Old Fulton Ferry

Improvement to the transportation system in the early 19th century fostered the expansion of Brooklyn's economy and population. Fulton landing offered transport by sailboats and rowboats for hire as early as 1642. Steam ferries, like the Fulton Ferry pictured here, began plying the waters between Brooklyn and Manhattan from 1817 onwards. As the ferry system expanded, so did the waterfront industrial areas in Brooklyn, Greenpoint and Williamsburgh. Houses were built to accommodate workers; stores opened to service them. Neighborhoods were born.

 

Citation - Document 2
Photographs: Ferries - Fulton
1838
Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection
www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/civilwar