by Geoff Cobb 
It was just about noon on October 6, 1950—a day seemingly like any other day in Greenpoint—but five minutes later all hell would break loose. America was at the height of the Red Scare and news that the Soviets had the bomb was in everyone’s mind. Constant air raid drilling and the creation of local fallout shelters in the case of nuclear war only heightened anxiety even higher.
Suddenly a massive ear splitting explosion at…
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Greenpointers has covered Greenpoint & Williamsburg since 2007 — community boards, rezoning fights, local businesses, and the people whose lives and work give the neighborhood its character. Local news is collapsing across the country, but we're still here: independently owned, no corporate backing, no paywall. 18+ years, 280k+ monthly readers and followers, funded by the community we serve.
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My father was a worker for Mobil oil. I have a childhood memory of the tanks exploding. My dad went to help. We all stood across the street from the refinery watching them burn. I was terrified my dad would get hurt. He came home blackened and smelling of oil and gas.
Do you have any information about that?
Thanks.
What year did the blast occur?
Greenpointers did know that there was oil under Greenpiont before 1978. When I was a child in the 60’s my dad would tell me about it.
It was in 1978 that it was rediscovered.