We love Brooklyn but sometimes you need to get away! Today's Photo of the Week looks at a group posing in front of a Gold Star bus in Williamsburg before a trip to Bear Mountain State Park. Only 45 minutes from New York City, but a world away, these city kids could look forward to hiking, swimming, and enjoying the fresh air.
This short history of the park comes from Bear Mountain Inn:
Bear Mountain State Park was born out of the conservation efforts of the Harriman Family in 1908 before ecological conservation was the popular movement it is today. What was soon to be the future site of the Sing Sing Prison eventually became the hallowed grounds of The Bear Mountain Inn, thanks to the Harriman’s and the youthful Palisades Interstate Park Commission. While development of the prison had begun in 1908, certain wealthy local residents including Union Pacific Railroad Magnate Edward Henry Harrison chose to donate thousands of acres of his family’s land (to eventually become Harriman State Park), along with $1 million to the PIPC on the condition that the State of New York stop work on the prison and make Bear Mountain into a park. By 1910, the base of Bear Mountain was bustling with activity to create a State Park.
Interested in seeing more photos from CBH’s collections? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images, or the digital collections portal at Brooklyn Public Library. We welcome appointments to research our entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections. Our reference staff is available to help with your research! You can reach us at cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org.
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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