Below are historical maps of Red Hook, along with several recent ones.

Click the thumbnail or link text to access the item. Then click the jpeg at top of the next page to access the full size version. Note, some of the links go to collections of maps on a theme (such as historic maps, historic nautical charts). Many of the maps were created by Eymund Diegel, superimposing data, such as streams, tidal mill locations, and Hurricane Sandy tree damage on Ratzer's highly regarded 1766 survey of Brooklyn. 

"Plan of the Town of Brooklyn and Part of Long Island"
Ratzer/Stiles 1767 map.

1867_Stiles_Map_of_Brooklyn,_New_York_-_Geographicus_-_BrooklynTwn-stiles-1867.jpg

A version of Bernard Ratzer’s map made by him for the British Government in 1767. A copy of this map appears in Henry R. Stiles’, 1867 book A History…

Plan of the City of New York in North America: surveyed in the years 1766 & 1767 by British engineer Bernard Ratzer.

Plan of the City of New York (1766 & 1767).jpg

A map of the tip of Manhattan and southwest Brooklyn between the years of 1766-1767. Bernard Ratzer surveyed Brooklyn for the British Government just…

Map of Brooklyn and greater part of King's County, Long Island, ca. 1770

1770-Old map of Brooklyn-LOC - crop4.jpg

A hand-drawn map of Brooklyn from the 1770s, showing Red Hook, "the road to the new ferry" and distances from Flatbush.

Map of Property of John Dikeman & others to be sold, 1836

1836 Map - belonging to John Dikeman & others-LOC.jpg

The large expance of Brooklyn Red Hook property of John Dikeman and others was mapped in preparation of it sale on Monday, August 29, 1836.The map…

Red Hook Building Company, 1838

One Share of One Dollar of the Red Hook Building Company

The Red Hook Building Company was the brainchild of Col. Daniel Richards, a man who grew up in upstate New York. When the Erie Canal opened in 1825…

1844 Hassler Coastal survey of Staten Island and Gowanus with oyster mudflats (cropped to Gowanus Bay)

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1844 Coastal Survey. Red Hook's watery past has a bearing on how this place floods in current times. This map shows the topography at the end of Red…

View of Atlantic Dock and Vicinity, ca. 1846

view of Atlantic Dock and Visinity ca. 1856 -Projected Vision - old print gallery.jpg

An artist's rendering of a possible future Red Hook that never was. The birds-eye view of the Atlantic Dock was possibly done for the Atlantic Dock…

Map of the city of Brooklyn, L.I.: shewing the streets as at present existing with the buildings and the intended canal and other works, 1850

1850 - Map of the city of Brooklyn - 24percent - Red hook Crop.jpg

Atlantic Dock has been built by this time but construction of the larger Erie Basin had not begun. Much of present day Red Hook is still under…

Map of the consolidated city of Brooklyn, for Bishop's Manual of the Corporation, 1859

1859 - Map of the consolidated city of Brooklyn, for Bishop's manual of the corporation - nypl.digitalcollections256-crop.jpg

This 1859 map shows the established Atlantic Basin in Red Hook, and a neighboring "Proposed Basin" that was not built as shown. The large Erie Basin,…

Insurance maps of the Warehouses, &c. in Brooklyn, 1861

1861-Insurance Maps of the Warehouses-Brooklyn_Title page.jpg

Double Page Plate No. 8; [Map bounded by Hamilton Ave., Bowne St., Imlay St., Commerce St., Ewen St., Ferris St.; Including Wolcott St., Sullivan St.,…

Map encompassing Red Hook, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Gowanus Canal, 1869

Map 1869 -  encompassing Red Hook - nypl.digitalcollections.510d47e2-49e6-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.001.g.jpg

This 1869 map of Red Hook, reveals some of what was there at the there at the time, but also shows the Brooklyn Basin which was approved by the…

Farm Line Map of the City of Brooklyn, 1874

Index to map of the city of Brooklyn and East New York

Farm Line Maps of the City of Brooklyn compiled and drawn by Henry Fulton, Civil Engineer of Brooklyn, Long Island from oficicial records and surveys.…

German American Mutual Warehousing Map submitted to NY as part of application for grant of land underwater, 1875

Survey of lands under water for German American Mutual Warehousing and Security - NYSA_B2321-11_18760224_German_American_Mutual_Warehousing_and_Security_Co_02.jpg

Description written on map:"In the matter of the application to the Commisioners of the Land Office, N.Y. of German American Mutual Warehousing and…

Map: Clinton Wharf, ca. 1884

Brooklyn Plate No. 4 Map bounded by William St.Clinton Wharf Commerce St Imlay St -COLORreduc.jpg

Clinton Wharf is on the southwest side of Atlantic Basin. It was probably named in honor of DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York and father of the…

Gowanus Bay Improvement Plan, 1892

1892 USACE Improv Gowanus Bay map.jpg

This 1892 map by the Corps of Engineers, titledImprovement of Gowanus Bay, New York Harborshows, in addition to the existing Atlantic and Erie Basins,…

The Atlantic Basin, 1893

The Atlantic Basin citizenguidetobooklyn 1893 r00livin_0017 - with comments.jpg

Select passages from The Citizen guide to Brooklyn and Long Island, 1893 [Page 103] A comparison between the commerce of New York and Brooklyn will…

Notice of Sale: Atlantic Basin and Red Hook Piers, 1901

Brooklyn Wharf forclosure map - 1901.jpg

Around 1895, the several and various Brooklyn dock and warehouse companies, including the Atlantic Dock Company, merged into a trust called the…

Sewerage, Erie Basin and The Report of the Metropolitan Sewerage Commission of New York, 1910

Sewage-LargeFloat-crop.jpg

Sample No. 2, Marked from 017 Erie Basin. Found: Numerous small worms resembling round worms, 0r Nematodes. Numerous diatoms, Oogonia, Conferva…

Workers Compensation: Joseph Stephens v. Beard's Erie Basin. 1928

Stephens v Beards Erie Basin _ 1928 _ Exhibit B.jpg

In 1928, Joseph Stephens, an employee of Beard's Erie Basin, tripped on a winch handle, fell and hurt his arm.  The State Industrial Board awarded him…

War Department Map of Port Facilities - Red Hook, 1932

1932 - Port Map -strubeck _Just map.jpg

The map indicates the businesses that operates each pier as well as their primary use such as, General Cargo - foreign trade; general cargo - inland…

1938 Redlining Map of Brooklyn

Brooklyn HOLC-Map.jpg

This map was published in 1938, the same year that PortSide's historic ship MARY A. WHALEN was launched. On this map, Red Hook is mostly in red except…

1975 Red Hook Sewer Map

Red_Hook_Sewage_Plant_Sewer_Maps_1975.pdf

NYC DEP Department of Water Resources Red Hook Water Pollution Control Project , Capital Project WP-152, Borough of Brooklyn, Existing Sewers

Red Hook Flats Anchorage, 1986, 2013

Red Hook Flats Anchorage-2AB.jpg

The Red Hook Flats Anchorage in New York Harbor was constructed to accommodate ocean going cargo ships and tankers. It provides a spot for ships to…

Sandy Storm Surge map, 2012

Sandy Storm Surge map (c) Jim McMahon.jpg

This map was researched, created and generously shared with the Red Hook community by Red Hook resident Jim McMahon who wanted to help his neighbors…

Eymund Diegel map: Gowanus Watershed With 1766 Marshes and 2013 Sandy Flood Line

Watershed Map showing Sandy flooding, storm runoff, former marshes by Eymund Diegel<br />

Map Explanation by mapmaker Eymund Diegel: Red lines are the upland Sandy flood lines (minus part the Fort Defiance Island area which is missing…

Eymund Diegel map: Sandy Damage to Red Hook Trees, 2013

0_Gowanus_Red_Hook_Flood_Impact_Tree_Map_v2.pdf

2013 Sandy Flood saline impacted tree survey by Eymund Diegel for the NYC Parks DepartmentText on map:"Gowanus / Red Hook Flood Impacts: Post Sandy…

Eymund Diegel map: 1766 Ratzer Survey map overlaid with modern land outlines, plus historical info, 2014.

0_Gowanus_History_Map_1766_2014 updates-grab.jpg

You can see Red Hook and Gowanus shoreline changes in this illustration oftwo maps overlaid, the1766 Ratzer map and one by Eymund Deigel using a 2004…

Eymund Diegel map: Map of Historic Location of Creeks and Streams in Red Hook & Gowanus, 2014

2014 Street Creek Gowanus Watershed Siting Study Map_raster.pdf

The map contains community group research (Gowanus Canal Conservancy / Public Lab) on finding stream restoration opportunities in the Gowanus…

Eymund Diegel map: Flattening Bergen Hill for Red Hook Fill, c. 1845

0_Bergen Hill Gowanus landfilling notes to transfer to GIS.jpg

Bergen Hill once stood tall in Brooklyn, before developers had it carted away for fill to make the Atlantic Docks of Red Hook. Looking at historic…

Eymund Diegel map: Red Hook streams ponds place names

Eymund Diegel RH streams ponds place names - draft 2.jpg

2016 draft map created by Eymund Diegel, based on his research describing Red Hook streams, ponds, tide mills up to around 1850. The base map is the…

Eymund Diegel map showing Red Hook of 1767 and Today

Map showing Red Hook of 1775 and today.  By Eymund Diegel

Benjamin Ratzer surveyed Brooklyn for the British in 1766-7. Cartographer Eymund Diegel has overlaid the modern street grid onto Ratzer's map Colors…

Eymund Diegel map: Red Hook, New York & Environs, 1782, 2016

A 1782 map of New York, produced for the British Army.  Modern street overlay by Eymund Diegel

A 1782 map of New York, reproduced from a drawing in the British War Office, printed by B. F. Steven in 1900. The map shows fortifications made during…

Resiliency plan for NYCHA Red Hook Developments, 2016

NYCHA-Resiliancy Plan slide _Red Hook2.jpg

New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Red Hook Houses East and West, like many other Red Hook buildings, were built on land that was either…

Erie Basin Property Maps, 2017

erie basin marine assoc property.jpg

Maps showing the current property lines of IKEA, Thor Equities, and the Erie Basin Bargeport in the Erie Basin. We include these to show how there…

Historic Maps - A selection of images

1766 Ratzer Map - Cropped to Red Hook

A collection of historic maps and images of Red Hook, Brooklyn

Historic Nautical Charts

Nautical Chart No. 369, New York Bay and Harbor, 1845 [cropped]

A selection of historic nautical charts, from theNOAA Office of Coast Survey. They provide interesting details on the evolution of Red…