Finlay's Stores were described in 1889 as consisting "of thirty-two lots of land and sixteen large double storehouses, eight of which lie on either side of the entrance to the basin... Four of the storehouses are five stories in height and...
Atlantic Basin, ca. 1870.
Three men, possibly stevedores, loading (or unloading) a large barrel on to (or off of) a freighter, sometimes around the the 1870s. The back of the photograph is inscribed "Atlantic Dock". The photograph is by George Bradford Brainerd , 1845-1887....
A Sweet Story on the Atlantic Docks, 1864
The sweet story from the Atlantic Docks, reprinted in full below, ran in the Towanda, Pennsylvania's Bradford Reporter, on December 22, 1864. This good natured human interest story, with little doubt copied from another newspaper, is notable in...
Prospectus of the Atlantic Dock Company
Col. Daniel Richards witnessed the construction of the Erie Canal and understood that there was great potential for a shipping hub in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The Atlantic Dock Company was chartered by New York State on May 6, 1840 with a plan for a...
Great Western Steamship Line, 1872
In 1872 the Great Western Line was sailing out of Red hook Brooklyn's Atlantic Docks taking passengers and cargo to a port near London and other ports along the Bristol Channel. The cost of a cabin was $70 Today, one can take the Queen Mary 2...
GUANO: bird manure to Brooklyn, Atlantic Basin 1845
Ichaboe, a small island off the coast of Nambia, once towered high with mounds of seabird guano - an excellent fertilizer. Large scale exporting of the “white gold” began in 1843 and for a few years 450 ships were streaming to and from the...
Insurance maps of the Warehouses, &c. in Brooklyn, 1861
William Perris was a first in producing fire insurance maps for Brooklyn. The Great fires in 1835 and 1845 that destroyed large sections of the New York City made it clear to insurers the utility of knowing what buildings were made of and what...
Ad For Atlantic Docks, 1847
Construction of The Atlantic Dock - a massive, man-made harbor for deep water ships, began on June 3, 1841. The erection of stout stone warehouses and towering grain elevators that could handle products coming down the Erie Canal began in...
The Chinese Exclusion Act & the Docks of Red Hook, ca. 1920
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States. Until it was repealed in 1943, Chinese sailors were not allowed ashore. Ships that let the sailors leave could be fined $500 per person....
Canal Boat: Assault! 1859
Charles Debois was charged, in 1859, with attacking Mary Ann Baker while she was sleeping in her winter home, a canal boat docked in Atlantic Basin. The greater charge of rape was dropped. Complete text of article: New York NY Evening Express...