SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Archives.

THE COMMUTE: In Part 1, we discussed the rail and elevated lines which preceded the first subway. In Part 2, we started discussing the Dual Contracts. Yesterday, we discussed decline of the elevated system and the rise of the subway system. Today, we continue discussing the subways’ decline and its renaissance.

The Decline of the Subways

What if the automobile had not become so popular and highways were not built to accommodate them? Surely rapid transit would have continued to flourish. Instead, you can count on your fingers the number of new subway stations  constructed and opened since the end of World War II. When you consider all the Els that were demolished and not replaced, there are less rapid transit miles in service today than there were right before World War II.

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Artist John Sloan’s “Sixth Avenue Elevated at Third Street,” circa 1928.

THE COMMUTE: Last week (Part 1, Part 2) we started discussing the Dual Contracts. We continue with the rest of the discussion and also discuss the IND line, the decline of the elevated system (“The El”) and the rise of the subways.

The Dual Contracts, Continued…

After completion of the Fourth Avenue subway in Brooklyn, the former railroad lines that connected to the Fifth Avenue and Third Avenue Els in Brooklyn were reconnected to the Fourth Avenue subway instead. Also, as part of the Dual Contracts, the IRT and BMT were both extended in a six-track tunnel beneath Flatbush Avenue. The IRT was further extended eastward along Eastern Parkway to Utica Avenue (and via el to New Lots Avenue) and to Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue with plans for further extensions. The BMT continued further south along Flatbush Avenue to Prospect Park. There it connected to the Brighton line where the line had to be expanded to four tracks between Prospect Park and Church Avenue.

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IRT East Side Line at City Hall. (Source: John-Paul Palescandolo via NYCSubway.org)

THE COMMUTE:  On Tuesday, we discussed the railroads and elevated lines that preceded the building of the first subway that still are in use today, and are now part of the subway system. Today we continue with the invention of electricity.

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An eight-car train gets ready for a trial run on the Sea Beach line. Source: NYCSubwayChat

THE COMMUTE: Three weeks ago I mentioned how the bus transfer system confused me as a youngster. I also had difficulty understanding the original porcelain IRT subway signs stating “Subway To All Trains,” which were still in use in the 1970s. As I grew up, I realized that the original meaning of the word “subway” referred to the underground passageway, not to the trains themselves and that “all trains” meant you could travel in both directions since that is not possible at some station entrances.

In October 2004, what we call the subway system celebrated its 100th birthday, but portions that are not underground are actually much older. In Sheepshead Bay we do not even have a subway — only outdoor segments, which connect to the subway within the inner neighborhoods of Brooklyn. There is a wealth of information on the internet regarding the history of the system and plans for expansion that were never realized. The premier subway site is nycsubway.org, which can answer most questions about the subway system. If not, you can always post your question on a transit forum such as subchat.com and a knowledgeable person will probably respond to you within minutes.

What I intend to do in this series is to concentrate on the history of the parts of the system directly affecting our area, give a general overview of the rest of the system, and point you to sites where you can find more detailed information.

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The family of reader Saul Braksmajer in front of his grandfather’s grocery at 144 Neptune Avenue. Photo courtesy of Saul Braksmajer

After we posted a photo for the Morning Mug by reader Saul Braksmajer, he was kind enough to send us in a couple more images, with some local historical significance. Saul’s grandfather ran the grocery store, pictured above, at 144 Neptune Avenue, between Gray Court and East 11thStreet.

Saul tells us:

“The first picture is my grandparents, my dad, and my uncle in front of the store my grandfather ran in 1962. The second picture (Ed. — below) is the same spot, 50 years later (note the giant tree that grew in that time!).”

144 Neptune Avenue today. Photo courtesy of Saul Braksmajer

What I love about the top photo is that you can see that they have advertisements for Green Stamps in the window, as well as products such as White Rose Tea; Schaefer, Schlitz and Rheingold beers, and — something I’ve never heard of — dual filter cigarettes. They also sold giant Lipton mushrooms, which, as I previously mentioned, I’m not much of a fan of.

Does anyone recall shopping at this grocery store? Share your memories in the comments!

READER SUBMISSION: Mickie Burbella Whitley, an East 15th Street resident and North Carolina-native, passed by this derelict motor boat in the Bay. The sight brought back memories of Hurricane Irene and, 10 years earlier, Hurricane Floyd – during which she made her drive up from North Carolina to Brooklyn. Here, she shares her experiences of the two hurricanes, and of the long, dangerous drive up the coast with a hurricane bearing down in her rear view mirror.

Out and about this morning, I noticed the marina’s new trash-art piece is still on display: a derelict shell of a motor boat, full of trash and whatnot, bumping against the Holocaust Park sea wall near the corner of Emmons.  Now I suppose this observation would be appropriate to a “More Trash in the Bay”-type article, but instead it reminded me of last August and Hurricane Irene… and Irene brings back bittersweet memories of Floyd.

We are two months into what has been a mild hurricane season here in the Bay. Until Irene put Brooklyn into a panic late August 2011, it had been a full 12 years since this part of the world even remembered that hurricanes weren’t just something that happened to other states.

But I grew up in hurricane country and making note of the season is in my blood. In fact, my family lives in the small coastal town (that no one had ever heard of nor remembers now) on which Hurricane Irene first landed. When she got to the Bay, I felt like someone from down home had come visitin’.

I always change my water on the first of June.  For those who don’t immediately recall, the first day of June is opening day of hurricane season for the east coast. This is when my household schedule is set to changing out stored utility water, checking all battery and bulb supplies for the flashlights, reviewing the expiration dates on set aside canned and dried goods, putting up extra ice and making sure the stock of candles, oil and matches is still fat and happy. And yes, I make sure I have a stack of duct tape around… not that I would ever use it on my windows.

Hurricanes engender an awe of respect.  Floyd and Irene, in particular, because they, of all the recent storms, have been able to make New York City pause in its tracks and pay attention.

I celebrate my moving to the Bay during hurricane season. Hurricane Dennis hijacked one moving date and two weeks later, Hurricane Floyd personally escorted me up the coast in 1999.

My respect for the strength of a ‘cane has been solidified by former recklessness.

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Tonight at 10:00 p.m., tune in to SyFy and check out how a ghost terrorized a Gravesend family.

In the season premiere of Paranormal Witness, Gravesend resident Elaine Mercado explains how she and her family have been haunted by a “ghost bride” in their Queen Anne-style home near Avenue V.

“It started when my daughters found a really tiny dress in the attic,” explained the retired Coney Island Hospital nurse. “It was maybe a size 2, but short. It creeped me out completely. They brought it down wrapped in newspaper from the 1950′s, and I said get rid of it.”

After that, Mercado says things got even creepier. The family would hear their names whispered in a menacing voice and would have their blankets thrown from their beds. They also saw shadows and started having nightmares.

A neighbor confirmed that a young bride died in the attic of the home many years ago, but under mysterious circumstances.

The family ended up calling in SyFy’s medium who… well, I guess you’ll have to watch to find out.

Source: Thirsty Girl Productions

It’s time to get your history on and tap into your databank of Coney Island trivia during the Second Annual History Day at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park and The Coney Island History Project, tomorrow, August 11 (rain date: August 12), from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Everything old will be new again—especially if you dress in classic Roaring Twenties garb, which will entitle you to one free ride on the Wonder Wheel, so break out those spats, cloche hats and flapper dresses and get ready to do the Charleston.

Live Entertainment

Shake your booty with NYC’s legendary Hungry March Band, satisfy your soul with Ragtime and Dixieland from The Banjo Rascals and let loose with Benjamin Ickies & The Coney Island Screamers, who attack Golden Age Circus Music with a Rock ‘n Roll attitude. The always-amazing Lady Circus will also be on tap.

Performances and events will be held at The Wonder Wheel, at The Coney Island History Project, 3059 West 12th Street off the Boardwalk, and throughout Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park.

Plus: Ride The Wonder Wheel and receive a nostalgic Coney Island commemorative gift and have a chance to take your photo with old timey cutouts for free.

Live History

Test your Coney Island smarts at the Coney Island Trivia Contest with historian and author Charles Denson. Prizes include ride passes for Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park and souvenir postcards. You are invited to come and record your memories for the History Projects oral History Archive if you have a Coney Island story to share.

The public can also participate in Deno’s Draw-a-thon. Adults and kids are invited to draw a picture of the landmark Wonder Wheel, which will then become part of an online photo exhibit. Crayons and paper will be provided.

Additionally, a new exhibit on the cultural history of Coney Island’s bathhouses and the art of bathhouse key tags will open on History Day at the Coney Island History Project. There were once more than 50 bathhouses of all kinds lining the beach at Coney Island.

A century ago bathhouses provided the only access to the beach and, for many, a home away from home. Now hardly anyone knows what a bathhouse is. The shorefront facilities were a popular cultural phenomenon, providing entertainment, lockers, changing rooms, showers, swim suit rentals, steam baths, massive salt water pools, athletic equipment, game courts, restaurants, and fenced wooden decks for nude sunbathing.

This exhibit provides a history told in photographs, admission tickets, oral history, and the folk art of bathhouse key tags.

Celebrate Coney Island’s history and have a chance to make some of your own. This daylong event is not to be missed.

For more, go to www.wonderwheel.com and www.coneyislandhistory.org.

Bettie Page, who the Klaws brought to mainstream audiences. (Source: http://lornagrl.blogs.com)

Sure, it’s pretty darn easy to find a sexy photo of your favorite celebrity these days. You just go online, type their name in Google, and start scrolling through the image results. But there was a time when it was much more difficult. Once upon a time, you had to purchase entire magazines just to obtain pictures of your favorite actors. Oh, the horror!

In between magazines and the internet, though, there was a third option – pinup photos of famous gals, all scantily clad.

And it just so happens to be that Irving and Paula Klaw, the inventors of pinup art, discoverers of Bettie Page, and owners of the renowned Movie Star News in Manhattan, were residents of Sheepshead Bay.

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“Neck Road Farm House, Brooklyn, N.Y., painted by Louis Saphier, July 1942″ (Collection of Joseph Ditta)

At a glance, it may seem as though this is a painting of a small country house in a rural area. Perhaps in upstate New York, or maybe somewhere in the mid-west.

But actually, the painting above is one of a farmhouse on Gravesend Neck Road in Brooklyn, completed by an artist from Brooklyn, Louis Saphier, in July 1942, 70 years ago.

Funny how much Brooklyn has changed over the years! Now, instead of farmhouses surrounded by trees, we have coops, condos and narrow houses built close together.

Artist Louis Saphier lived in Brooklyn for around 30 years, until his death in 1954. In honor of this painting’s 70th Anniversary, Gravesend Gazzette historian Joseph Ditta is trying to figure out where this farmhouse was situated. Ditta said that design of the house indicates that it is “clearly [of] Dutch-American design, instantly recognizable by its ski-sloped roof overhanging the front porch.” He, along with the help of “Old Dutch Houses of Brooklyn,” a work of the historian Maud Esther Dilliard, narrowed it down to the four Dutch houses that stood on Gravesend Neck Road.

Only one of these four houses, the Van Sicklen House, still stands today. The three others, the Abraham Emans House, Agnes Lake House, and Voris-Shepard House, were destroyed and replaced in the mid-1900s. Ditta believes that the Agnes Lake House was of similar layout and appearance as the house that Saphier painted.

Readers, are any of you familiar with the Agnes Lake House? Does this picture remind you of it? Perhaps you recall one of the other three houses listed above, and have reason to believe that this painting of one of them.

Or do you think that this could be a painting of another house altogether? Share your thoughts in honor of the painting’s 70th anniversary.