
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OLD NEW YORK.
FEBRUARY, 1890.
PEARL STREET.
The Englishman, the Frenchman, the Russian, who has not visited New York, still knows that its glory is Broadway. A wide street, running more than three miles without turning, and then only making a slight bend, still continuing to the northward for an indefinite space, gay with fine shops and spacious ware- houses its whole distance, it is indeed worthy of its renown. It has not always been the chief thoroughfare of this city, and may not continue to be so long, as in its upper portions there are indications of rivalry by other streets. In the last century, Pearl street, not then as long as now, was the great thoroughfare of New York. Upon it were displayed the merceries and the fine wares of Britain and France ; here the great men of the town lived ; the Chamber of Commerce, the Assembly, the great dancing parties, found it necessary to come together in its halls, and upon it the troops turned out for a parade. When the Revo- lutionary War was done, the American army marched down through Queen street to Wall street and Broadway to the Bat- tery. It was the chief seat of the dry goods industry until 1850, and since then has been the centre of many trades.
In a list of the streets of New York made by the Rev. Henricus Selyns in 1686, the earliest street directory we know of, few thoroughfares are given under their present appellations, while the total number amounts to no more than eighteen. King street, now Pine, is the one furthest to the north, Pearl street and its continuations the eastern limit, and Broadway the roadway most to
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· the west. In the beginning it was necessary to be near the fort for protection, and besides it was the custom at that time, not only in Holland, but elsewhere in Europe, to make their cities and villages compact. The present style of laying out a town with wide streets and detached houses owes its origin to America, where it has received its fullest development. The city grew slowly. It was long before population leaped from King street to Beekman street, and it was not till after the Revolution that the region beyond the present City Hall was occupied, except by squatters or humble cottagers. There were a few great mansions, but boys in 1800 went birdsnesting below Grand street and fishing where the Tombs is located.
Among the streets of the earlier town Pearl street stood easily chief. It was the first laid out, and the passages which touched it were added very slowly. Thus Dock street, Hanover square, Queen street and Magazine street were joined together, one after the other, until finally the progress of the thoroughfare was stopped by the great hospital on Broadway, through which a road must not be cut, as Pine street was prevented from extend- ing itself much later by the tomb of the victims of the prison- ships in the Wallabout. During much of the time Pearl street was the focus of fashion ; and then successively was the centre of the fashionable retail shops and the headquarters of the dry goods, hardware and publishing interests, and it is now that of the dealers in coffee, sugar and cotton. It is nowhere straight, and block after block joins on irregularly, as if at one time it had determined to stop just there. Upon it are the structures reared by great merchants and bankers, whose wealth is known over the whole globe, while on the same street are the haunts of vice, poverty, squalor and degradation. Wall street and Park street both cross it.
The trade of New York at an early day was in flour, furs, skins, fish and provisions to the West Indies and to Europe. Being bulky commodities, it was necessary to avoid cartage as far as possible. The vessels, which were very small ones, accord- ing to present ideas, carrying no more than sixty or eighty tons, could come very close to the shore, which, on the east side, is steep enough to give deep water to ships, and, consequently, all
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warehouses were as near as possible to the shore. We know that there were many houses here at an early period, but we do not know where they were. It is recorded that the first wharf in the city was built by Daniel Litschoe, tavern keeper, on the Strand. It was near the foot of Broad street. In 1656 that part east of Broad street was called Hoogh straat or High street. Shortly after the British conquest a census or enumeration of the inhabit- ants was taken. They were, in 1665, the following:
Parel straat-Pieter Wolferzen Van Couwenhoven, Hendrick Jansen Vanderveer, Jaques Cousseau, Pieter Aldricks, Tomas Coninck, Hendrick Bas, Gerrit Van Tright, Pieter Cornelisen, Class Bordingh, Jan Gerrizen Van Buytenhuysen, Wil. Kock, Esterne Guineau, Waldwyn Wanderveer, Tomas Franzen Karre- man, Jurrien Blanck, M. Tybout, Pieter Jacobzen Marius, Tomas Lamberzen, Tomas Laurens.
De Hoogh straat-Annekin Litsco, Jan Laurens, Andries Joghimzen, Abraham Lubberzen, Remont Remontzen, Govert Loockermans, Joannes Van Bruggh, Warnaer Wassells, Dirck Jansen Vandeventer, Jeremias Jansen Haydnaar, Abraham Clock, Isaac Bedlo, Evert Duychingh, Stoffel Hooglant, Abiggel Verplanck, David Jochimsen, Asser Levy, Barent Cours, Arien Huyberzen, Wessel Evergen, Arent Isaaczen, Cornelis Janzen, Cornelis Jansen Plagvier, Cors Jansen, Hendrick Asueris, Joannes Nevins, Pieter Jansen Schol, Nicolaes de Meyer, Huge Barenzen Clem, Walraven Clearhout, Frerick Hendryckzen, Alex. Stultke, Lybout Clazen, Arien Van Laar, Aldert Coninck, Jacob Van Couwenhoven, Joannes Van Couwenhoven, Lambert Barenzen, Hendrick Vandewater, Lawrens Vanderspygel, Walter Salter. The list appears to be very faulty in spelling. Esterne, for instance, is probably Estienne.
Turning back to the census of the inhabitants in 1686 we find Pearl street, thus called by the Dutch, although spelled Parel, was the block between State and Whitehall streets. State street was only a waste bit of land, not yet dignified with a name, be- yond the fort, and probably almost covered with water at high tide. Two hundred years ago there were no houses upon it. From this a narrow lane, narrower than Pearl street of to-day, ran to Whitehall street. A few houses were on this block, which
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THE BEGINNING OF PEARL STREET.
they faced ; at the ends of the lots there were no corresponding structures, but only little alleyways, for the fort was at the north and Leisler's half moon (a battery) at the south. Its continua- tion was called Lang de Strand (along the strand or beach). When this name was first given the houses were all on the west side or north side of the street, as it may with equal propriety be called, and this was its appellation from Whitehall street to Wall street. It was, however, about this time changed to Dock street. The first block beyond Whitehall street led it to Broad street, and on the side nearest the sea there were in this neigh- borhood in 1695 a few houses. The total number of buildings in this street in 1686 were sixty-seven. Between the space, however, where Dock street approached nearest to Pearl was a wide place, similar to the levees in western cities, where wagons stood and goods were temporarily stored in the open air. It is now much
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Pearl Street.
narrower, and its western side is called Whitehall street, while its eastern side is Moore street. Upon the northernmost part the Old Produce Exchange stood, its site now being occupied by the United States military building. Two other blocks have been taken out of this open space, being divided from the plot just mentioned by Water street and Front street. Whitehall itself is wider at its termination than near the Bowling Green. At Broad street there was in the earliest times a wet place to be crossed ; later there was a little canal, which could be navigated by canoes and periaugers. After population grew more dense it was filled up. Before this was completely done, a house was erected on the northeastern corner of Broad and Pearl streets which is still standing, famous for the great gatherings that have been held there, and forever to be remembered as the scene of an eventful act of Washington's life. It was then Fraunces's tavern, but has since had many appellations. This is the oldest house in the city. It was built by one of the De Lanceys about the year 1706, and was at first occupied for a residence. Afterwards it became a tavern, and as that and a boarding house it has been occupied for a century and a half. Two incidents are more marked in its existence than any others. The first is the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce in its Long Room in 1768, and the other is the leave taken of the officers of the American army by Gen- eral Washington soon after the evacuation by the British. The Chamber of Commerce is now in its one hundred and thirty- second year. To its membership almost all of the great mer- chants of New York have belonged. The charter was originally given by Cadwallader Colden, Lieutenant Governor of this colony, and confirmed by George the Third. Its meetings were to a great extent suspended during the Revolution, but began again under a charter from the State soon after the close of hostilities. It again ceased its meetings in 1810, but resumed them in 1817, and . from that time on till the present has exerted a beneficent influ- ence among the merchants of New York and upon those of the rest of the globe.
When General Washington took leave of his army in 1783, he was but fifty-one years of age. He had left his home where he had every comfort, his broad acres supplying everything that
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was necessary for the convenience of man or the luxury of his table, to take command of an undisciplined army, drawn from a dozen different communities, whose temper he did not know and could not conjecture. They might refuse to fight, and their dis- sensions might be so great that it would be impossible to form an army from them. His stake in money was greater than that of almost any other American, for with the exception of Stephen Girard, John Hancock, and Charles Carroll he was the richest man in the colonies, and if the feelings of resentment which held these provinces together at the beginning should be dissipated · he could not find the safety that the more obscure could rely upon. He, with John Adams and Samuel Adams, would be cer- tain of receiving the extreme punishment for treason. Under these circumstances, he accepted the command of the American army. By his judgment and assiduous labors he made it an array of well-trained veterans, the victors of many a hard fought field. The war was over; the enemy had departed, and the troops were
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disbanded. On the 4th of December, 1783, Washington met his officers in Fraunces's tavern, each of them soon to return to their homes. The story has frequently been told, and will not be repeated here. It was an affecting meeting. He shook each of them by the hand and bade them farewell, thus closing a com- panionship and official association of many years. The room in which this happened, the house where he thus took leave, are still standing. The upper story does not look the same as it did at that time, for there was a fire here a number of years ago, and when the top was rebuilt opportunity was taken to gain more room. Of late years attention has been attracted to this house as the meeting place of the Sons of the Revolution, an organization composed of descendants from Revolutionary sol- diers, and now in a very flourishing condition. Its foundation was here, six years ago. The hotel is now kept by Jacob Etzel, a patriotic German American. Directly across the way is an old building, evidently dating from Revolutionary times. The fires which ravaged the city did not attack this particular region, and the houses have consequently been preserved to us. Tradition says that Alexander Hamilton once had his law office here.
Sales of property in this neighborhood two hundred years ago show a surprising contrast to the transfers now made. A house and lot between Whitehall and State streets, about thirty feet by one hundred and ten, were sold in 1705 for $875; the " Oude Kirk," on the north side of the street, between Broad and White- hall streets, and extending through to Bridge street, went for $900 in 1682 ; two years after a house and lot between Whitehall and State streets, fifty feet by forty-five, was sold for $375 ; a house and lot at the present junction of Pearl, Broad and Bridge streets, went for $1,313 in 1699; in 1711 a house and lot on the northeast corner of Whitehall and Pearl streets, forty-three feet by twenty-four, was sold for $120 ; in 1732 a lot on the southeast corner of Whitehall and Pearl streets, twenty-three feet by thirty- four, sold for $390; the same year a lot on the east side of White- hall street, next below Pearl street, twenty-two by thirty-six, was transferred for $480; in 1757 a house and lot on the west side of Whitehall street, between Pearl and State streets, twenty-seven feet by eighty-one, having on the west the ground of Hendricks,
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on the south the ground once owned by Governor Stuyvesant, and afterwards by Governor Dongan, on the east by Whitehall street and on the north by the house and lot once owned by Jacob Leisler, was sold for $1,250.
The street, still called Dock, in early days wound its way along the shore, from which it was nowhere very distant, up to Hanover square. This made two blocks, the lower one being divided from the other by Coenties alley. To make a short cut and to avoid the mud of the river side the wagoners passed directly through this block to Stone street, as it is now called. In the early history of New York there were places for loading and unloading at the foot of Whitehall street, Broad street, Smith street, now William, and Wall street, and at Coenties slip. The foot of Smith street was then, as now, known as Old slip, and the foot of Wall street was Coffee House slip, a name still recollected by our older citi- zens. Upon the corner of Coenties alley and Pearl street was the Stadt Huys of the Dutch. It was an antique looking structure of brick, brought from Holland, and faced the river. This was Ferected for the convenience of the public, as an inn, there having been no good provision for them before. It was erected in 1643. Here the burgomasters and schepens met, and here the affairs of the city were debated over. This was also the site of an early school. The building lasted till 1699, when it had grown old and shaky, and was then sold by the corporation for $2,300. A new City Hall was built immediately afterwards at the corner of Wall and Nassau streets, where the Sub-Treasury now is. The engrav- ing of the old City Hall by Anderson is familiar to all New Yorkers.
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It appears that in 1695 the street was built upon as far as Maiden lane. Grants of land were made to John Theobald, Robert Sinklair, Peter Adolph, Miles Forster, Doctor Samuel Slotes, Coster Lideersen, Jr., and John Vanderspiegel, who lived along the side of a continuation running north, and this continua- tion was formally laid out on the 13th of October, 1694.
" Order'd yt upon his Excell the Gouvernour's Nomination henceforth the street reaching from Burger's Path to the further end of the Smith's fly by Alderman Beekmans be called Queen. street."
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Pearl Street.
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At this time Hanover square had begun, although not shown on the map under that name. Indeed, it is probable it was not thus called until the accession of George the First, of the house of Hanover. Old slip came in here, forming the door or gate of William street, then Smith's fly, although denominated on the map of that day as Kings street. Where the street widens out there was, pretty near the location of the station of the elevated road, a building used as a slaughter-house. On the shore, on the east side, was a long building or buildings; just below the slip there were some others, but at Coenties slip and above and below it the water touched the street. At Broad street there was a con- siderable space of ground, upon both sides, which had been res- cued from the river, and beyond these plots again was a sea wall, designed for the protection of vessels. It is possible this was not really built, but shown as an improvement which was contem- plated.
In its earlier years the progress of Pearl street was stopped by the wall erected across the north end of town, made of pali- sades. It wasd esigned to exclude the Indians. It ran across from water to water, the two principal blockhouses being at the northwest corner of William and Pearl streets, and the other at the northeast corner of Broadway and Wall street. Two lesser guardhouses were at the rear end of the present Trinity church- yard and the other at the northeast corner of Pearl street and the water side. The land here was apparently wrested from the 'river. It was known as the fly blockhouse and half moon.
" All the land on the water side from the blockhouse to the hill next to Mr. Beekman's was sold in lots in 1692. Those from the blockhouse (now Wall street) to the Green lane (now Maiden lane) were valued at twenty-five shillings per foot. From the Green lane to Mrs. Van Clyff's, now John street, at eighteen shillings per foot. From Mrs. Van Clyff's to Mr. Beekman's for fifteen shillings a foot." In 1738 a lot extending from Pearl street to Cliff street, twenty-five feet by two hundred, was sold for $200, and in 1745 the same lots brought $375.
After the Revolution Pearl street retained the prominence it had before the war. Queen street still held that name, but it was changed before many years.
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The whole of the lower part of the island was once covered with burial places. It was not thought injurious to public health to have them in the midst of cities, and they were commonly found around all churches. But as these plots of ground were frequently very small other places must be sought for to inter those who died after a church had been some years in existence. Thus the Jews, who had their synagogue on Mill street, were forced to bury on Oliver street. In 1766 the authorities of the Dutch Reformed Church applied to the Common Council for a grant of ground for that purpose. The Garden street church- yard had become filled up in the seventy years which had elapsed since the building was erected, and they needed more land. This was granted to them. The plot given was on the common adjacent to Mr. Cuyler's sugar house (the Rhinelander sugar house, of which we gave an illustration in our December number). Twenty-eight lots were in this plot; twelve fronted northeasterly to Queen street, eight southeasterly on Rose street, and ten on William street. It does not, however, appear to have been extensively used as a cemetery, as the maps of the city show this plot was built on before 1800. While these pages were going through the press, a body was found in an excavation for a new building in Rose street which was undoubtedly one of those buried here a hundred years ago.
The year that the first directory was published, 1786, we find that at the last house in the street, 111 Queen street, near the tea water pump, Gabriel Furman offered genteel boarding and lodg- ing, very convenient for members of the Senate and Assembly, and others who may have business with them. His sign was that of the Free American. In its immediate vicinity, No. 100, there were waxworks on representation, giving the story of Bel and the Dragon, as large as life. Admittance from nine in the morn- ing till nine at night. The price of admission was three shillings. This was Mrs. Wright's collection, and she had formerly lived in this house. She will be remembered as the maker of waxworks in London who supplied so much news of what was going on in En- glish political circles to Dr. Franklin. She died not far from this time. A little further down, at No. 81, was Jacob Astor, as he then entitled himself, or John Jacob Astor, as he is more gen-
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erally known to us. He had been in America a couple of years only. In an advertisement of May 25th, of that year, he describes his place as two doors from the Friends' Meeting House. He had just imported from London an elegant assortment of musical in- struments, such as piano fortes, spinnets, piano-forte guitars, guitars, hautboys, fifes, the best Roman violin strings, and all other kinds of strings, music books and papers and every other article in the musical line, which he would dispose of on very low terms for cash.
In 1789, when the first Congress under the Constitution was held in New York, many of the members lived in Pearl street. Among the Senators who dwelt there were Caleb Strong, of Massachusetts, at 15 Great Dock street; Jonathan Elmer and William Paterson, of New Jersey, at 48 and 51 Great Dock street ; Robert Morris, of Pennsylvania, at 39 Great Dock street, and Pierce Butler, of South Carolina, at 37 Great Dock street. Of the representatives Fisher Ames, of Massachusetts, was at 15 Great Dock street ; George Leonard, George Partridge and Theo- dore Sedgwick, of Massachusetts, at 15 Great Dock street; Will- iam Floyd, of New York, at No. 27 Queen street, and George Clymer and Thomas Fitzsimons, of Pennsylvania, at Mr. Ander- son's, in Pearl street.
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