A Look into Brooklyn

Brooklyn has more than just buildings and residents. It also has a long history of evolution from barren land inhabited by the Native Americans to skyscrapers and subways. Read on to learn a little bit about the history of Brooklyn.

In early days, a tribe of Native Americans known as the Canarsie inhabited the land that is today's Brooklyn. In the early 1600's, they were overcome by the Dutch colonists who created six separate towns, one of which was named Breukelen (the origin of the name Brooklyn). In 1664, the English took over Manhattan Island and it became a part of the New York Colony. In 1683, the six colonies of Brooklyn became King's County. Nearly a century later came the Revolutionary War, in which Brooklyn became a significant battleground. George Washington stationed troops in Brooklyn to fight off the British. The American troops lost this battle, but were able to retreat safely due to weather conditions. Some say the battle that was brought to Brooklyn still lives today in the inner city wars that are ongoing in present day Brooklyn.

In 1783, New York officially became an American State with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Not long after this, the economic rise began that has made Brooklyn the city it is today. By the late 1800's, economy was booming and within a few short years, Brooklyn had its first city subway up and running as well as its first skyscraper, The Williamsburg Savings Bank. In 1963, Brooklyn opened the Brooklyn Historic Library. In the 1960's, baseball was on the rise and the Atlantic Baseball Club of Brooklyn was established by 1965. Let the games begin! Today, Brooklyn is a well-known historic city of Manhattan Island. Brooklyn’s present day population is approximately 2.5 million.