Author Archives: CarlosM

RECAP criteria Post # 4

After reading “The power of family lore: uncovering Brooklyn’s ‘Auld Irishtown’” by Eamon Loingsigh, I found it very interesting and informative. I would not use this as a source for a research project, but instead use it to pull other sources from the article. The article may have relevance to the topic of Downtown Brooklyn and Vinegar Hill, but much of what the author bases his research on was through word of mouth from his grandparents. He states there was no official mentioning of Irishtown in the municipal Archives.The author’s expertise comes from his own three years of personal research. Loingsign mentioned that he was writing a trilogy of books called “Auld Irishtown”, so the purpose of this article may serve as advertisement for the release of these books.

vinegar Hill Site #1

vHill

Introduction

On this site visit we will study and observe Vinegar Hill in Brooklyn, NY. Vinegar hill is located between Dumbo and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Vinegar Hill was originally settled by irish immigrants. This location spans a six block area, but was larger before construction on the Brooklyn‐Queens expressway. Our goal is to carefully observe the details in the area, such as architectural time periods, street names, grid development, and building relationships

Brooklyn Changes

Brooklyn is much larger than I thought it was. When I started reading the numbers and comparisons to other landmasses, I was a bit surprised. I lived close to downtown Brooklyn 15 years ago and I could notice the huge change in culture over time. There are still places like Vinegar Hill that exist and show us a glimpse of the past. I didn’t realize Dumbo was an acronym for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”. I find it interesting that there were different Indian inhabitants present in Brooklyn, along the waterfront. I thought that Brooklyn was uninhabited and only greenery and wildlife was present before settlers came.