Gowanus Canal maps from 1639 to 2004

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1639

Proteus Gowanus The Dutch East India Company’s Joan Vinkeboons “Manatus” map is one of the first illustrations of the Gowanus Canal. 10 - Redhook, still an island, is the Twiller Farm , 25 - Gowanus Cove, is the Hendric de Snyder farm. Dutch Windmills and Lenape Indian Long Houses are also shown.

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1766

Proteus Gowanus

Bernard Ratzer’s Survey map of the Gowanus Canal area for the British Colonial Administration, shows the glacial moraine ridges left by receding prehistoric glaciers. Brouwer, a German mercenary working for the Dutch in Brazil, built one of the first Tidal Mills in America here on the Proteus site in 1645.

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1777

Proteus Gowanus This map of the “Provincial Conflicts” from the London Gentleman’s magazine refers to “Prov’s drowned here”, an incident during the Battle of Long Island, where Washington had the Mill bridge at the Proteus site blown up, forcing stranded American soldiers to fight to the death.

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1782

Proteus Gowanus The British Headquarters Map, a survey of strategic military conditions of the Gowanus area, shows fortifications in Boerum Hill. The Freeke’s Mill Bridge is still missing. The strategic “Cobble Hill” (where Trader Joe now stands) was eventually razed and dumped into the marshes.

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1836

Proteus Gowanus The Colton Map of the Brooklyn Gowanus area shows the influence of new York State’s Commissioner’ Plan of 1811, where a grid plan was implemented for the sale and development of land. Topography was ignored, and marshes and streams became dumping spots for urban waste

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1837

Proteus Gowanus

The Renard Gowanus Fort Hamilton Survey was the first official map of the newly established American United States Geological Survey. It shows the gradual infilling of Gowanus Marshes and streams with the mountains of coal ash and garbage being generated by the growing city.

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1844

Proteus Gowanus The USGS Survey of New York Bay shows one of the last views of the Gowanus Marshes, before they are engulfed by the residential and industrial developments grids coming in from the north.

A ghost of the old angled Gowanus Road can still be seen in the angled lots of the Cobble Hill Cinema.

Freeke’s Mill Pond

2nd Street Basin No w

Coles Mill Pond

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Fil led Se cti on

7th Street Basin

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1848

Fil led Se cti on

Denton’s (Yellow) Mill Pond

Go 20 wan 09 us - w Ca ha na tw l as bu

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Fil led Se cti on

4th Street Basin

Proteus Gowanus Richard’s Plan for the drainage of The Gowanus Canal, overlaid with various generations of Mill Ponds and now filled barge basins built for the various new industries locating along the Canal. Cole’s Mill Pond was excavated out of the Gowanus Marshes by slave labor in the 1770’s, and subsequently refilled in the 1850’s.

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1880

Proteus Gowanus With the increasingly flammable and explosive industries a new generation of maps was born - the Fire Insurance Map. The Ward 10 Bromley Fire Insurance Map gives valuable insights into the types of livelyhoods that took place along the Canal. Note the old ghost road and farm field lines.

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1897

Proteus Gowanus The USGS Wilson / Adams Survey Brooklyn Quad Map shows the now flourishing Gowanus Canal engulfed by the rapidly expanding Park Slope area, and the last ecological remnants of the Gowanus Marshes being filled in for the Red Hook port operations.

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1924

Proteus Gowanus The first Fairchild Aerial Survey Photo of the Gowanus shows (in yellow) 1 - The future Carroll Street Subway Station, 2 - The Public Place Gas Works, 3 - The future Lowe’s Store 4 - The 2nd Street Basin and 5 - The Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers Stadium (the oldest still standing section of a US Major League ballpark)

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1942

Proteus Gowanus

The United States Army Corps of Engineers Survey of Gowanus Canal Industries inventoried industrial business types along the Canal. Barged coal was initially the fuel of choice, explaining the waterfront locations and the continuing growth of the Canal Industrial Zone. Since filled barge basins are highlighted in lavender.

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1951

Proteus Gowanus

The City of New York’s Aero Service Aerial Photo shows the Gowanus area fully developed, with the now third generation of houses being torn down and rebuilt, as with the new Gowanus Houses.The now built Subway can be seen with new bridges and the 2nd Street Barge Basin is still unfilled.

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2004

Proteus Gowanus New York City Dept. of Information Technology & Telecommunications Color Aerial Photograph, highlighting some of the sites being considered for new residential and commercial development.