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Catherine and Main Street Ferry Company records

Call Number

1977.051

Date

1812-1845, inclusive

Creator

Ward, Edwin J., Mrs. (Role: Donor)
Catherine and Main Street Ferry Company (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Bowne, Samuel

Extent

0.63 Linear Feet in one full manuscript box and one half manuscript box

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The records that directly pertain to the ferry company include account books, bills for construction and repair, inspection certificates, and receipt books for wages paid to employees. Also included is a lease agreement issued by Samuel Bowne to Andrew Lake for a parcel of land in Manhattan; a petition from the freeholders of the city of Brooklyn to a circuit judge regarding a dispute with the owner of a distillery on Brooklyn's waterfront; and a broadside announcing the Whig party candidates for Election Day, 1842.

Historical note

The Catherine and Main Street Ferry Company was established in 1811 by Samuel Bowne for the purpose of operating a ferry line that connected Catherine Street in Manhattan to Main Street in Brooklyn across the East River. This particular ferry line, originally known as the New Ferry, was first established in 1795 to supplement the service of the Fulton Ferry, which had been the first ferry to provide service between Brooklyn and Manhattan (1). Bowne operated the ferry until 1852, when he sold the company to Cyrus P. Smith and William F. Bulkley (2). The ferry was subsequently purchased the following year by the Union Ferry Company of Brooklyn, whose one-cent fare rendered the Catherine and Main Street Ferry Company and several other ferry companies uncompetitive (3).

Sources:

  1. Nathaniel S. Prime. A History of Long Island From its First Settlement by Europeans to the Year 1845 (New York: Robert Carter, 1845), 376-380.
  2. "Catharine Ferry," Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 29, 1852, 1.
  3. "Brooklyn Ferries," Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 10, 1853, 2.

Scope and Contents

The Catherine and Main Street Ferry Company records measure 0.42 linear feet and span the period 1812 to 1845. The records that directly pertain to the ferry company include account books, bills for construction and repair, inspection certificates, and receipt books for wages paid to employees. Also included is a lease agreement issued by Samuel Bowne to Andrew Lake for a parcel of land in Manhattan; a petition from the freeholders of the city of Brooklyn to a circuit judge regarding a dispute with the owner of a distillery on Brooklyn's waterfront; and a broadside announcing the Whig party candidates for Election Day, 1842.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to users without restriction.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Catherine and Main Street Ferry Company records, 1977.051, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Mrs. Edwin J. Ward, June 1922.

Collection processed by

Matthew Gorham

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:10:04 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information

Minimally processed to the collection level.

Material found in repository added to collection by Lena Evers-Hillstrom in November 2018.

Note Statement

change to complete_collection_level

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society

Container

Box: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Box: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201