BROOKLYN, formerly a city of New York State, U.S.A., but since 1898 a borough of New York city (q.v.), situated at the south-west extremity of Long Island. It is conterminous with Kings county, and is bounded north by the borough of Queens, from which it is separated in part by Newtown creek; east by the borough of Queens and Jamaica bay ; south by the Atlantic ocean; west by Gravesend bay, the Narrows, upper New York bay and East river, which separate it from Staten island, Jersey City and the borough of Manhattan. It has a water front of 33 m. and extends over an area of 74•14 square miles. Pop. (188o) 599,495; (1890, then Kings county)
(1900) 1,166,582; (191o) 1,634,351; (1920) 2,018,356; (1925, State census) 2,203,991; 1930 by Federal census it was 2,560,401. Of the total inhabitants in
were citizens and 404,863 were aliens. Brook lyn's population then represented over 37.5% of the total
for greater New York.
Brooklyn is connected with Manhattan by three bridges across the East river—the lowest, known as the Brooklyn, opened in 1883 ; the Williamsburgh, opened in 1903 ; and the Manhattan, opened in 1909. Ferries ply at frequent intervals between numer ous points of its west water front and points in Manhattan; there are also ferry connections with Staten island and Jersey City. Brooklyn is served directly by the Long Island railway, by numer ous coast-wise and trans-Atlantic steamship lines and by elevated or surface-car lines on a large number of its streets. Subway lines, begun in 1904, connect Brooklyn with the subway systems of Manhattan.
The surface of Brooklyn in the west section, from the lower course of the East river to Gravesend bay, varies in elevation from a few inches to nearly 200 ft., above sea-level, the highest points being in Prospect park; but steep street grades even in this section are rare, and elsewhere the surface is either only slightly undulating or, as in the east and south, flat. The principal business thoroughfare is Fulton street, which begins at Fulton ferry nearly under the Brooklyn bridge, runs to Borough Hall park, and thence across the north central section of the borough. In the Borough Hall park are the borough hall, the hall of records, the new municipal building and the county court-house. Two blocks to the north (on Washington street) is the post-office, a fine granite Romanesque building. On Wallabout bay at the bend of the East river to the westward is the U.S. navy yard, the principal one in the United States, established in 1801, and commonly but incorrectly called the Brooklyn navy yard. It occupies altogether about 144 ac., contains a trophy park, parade grounds, officer's quarters, barracks and four large dry-docks (respectively 700, 595,
and 326 ft. long), foundries and machine shops. A short distance to the east is the largest and most interesting of Brooklyn's markets, the Wallabout, covering several city blocks. The buildings of this market are Dutch in style and have a quaint clock tower. At the lower end of the west water front, facing the Narrows, are a U.S. reservation and the harbour defences of Ft. Hamilton.
For a considerable portion of its inhabitants Brooklyn is only a place of residence, their business interests being in the borough of Manhattan; hence Brooklyn has been called the "city of homes" and the "dormitory of New York." Residential districts with social lines more or less distinctly drawn are numerous. The oldest is that on the picturesque Brooklyn Heights, west of Bor ough Hall park, rising abruptly from the river to a height of from 70 to 1 oo ft., and commanding an excellent view of the harbour. Here are hotels, large apartment-houses, many private residences and numerous churches and clubs. The south shore of Brooklyn has pleasure resorts; Coney island (q.v.) is the most popular.
Brooklyn has more than 6o parks, playgrounds and squares constituting an aggregate of about 1,400 acres. Of these the most attractive is Prospect park, occupying about 526 ac. of high ground in the west central part of the borough, on a site made memorable by the battle of Long Island. Its large variety of trees and shrubs, its flower gardens, a palm house, ponds, a lake of 61 ac. for boating and skating, a parade ground of 4o ac. for other athletic sports, a menagerie and nu merous pieces of statuary, are among its objects of interest or beauty. Half a mile east of the borough hall is Fort Greene park (26 ac.) laid out on the site of earthworks (known as Ft. Greene) constructed during the American Revolution. The park system of Brooklyn also includes more than 3o m. of parkways. Notable among them are Ocean parkway, which extends from the southern entrance of Prospect park to Seaside park (io2 ac.), Coney island. Also from the south entrance of Prospect park extends Ft. Hamil ton parkway south-east to Ft. Hamilton, and to Dyker Beach park (140 ac.), which faces the lower end of the Narrows. From Prospect park plaza, Eastern parkway extends east to connect with Rockaway parkway, which runs south-east to Canarsie park (37 ac.), on Jamaica bay. The Botanic garden (61.4 ac.) at Washington and Flatbush avenues is a place of great interest.
Greenwood cemetery, one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the United States, is about 2m. S.W. of Prospect park. Among the principal monuments within its bounds are the soldiers', erected to the memory of those who died in the Civil War, and those erected to Roger Williams, S. F. B. Morse, Elias Howe, De Witt Clinton, Henry Ward Beecher, Peter Cooper, Horace Greeley, Henry Bergh, Henry George and James Gordon Bennett. At the main entrance is a beautiful gateway (of elaborate wrought brown stone), 242 ft. wide and having a central tower zoo ft. in height. Along the north-east border of the borough are Cypress Hills cemetery, adjoining Forest park, and the cemetery of the Ever greens, adjoining Highland Park and partly in the borough of Queens.
In the plaza at the northern entrance to Prospect park is a soldiers' and sailors' memorial arch, adorned with high-reliefs of Lincoln and Grant on horseback (by O'Donovan and Eskins) and with three large bronze groups (by Frederick MacMonnies). Im mediately within the park there is a statue (also by MacMonnies) of J. S. T. Stranahan (1808-98), who did more than any other man for the development of Brooklyn's system of parks and boule vards. On the slope of Lookout Hill (185 ft.) within the park is a shaft erected in 1895 to the memory of the Maryland soldiers who valiantly defended the rear of the American army at the battle of Long Island. In the flower garden are a number of busts of famous musicians and the Prospect park honour roll, commemorating the 2,800 Brooklyn soldiers who fell in the World War. A bronze statue of Lincoln overlooks the lake. At the ninth street entrance is the Lafayette memorial monument (by D. C. French), unveiled by Marshal Joffre and M. Viviani on May Io, 1917. In Ft. Greene park is a monument to the memory of the soldiers who died in the British prison ships during the American Revolution, many of them having been buried in a vault below. Facing the borough hall is a statue in bronze (by J. Q. A. Ward) of Henry Ward Beecher, mounted on a granite pedestal with a figure at one side to commemorate his sympathy for the slave. In the centre of Williamsburgh plaza stands an equestrian statue (by H. M. Shrady) of George Washington. A fine bronze statue of Alexander Hamilton (by W. O. Partridge) stands at the en trance of the Hamilton club and one of U. S. Grant (also by Partridge) stands at the entrance of the Union club.
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences embracing numerous departments, of which those of music, philology and the fine arts have each more than 1,000 members, has general management of the Central museum, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Botanic garden and the Children's museum in Bedford park. The Central or Brooklyn museum, which is the outgrowth of the Apprentices' Library As sociation founded in 1824, is in Institute park, which is separated from Prospect park by Flatbush avenue. It contains besides paintings and statuary, natural history and mineral collections, archaeological gatherings, oriental objects and Amerindian col lections. The museum and Botanic garden are supported in part by the city, but their collections are provided for entirely by private contributions.
Among the educational institutions of Brooklyn are : Pratt insti tute, founded in 1887 by Charles Pratt (1830-91), which is one of the best schools of engineering and the applied arts in the coun try; the Polytechnic institute, opened in 1855, is a high-grade school of technology; the Packer Collegiate institute, opened as the successor of the Brooklyn Female academy, in 18S4, has pri mary, preparatory, academic and collegiate departments ; Adelphi college, opened in 1896 for women, removed in 1929 to Garden City; a branch of the College of the City of New York gives courses in the liberal arts; St. Francis' college, opened 1858; St. John's college, opened 1870; and St. Joseph's, opened 1916 for women. The last three named institutions are maintained by the Roman Catholic Church. Here, too, are the law school of St. Lawrence university, the Long Island Hospital Medical college, the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy and several schools of music. (For public schools see NEW YORK CITY.) Among the larger libraries of the borough are the Brooklyn Public library, contain ing over 950,000 vols. and maintaining 31 branches, and those of the Long Island Historical Society, Pratt Institute Free Library, King's County Medical Society, Brooklyn museum and Children's museum, in an old family mansion, and a good law library in the county court-house.
Brooklyn is well provided with charitable institutions, and has long been known as the "city of churches," probably from the famous clergymen who have lived there.
Brooklyn is one of the most important manufacturing centres of the United States, most of the factories being located along or near the East river. There were in 1925, according to the U.S. census of manufactures,
industrial plants which gave employment to 137,962 wage-earners and paid $198,304,066 in wages. The output of these factories was valued at $1,081,081,923 as compared with $3,592,098,357 for the industries of Manhattan and
for the five boroughs combined. Two great dock and terminal companies—the New York Dock, extending from the foot of Fulton street to the Erie basin, and the Bush Terminal, in South Brooklyn—handle the major portion of the water-borne traffic. Opposite Governor's island is the Atlantic basin of 4o ac., with piers and brick and granite warehouses used largely for grain. A little farther south is another basin, the Erie, of about ioo ac., protected by a break water one mile in length, occupied by piers, warehouses and dry docks. East of the Erie is the Gowanus Bay Barge Canal Termi nal, a centre for Erie canal traffic, with a $2,500,000 grain ele vator. Of Brooklyn's large commerce, grain is the chief commod ity; it is estimated that about four-fifths of that exported from the port of New York is shipped from here.
The water-supply of the borough is derived chiefly from the Catskill reservoirs of New York city (q.v.). The old Brooklyn system, which secured its supply from small streams along the south shore of Long island and from driven wells, is now used as a reserve. A part of Flatbush is supplied by the Flatbush Water Works company, a private company which secures its supply from driven wells.
The first settlement within the present limits of Brooklyn was made in 1636, when some Dutch farmers took up their residence along the shore of Gowanus bay. About the same time other Dutch farmers founded Flatlands (at first called Amers foort), on Jamaica bay, and a few Walloons founded Wallabout, where the navy yard now is. In 1642 a ferry was established across East river from the present foot of Fulton street, and a settle ment grew up here which was known as The Ferry. The next year Lady Deborah Moody with some followers from New England founded Gravesend, near the southern extremity of the borough. Finally, in the year 1645, a settlement was established near the site of the present borough hall, and was called Breuckelen (also spelled Breucklyn, Breuckland, Brucklyn, Broucklyn, Brookland and Brookline) until about the close of the 18th century, when its orthography became fixed as Brooklyn. The name, Breuckelen, meaning marsh land, seems to have been suggested by the re semblance of the situation of the settlement to that of Breuckelen, Holland. Of the other towns which were later united to form the borough, New Utrecht was settled about 1650, Flatbush (at first called Medwoud, Midwout or Midwood) about 1651, Bushwick and Williamsburg in 1660. During the American Revolution the chief event was the battle of Long island, fought on Aug. 2 7, 1 7 76. In 1816, when the population of the town of Brooklyn was about
its most populous section was incorporated as a village; and in 1834, when its population had increased to 23,310, the whole town was incorporated as a city. By 185o its population had in creased to 138,882. In 1855 Williamsburgh, which had been in corporated as a city in 1851, and the town of Bushwick were an nexed. Other annexations followed until the city of Brooklyn was conterminous with Kings county; and finally, on Jan. 1, 1898, the city of Brooklyn became a borough of New York city.
