In the early 1900s, many Puerto Ricans migrated to Brooklyn on the S.S Carolina. Most paid for their passage, but some hid on board - and of that number some made the newspapers. This was the case for 4 sixteen year old boys (three of African...
Song Celebrating the SS Carolina
The SS Carolina, was the means of migration for many Puerto Ricans, from 1906 to 1918. 1906 was the year the New York and Porto Rico Steamship Company purchased the vessel and made Pier 35 in Red Hook's Atlantic Basin her homeport. ...
Ad: Red 'D' Line, 1920
In 1920, the Red 'D' line advertised that it would sail weekly from Pier 11, Red Hook Brooklyn, carrying passengers and freight between New York, Puerto Rico, Curacao and Venezuela. The line, established in 1838, was owned by Bliss,...
Ad: Porto Rico Line, 1920
The Porto Rico Line regularly sailed from the Atlantic Basin's Pier 35 to Puerto Rico. The line transported cargo and tourists to and from the islands. Many Puerto Ricans migrated to New York on the line and established a community in Red Hook. In...
Brooklyn Waterfront: Berths or Boondoggle?
The 1970s were a tough economic time for the Brooklyn waterfront. Containerization of ship cargo had reduced the number of jobs, and many of those jobs had moved to facilities in New Jersey. The City and the Port Authority had a plan to build a new...
Encarnancion Armas, Puerto Rican, interviewed in 1974, talks about her WaterStories.
Encarnancion Armas discusses her time living in Red Hook. selection from interview: The Liberty Party Club. “It was the Liberal Party Club. And we had a party for the children, and we had in the Red Hook Stadium, and it, we caught about 2 thousand...
Magda Acosta, Puerto Rican, talks about her Red Hook WaterStories, 1974
Excerpt of a 1974 conversation between Magda Acosta and interviewer Jamie Barreto: And do you remember the name of the boat? “Yes, the San Juan.” Where did it dock? “ I don’t remember the muelle [dock] I know it was over there by Conover and...
Luis Marrero, Puerto Rican, talks about his WaterStories, 1974
Luis Marrero talks about his experience working on ships in Brooklyn and some of the racial tensions with Italians. His job on the boat . “A couple of friends and I were hired to paint ships because there wasn’t any money and a person had to...
Ramon Colon, Puerto Rican, interviewed in 1973, talks about his WaterStories
Ramon Colon recounts his experience of traveling by boat to Brooklyn. He also discusses why Brooklyn Puerto Ricans often moved to 'El Barrio' instead of staying in Brooklyn. Transcription of interview: His arrival to Brooklyn. “I came by ship. By...
Puerto Rican Presence in Columbia Street: Community Park turned Shantytown
"In a neighborhood where the Puerto Rican presence is all but completely forgotten, this paper tells the story of the last efforts of the pioneros of the community in trying to preserve their way of life against the rapid urban development that...