Today female physicians are the norm, but in 1908 when Mary Crawford became Brooklyn’s first female ambulance surgeon at Williamsburg Hospital people were shocked and her male colleagues were outraged. […]
Posts by Author Archives: Geoff Cobb
Geoffrey Cobb is a Brooklyn high school history teacher and writer of the blog historicgreenpoint.wordpress.com. He has lived in Greenpoint for over 20years and is the author of a book on the history of the area, "Greenpoint Brooklyn's Forgotten Past."
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
A Short History of the Greenpoint Park With Two Names
Some call it McGolrick Park, while many born and bred locals call it Winthrop Park. So what are you supposed to call it and why does the park have two […]
Posted inCommunity
The Local Purple Heart Recipient Memorialized With a Park
Recently there was a $ 12,000,000 renovation of Sergeant William Dougherty Park, which lies right by the Brooklyn Queens Expressway at the corner of Vandervoort Avenue and Anthony Street. Sergeant […]
Posted inUncategorized
Legendary Writer Henry Miller Recalls Williamsburg of The 1890s
Henry Miller is not only one of the greatest writers Brooklyn ever produced, but also a chronicler of the now vanished North Brooklyn before the building of the Williamsburg Bridge […]
Posted in(Not)Forgotten Greenpoint
A Greenpoint Irish Primer for St. Patrick’s Day
Most people associate Greenpoint with the Polish community, but our area has a long and deep connection to Ireland. Let’s answer a few questions to prepare you fully to celebrate […]
Posted in(Not)Forgotten Greenpoint
The Irish Revolutionary and First Female Mayor of Dublin Who Lived in Greenpoint
It’s both Women’s History Month and the week before St. Patrick’s Day so it is totally fitting that we honor the most famous Irish woman who ever lived in Greenpoint- […]
Posted in(Not)Forgotten Greenpoint
A History of Greenpoint Piers
There is no more important geographical feature of Greenpoint than our waterfront defined by piers, wharves and docks, so let us take a moment and examine in more detail the […]
Posted in(Not)Forgotten Greenpoint
The Williamsburg Roots of the Adler Acting Dynasty
American theater and film acting owes a huge debt to Stella Adler who is perhaps the most influential teacher of the dramatic method in American theater history. Adler’s method […]
Posted inCulture
Maria Stewart: America’s ‘First Black Woman Political Writer’ Who Taught in Williamsburg
As we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month its time to recall that one of the early giants of both the Abolitionist movement and the women’s movement lived […]
Posted in(Not)Forgotten Greenpoint
Brooklyn Label: Rediscovering the Astral’s Legacy
A lot of local history is quickly disappearing, but one place that is holding strong is Brooklyn Label (180 Franklin St.) and the historic building it calls home. French Greenpointer […]