![Sheepshead Bay Rd. and Jerome Avenue in the early 20th Century and Now (St. Marks in the background) [Courtesy of Forgotten NY]](http://sheepsheadbites.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/SheepsheadBayRd_JeromeAve.jpg "Sheepshead Bay Rd and Jerome Avenue")
Sheepshead Bay Rd. and Jerome Avenue in the early 20th Century and now (St. Marks in the background)
(Courtesy of Forgotten NY)
Did you know there are two Sheepshead Bay Roads? One of our favorite amateur historians, Kevin Walsh, took a historical stroll down Sheepshead Bay Road in his latest update to Forgotten NY. He explains the formation and original paths of one of Southern Brooklyn’s few remaining original roads, existing before the grid pattern confined our streets to boring, practical layouts.
Walsh also takes a look at the character of the current Sheepshead Bay, comparing it to the racetrack and hotels of past eras. When you see the article, you begin to understand why roads like Voorhies Avenue and Jerome Avenue strike out where they do, and can get a sense of what our area may have felt like back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While you’re at Forgotten NY, don’t forget to check out his 2006 three-part series exploring more of Sheepshead Bay.
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I love Kevin’s site. Been reading it for years.
love that site and love old pictures of ny especially sheepshead bay,.. if anyone else knows of another site with more of these, please share
I haven’t had a chance to completely read the article about Sheepshead Bay’s forgotten history, so it is possible that Kevin mentions this in his piece: there is a third Sheepshead Bay Road near Coney Island. I mentioned it as being part of a “cut up” road in a post I did on June 20, 2009.
yeah i also like looking at historic photos of our area.
here are some that i’ve found.
http://www.arrtsarrchives.com/mbbr5.html
http://www.arrtsarrchives.com/mbbr7.html
http://www.arrtsarrchives.com/sbjct.html
Kevin’s got the location wrong. The first shot is of Sheepshead Bay Road looking towards East 14th Street. St. Mark was at East 14th Street and Sheepshead Bay Road until 1929. The earlier building does resemble the current one. The pages that Santa’s hoe referenced have pictures, I believe there is one of Sheepshead Bay Station of the LIRR’s Manhattan Beach Branch that shows St Mark’s next to it. That station was on East 14th Street and Sheepshead Bay Road.
Here’s two pictures from 1923 and 1928 from the NYPL Digital Collection showing St Mark at that location.
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=364485&imageID=706708F&total=43&num=0&word=%22Sheepshead%20Bay%20Road%22&s=1¬word=&d=&c=&f=&k=0&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&imgs=20&pos=20&e=w
Here’s a link to Kevin’s two part feature on Gravesend rewritten this summer, which also includes Homecrest. The part on Homecrest has a picture taken by yours truly.
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/gravesend/gravesend.html
What a gorgeous backdrop we used to have! The St. Mark’s spire is especially striking. I wish I had seen it in person!
There are a couple of small discrepancies in the Forgotten NY feature about Sheepshead Bay. I guess they can be “forgotten” if Kevin adds a link and a mention about Sheepshead Bites on his popular site.