Posts by Sachiko Clayton

Have any of you wondered what will become of governor’s island?

Governors Island has a very colorful history. In the past five hundred years, it has undergone four name changes and has been occupied by the Dutch, the British, the American Colonists and of course by the Native Americans. For much of its history it has served as military headquarters or training grounds but since 2002 the City of New York has been considering how else Governors Island might be used for public benefit. 

For more on the history and development of Governors Island you may want to look at these materials within the Milstein Division.

Recently, Governors Island Preservation and 

On December 13, 1931 Winston Churchill, during a lecture tour through the United States, sustained significant injury from an automobile accident which occurred as he was crossing Fifth Avenue. Apparently he was looking for traffic in the wrong direction, accustomed to British traffic rules.It took a week for Churchill to recover, after which point he was able to return to England, a fortunate thing not only for his family but also for the rest of the world a decade later in the throes of the second world war.

This week we wanted to feature a book that is not found in many library collections. Brooklyn’s Williamsburgh is a labor of love to which author Brian Merlis dedicated about half of his life. It is a compilation of newspaper clippings, old advertisements, photographs, drawings and maps, all pertaining to Williamsburg history. While the documentation of this book is not the best, (there are no footnotes and or references for images) it has a very intimate feeling and is very image rich.

The Fraunces Tavern Museum is the oldest building standing in New York City. It has a very rich political history, as the meeting place for the Son’s of Liberty and later as the birthplace of various United States government agencies.

The event for which the building is most famous occurred two hundred and twenty-four years ago today. After reaching the end of the Revolutionary War, General Washington, on December 4, 1783, gave an emotional farewell address to his men just prior to resigning from military service. The picture below is a depiction of this scene which took place in the Long Room.

The Fraunce Tavern Museum gives an account of the meeting which can also 

Every week we receive new books on subjects related to United States history and genealogy. Recently we’ve decided to create a “New Books” shelf to allow patrons to browse the new additions. We also decided to feature one of these books on this weblog every week.

This week’s pick, 33 Questions about American History You’re Not Supposed to Ask, tackles controversial questions such as “How does Social Security really work?” or “Was the US Constitution meant to be a ‘living, breathing’ document?” While the author’s opinions can be considered unorthodox, the book provides interesting perspective on issues still