Community Gardens

At summer’s end, New Yorkers lucky enough to have a plot in a community garden are enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. This week, For the Record examines the Municipal Library’s vertical files to tell the story of community gardens. And it’s a classic New York tale, with neighborhood characters, celebrities, villains and heroes.  

Historians trace the first community garden back to the city’s Almshouse in the 1730s. The “inmates” (as they were called) worked in communal gardens, both for therapeutic reasons and to offset the cost of their maintenance in the institution. Nineteenth and early twentieth-century gardens were generally informal arrangements. For the Record’s article on Victory Gardens described the World War II-era plots that sprang-up around the city.  

The Municipal Library’s articles, brochures, press releases and ephemera in the vertical file on “NYC Gardens” picks up the story in the 1960s and 70s when arson and disinvestment in housing stock led to the proliferation of vacant lots. The lots attracted rats, became dumping grounds for garbage and venues for illegal activities. As a way of improving their blighted neighborhoods, community groups began advocating for permission to build gardens in the lots.  

Miracle Garden Bond & Wyckoff Streets, May 3, 1960. Department of Sanitation collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Clipped articles in the file with headlines such as “1,000 ‘Farms’ Planned on Lots in New York,” describe these efforts: “Garbage-littered lots, many of them in the most rundown sections of New York City, will become vegetable gardens under a program to green the city by creating a thousand farms in low-income neighborhoods.” The story goes on to describe a Cornell University-sponsored program that supplied expertise, soil, tools and fertilizer to neighborhood groups.(New York Times, April 26, 1977.)  

Operation Green Thumb, November 1979. NYC Municipal Library Vertical File, NYC Gardens.

Community gardens gained momentum in 1978 with establishment of Operation GreenThumb, a community gardening program originally sponsored by the City’s Department of General Services, (and celebrating its 45th anniversary this year). According to an undated “Fact Sheet” in the vertical file, GreenThumb leased vacant property to non-profit organizations which established community vegetable and flower gardens. GreenThumb’s staff provided training and issued tools, soil, seeds and bulbs. By the 1990s, according to the Fact Sheet, GreenThumb leased more than 1,000 lots comprising 125 acres to 700 community groups and planted 2,000 apple, peach, plum and cherry trees. 

Another item in the file, a clipping from the “Daily Planet,” (Department of Parks and Recreation Newsletter), dated September 10, 1986, describes a community garden dedication ceremony: “Yesterday, at the end of a beautiful, late summer day, a hundred friends of green spaces in the city gathered to dedicate the Liz Christy Bowery Houston Garden on the Lower East Side. The ceremony, hosted by the Green Guerillas and the Council on the Environment of New York City, who jointly operate the garden, honored the memory of the woman who was the founder of New York’s open space greening movement.”  

The rosy picture painted in the Daily Planet and the impressive facts and figures in the Fact Sheet failed to acknowledge the clouds gathering over the City’s sunny gardens that began to develop during the 1980s and 90s. With the city recovering from the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, the demand for low-income housing began to ramp-up. Clipped articles in the files with headlines such as “Gardens face uprooting” are typical: “Community gardeners in Manhattan and the Bronx are fighting to keep their land. They are trying to keep their gardens alive after years of pruning, planting, and cultivating, despite a city plan to demolish hundreds of them to build new housing or businesses.” (New York Daily News, November 2, 1997.) 

N.Y. Water Saver’s Guide to Gardening. Mayor’s Commission on Water Conservation, 1988. NYC Municipal Library Vertical File, NYC Gardens.

Thanks to the diligent librarians, the vertical file includes several news clippings from the 1980s that tell the saga of Adam Purple and his Garden of Eden. In 1982, the Daily News described Mr. Purple as a “... middle-aged, bearded modern-day flower child,” (February 25, 1982). Other stories added that he typically wore a “purplish, pajama-like suit and purple hair.” The city decided it wanted Purple’s garden to build 189 units of low-income housing on the garden he had nurtured for thirteen years. The dispute wound up in court. In 1985 a federal judge ruled against Purple, and his garden was bulldozed.

During the Rudolf Giuliani administration (1994-2001), with the city even more desperate for housing, fights about the gardens escalated. “Herbicidal Maniac Loose in City! Guiliani Moves to Uproot Gardens,” read a headline in the May 1998 Metropolitan Council on Housing newsletter. “Folks Seeing Red Over Losing Green,” was the banner headline in Newsday: “...the city wants to auction 75 of these community-tended vegetable and flower gardens to the highest bidders. It’s the city’s version of a garage sale, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani has little sympathy for the people who have transformed junkyard lots and eyesores into gardens and community meeting places.” (Newsday, January 19, 1999)  

Green Guerillas, Winter 1999. NYC Municipal Library Vertical File, NYC Gardens.

But salvation came at the last minute, literally one day before the auction. “Sudden Deal Saves Gardens Set for Auction,” read the New York Times article on May 13, 1999. “A day before the Giuliani administration was to auction off city-owned lots that had been transformed into community gardens, the performer Bette Midler had her private conservation organization [The New York Restoration Project] agree to buy dozens of the less desirable parcels, providing the final funding to preserve all 112 gardens that were set for sale.”  

The last folder in the community garden vertical file contains articles from the early 2000s. During the Michael Bloomberg administration (2002-2013), the city adopted a more conciliatory posture with regard to the gardens, working toward balancing the need for additional housing against the popular green spaces. In 2002, the Times reported that “... the Bloomberg administration and Mr. Spitzer [New York State Attorney General] have begun negotiations that both sides hope will result in some gardens reverting to the city for development of low-income housing, and some going to community. Mr. Bloomberg has said recently that he believes that community gardens are viable in some situations, but that housing is preferable in others.”  (New York Times, April 26, 2002.) 

GreenThumb Fall 2023 Program Guide, NYC Parks Department.

With the advent of digitized media, the librarians mostly discontinued adding to the vertical files after the early 2000s. Although the contents of the community garden vertical file ends in early 2002, the Municipal Library’s publications portal picks up the story. One of the more recent documents is a press release, dated September 25, 2013, jointly issued by the Department of Environmental Protection, and the New York Restoration Project (NYRP). The release announced that the NYRP had “. . . recently completed the renovation of its Gil Hodges Community Garden in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal neighborhood. . . . with high-performance storm water infrastructure.”  

For the Record articles have frequently highlighted the vertical files. The cabinets contain articles clipped by the librarians from newspapers and magazines, as well as other printed items such as pamphlets, brochures and press releases on topics relevant to New York City government and history. They are arranged by subject and generally date from the 1920s with the bulk gathered between 1950 and the early 2000s

Although eclectic, they are a very valuable resource; much of the content is not available anywhere else; has not been digitized, and is unlikely to be.    

Researchers in the Municipal Library and Archives can ask the reference staff for the list of extant vertical files and in most instances, the requested materials can be produced right away.

The First Labor Day, September 5, 1882

Labor Day is observed on the first Monday in September. It serves to recognize the social and economic achievements of American workers. It has been a national holiday since 1894, but according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated in New York City, on September 5, 1882. 

Would the Municipal Library and Municipal Archives collections include documentation to support this statement? Regular readers of For the Record will know the answer. This week’s article describes how to explore Library and Archives collections to discover relevant records.  

Proceedings of the Board of Aldermen, vol. CLXVII, 1882. Municipal Library

As a first step, researchers are encouraged to consult the Municipal Archives’ online Collection Guides. Entering “Labor Day” into the search box yields 76 entries, most citing recent mayoral collections in which “Labor Day” is a subject heading. Several entries point to digitized New York Police Department Special Investigations Unit surveillance films of The 1968 Labor Day Parade highlighted in For the Record.

However, based on the “Labor Day” search, none of the entries target nineteenth-century records. What collections are there to research 1880s New York City? There are many, of course—Almshouse records, Building Department files and plans, tax assessment ledgers, Old Town ledgers, several criminal court and district attorney series, but two with the most potential for the Labor Day research are records of the legislative branch, and the mayor’s collections.

The Municipal Archives’ holdings of legislative collections date to the early 1600s and extend into the 21st century. The Archives recently applied to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to fund a project that would improve intellectual control over this large quantity of material (estimated at more than 10,000 cubic feet) and to plan processing and reformatting. The types of material that can be found within these series are very diverse. There are petitions, accounts, letters, rough minutes, remonstrances, communications, proclamations, maps, proposals, invitations, and reports of all kinds from city residents, as well as public agencies and private businesses and institutions.  

Proceedings of the Board of Aldermen, vol. CLXVII, 1882. Municipal Library

The several series within the greater collections created by the legislative bodies are accessible for research, but pending improved description and arrangement activities, locating relevant materials may sometimes require a more creative approach. The 1882 Labor Day document quest places the search in the records of the Board of Aldermen, as the legislative body was known at that time. One way to identify possible documents in this collection is to check the printed proceedings, or minutes, of the various legislative bodies. For the earliest time period, the printed Proceedings of the Common Council (in two sets, 1674-1776, and 1784-1832) include meticulous cumulative indexes. This greatly facilitates research in the associated collections. After 1832, each volume of the Proceedings, which generally covers several months, is indexed. The printed and published Proceedings are located in the Municipal Library. 

Proceedings of the Board of Aldermen, vol. CLXVII, 1882. Municipal Library

Based on the 1882 time frame for the Labor Day research, vol. CLXVII of the Proceedings, from July 3 to September 26, 1882, was a good place to start. The index under “L.” reveals an intriguing entry: “Labor and Trades-Union Association, preamble and resolution to tender sympathy to workingmen in their movement for independence from monopolies,” page 319. Turning to page 319, there is the text of a Resolution submitted by Ferdinand Alderman Levy. It starts, “Whereas, This day has been selected by the various Labor and Trades-Union Associations in this city as a day of demonstration of their strength, and a chosen opportunity to express their feelings upon the labor question in an orderly and the most forcible manner. . .” etc.

Is there more? With knowledge of that Resolution, the next step is the original papers of the Board of Aldermen in the Municipal Archives. Although the records have not been processed, they are generally arranged chronologically into folders pertaining to standing and special committees. The 1882 document boxes included a folder labeled “Resolutions.” And again, success—the original handwritten “Resolution of sympathy on behalf of the workingmen, by Alderman Levy, Board of Aldermen, September 5, 1882.” The reverse of the document is a handwritten draft of the resolution. It is unclear who wrote and edited the draft—likely Alderman Levy, but the edits show the evolution of the Board’s sentiment in the matter. For example, in the first paragraph, “and Trades Unions” is added to the first sentence, and in the second paragraph, the words laboring man, and Central Labor Union are crossed-out and replaced by workingmen. The paragraph concludes, “. . .  heartfelt and earnest sympathy in their movement for independence and freedom from Corporate monopolies and their power influences.”

Board of Aldermen, Approved Papers, 1882. NYC Municipal Archives.

Board of Aldermen, Approved Papers, 1882. NYC Municipal Archives.

The Early Mayors’ records are the other significant resource for researching 19th century New York City. The collection includes mayoral correspondence and documents from 1826 through 1897, and totals 157.5 cubic feet. Originally assembled by Rebecca Rankin during her 32-year tenure as the Director of the Municipal Library between 1920 and 1952, the Early Mayors’ records became a core collection in the Municipal Archives when it opened in 1952 and remains one of the most important series documenting nineteenth-century government and policies.

The 1882 date places the Labor Day research in the administration of William R. Grace (he served two non-consecutive terms; 1881-1882, and 1885-1886). Returning to the Collection Guide, and searching the Early Mayors Records collection and clicking on “External Documents” pulls up the Finding Aid for Mayor Grace’s subject files and at least one possibility in box 96, folder 2, labeled “Board of Aldermen.” And again, success in the folder—one item, similar to the Board of Aldermen document—a handwritten “Resolution requesting the Mayor and the Commissioners of Public Parks to grant permission to the Workingmens Central Labor Union to hold a mass meeting in and around Union Square. Submitted by Alderman Levy.” The reverse repeats the request and adds the date for the requested event—the evening of Wednesday, the 5th of September. A further notation states “Adopted, a majority of all the members elected voting in favor thereof. Signed F.J. Twomey, Clerk.”  Further examination of the document shows that the resolution had been proposed on July 3, 1882, with the final version fixing September 5 as the day requested for the Union Square demonstration.

Mayor William R. Grace Collection, 1882. NYC Municipal Archives.

Mayor William R. Grace Collection, 1882. NYC Municipal Archives.

Based on this evidence, it seems clear that the U.S. Department of Labor’s statement is accurate. Whether it was based on research in Municipal Archives and Library collections is not known, but we can add that these collections would likely provide additional material to research the bigger picture—what was happening with the labor movement in the City during this period that triggered the designation of the special day.

In the meantime, For the Record wishes everyone an enjoyable day honoring the American worker—first celebrated in New York City, 141 years ago.

Women’s Equality Day 2023: Embrace Equity

“After I decided to write this tribute, I was beset with feeling inadequate to the task of expressing what Ketriana has meant to so many people, including me. What adjectives are adequate to describe the full range of Ketriana’s multi-talented, multi-faceted lived experience that has uplifted the lives of her friends, neighbors, colleagues and co-workers, even acquaintances. She approaches and interacts with all folks with a generous, compassionate, and caring spirit that says I salute and encourage the best in you.”

Thus begins the tribute Charles Yates has written to his friend Ketriana Yvonne on WomensActivism.NYC, a moving dedication that captures Ketriana’s energy and creativity—from her challenge for him to write a poem each day of National Poetry Month to her own artistic work. Ketriana’s story is part of an initiative to write women into history by sharing stories of everyday, extraordinary women launched by the NYC Department of Records & Information Services (DORIS) on Women’s Equality Day on August 26, 2015.

WomensActivism.NYC is a public, searchable site showcasing brief descriptions of inspiring women from around the world. Entries include women—both well-known and not—with roles as diverse as sisters, great-grandmothers, celebrities, next-door neighbors, elected officials, teachers, professional athletes, artists, and more. Diverse representation is important, and the only requirements are: 1) they must be woman-identified, and 2) they must have contributed to making change in some way.

With more than 9,000 stories already archived, DORIS is currently soliciting 700 more stories to complete the project with 10,000 stories of inspiring and empowering women. This collection will be preserved and made available in perpetuity through the Municipal Archives, where the stories will be freely and readily accessible for all.

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“On May 2, 1963, nine-year old Audrey Faye Hendricks became the youngest known person arrested during the Civil Rights Movement. She was one of hundreds of children who took part in marches against segregation in the city of Birmingham, Alabama.”

–Preston F. on Audrey Hendricks 

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Women’s Equality Day

Born Bella Savitsky on July 24, 1920, in New York City, Bella Abzug was a leading liberal activist and politician in the 1960s and 1970s who became especially well-known for her work for women’s rights. To promote women’s issues and to lobby for reform, she helped establish the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) with Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, and Gloria Steinem. To have an even greater impact on the political process, she served in the House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977.

At the behest of Representative Bella Abzug (D-NY), in 1971, the U.S. Congress designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day in 1973. This date was selected to commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution—a key piece of legislation granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York.

The annual observance of Women’s Equality Day on August 26 not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality in our society. Many workplaces, libraries, organizations and public institutions now participate in Women’s Equality Day with programs, displays, or other activities, all with the intention of bringing awareness and attention to the important matter of gender equity. For 2023, the theme of Women’s Equality Day is “Embrace Equity,” a global recognition of the ongoing struggle for equal rights and opportunities for women of all backgrounds.

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“On May 28, 1969, NY City Mayor John V. Lindsay appointed Dr. Mary McLaughlin as Commissioner of the Department of Health. She was the second woman to hold the post. Under McLaughlin’s leadership, the Health Department launched initiatives that addressed narcotics addiction, mental health, and lead poisoning.”

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Women’s Equality Week

Rep. Bella Abzug (D-NY), who had applied to Harvard Law School but was rejected because of her gender, graciously accepts a copy of the mayoral proclamation. Bella Abzug with Mayor Edward I. Koch, City Hall, August 20, 1980. Mayor Edward I. Koch photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

On August 20, 1980, Mayor Edward Koch issued a proclamation declaring the week of August 20–26, 1980, as “Women’s Equality Week” in New York City, “in order to emphasize the importance of full rights and opportunities for women in our society.”

The proclamation went on to recall the struggles the recognized leaders of the Women’s Suffrage Movement had endured mere decades earlier in their struggles to bring about women’s rights for future generations:

THE MILESTONES IN WOMEN’S STRUGGLE TO ACHIEVE EQUALITY ARE MANIFOLD.

THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT EVENT OCCURRED IN SENECA FALLS, NEW YORK, IN 1848, WHEN LUCRETIA MOTT AND ELIZABETH CADY STANTON LED THE FIRST WOMEN’S RIGHTS CONVENTION.

THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY SUSAN B. ANTHONY BEING CONVICTED FOR VOTING ILLEGALLY; HARRIET TUBMAN, BORN A SLAVE, LEADING 300 SLAVES TO FREEDOM; AND MARGARET SANGER ESTABLISHING THE FIRST CLINIC FOR CONSULTATION ON BIRTH CONTROL, TO NAME BUT A FEW.

IT IS FITTING THAT WE RECALL THESE TURNING POINTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT, AND THAT TODAY, IN 1980, WE CELEBRATE THE 60TH ANNIVERARY OF SUFFRAGE, RECOGNIZING ANEW THAT ALL MEN AND WOMEN ARE EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW.

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“As you lose your memory, your words, and yourself, I want you to know that I still see you. I still see the strong woman who didn’t have a choice but to be strong in a country that was brutal and unforgiving. I see the woman who managed to provide opportunities to her own daughters that she didn’t have as a young, immigrant, black woman in either her country of birth or choice.”

–Dr. Christiana Best on her mother, Pearl Mavis Munro 

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Women’s Rights in 2023

“Catherine Harry is a Cambodian influencer. She founded a vlog channel called A Dose of Cath and uses it as a platform to discuss topics that are usually not talked about enough in Cambodia because they are often deemed taboo. The topics she tackles include safe sex, masturbation, rape, abortion, divorce, etcetera. Harry aims to empower women.” 

Since the creation of Women’s Equality Day in 1973 and Mayor Koch’s proclamation of Women’s Equality Week in 1980, efforts have continued toward realizing women’s full equality and recognition in our society. Women such as Catherine Harry are giving voice to subjects not previously acknowledged, while raising conversations around women’s needs and gender equity for all.

One part of bringing about gender equity is publicly recognizing the hard work, contributions, and accomplishments that women have made and continue to make toward improving society. Celebrate the women you know who are making positive change by joining the thousands of people who have contributed stories to WomensActivism.NYC. From historic figures who were left out of yesterday’s history books to today’s family and neighborhood role models, we all know women who deserve to be written about and remembered for generations to come. They are exceptional, everyday, extraordinary, important, and they matter to us.

As Charles concludes in his dedication to Ketriana, “Yes, truly inspirational.” 

The Aerial Views of Robert Moses

By the late 1950s, Robert Moses, the legendary “power broker,” was at the peak of his decades-long career in public service. He served, simultaneously, as Commissioner of the Department of Parks, City Construction Coordinator, Chairman of the Mayor’s Committee on Slum Clearance, Commissioner on the City Planning Commission, Chairman of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, Chairman of the New York State Council of Parks, President of the Long Island State Park Commission, and Chairman of the Power Authority of the State of New York. 

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New York Midtown Skyline View south (Lincoln Center), November 1955. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

The Municipal Archives collection of records created by Moses as Parks Department Commissioner, described in an earlier For the Record article, documents not just city parks, but also the highways, bridges, tunnels, housing projects, playgrounds, and beaches he constructed. It includes information about the Lincoln Center complex, the United Nations’ building, the New York Coliseum, Shea Stadium and both the 1939 and 1964 New York World’s Fairs.

This week, For the Record highlights aerial photographic views in the Parks Department collection. Moses contracted with commercial photographers for the aerial views. Images in the collection date to the 1930s, the samples below are from the mid-to-late 1950s when Moses’ portfolio had expanded beyond parks to all of the other construction projects. The photographers flew in planes over the city and used large-format cameras.  The original negatives were scanned at high resolution. All of the images can be viewed in the Municipal Archives Gallery.  

These spectacular images show New York from above in its thriving post-War years when the old city was giving way to the new.

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Orchard Beach, Pelham Bay Park, Bronx, 1956. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Midtown Manhattan (Lincoln Center), 1955. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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West Park Title 1 Housing, March 14, 1956. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Soundview Park and Throgs Neck Expressway, June 12, 1957. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Mid-Harlem and City College, June 12, 1957. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Penn Station South Slum Clearance, June 12, 1957. (Note strut from airplane wing in upper left.) Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Battery Park, June 12, 1957. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Corlears Hook Park, November 3, 1958. (Note car float in East River.) Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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East River Park , Title 1 housing, November 3, 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Washington Square South-East, November 3, 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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George Washington Bridge (not yet double-decked) and Harlem Speedway, November 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Bruckner Expressway, November 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Brooklyn-Queens Expressway progress, November 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Harlem River, Major Deegan Expressway and Yankee Stadium, November 17, 1953. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Throgs Neck Expressway, November 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Long Island Expressway, looking west from Cross Island Parkway, November 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Perseverence: Gertrude Ederle Swims the English Channel

New Yorkers are known for their perseverance. During the hot summer months, residents have endured polluted waters, jellyfish, riptides, lifeguard shortages, and most recently, shark attacks, when searching for somewhere to enjoy a cooling swim. On August 27, 1926, almost one century ago, the city celebrated the perseverance of 19-year-old New York-native Gertrude Ederle, for swimming across the English Channel. Her 14-hour, 31- minute time beat the five previous successful crossings, all made by men, and was not bested until 1964. Ederle’s accomplishment inspired countless female athletes and brought her world-wide fame, far greater that the accolades she received for winning three swimming medals in the 1924 Olympics.   

Invitation to Banquet at Commodore Hotel, September 1, 1926. Mayor’s Committee on Receptions to Distinguished Guests Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

Soon after news of Ederle’s swimming triumph in England on August 6th reached the city, Mayor James Walker asked Grover Whalen, Chairman of the Mayor’s Committee on Receptions to Distinguished Guests, to welcome her home with a ticker-tape parade. While not credited with inventing the ticker-tape parade, Whalen perfected the unique New York-celebration and presided over some of the most iconic parades for notable achievements—most famously, Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight in 1927. 

Ticker-tape parades may appear spontaneous, i.e. the honored guest rides in an open limousine up Broadway from the Battery to City Hall for an official welcome by the Mayor, showered by shredded paper and confetti (or in the pre-digital age, ticker-tape), along the way. Examining Whalen’s records shows that staging a ticker-tape parade was anything but spontaneous. The Municipal Archives collections include the files Grover Whalen created during his multi-decade career as the City’s official greeter. The eight folders generated for the Gertrude Ederle celebration are a good example.  

After receiving the green-light from Mayor Walker, Whelan assembled a committee with representatives from city departments (Police, Fire, Docks, Street Cleaning, and Plant & Structures), news media, and people from organizations relevant to the honored guest. For Ederle, this included many athletic clubs and groups such as the New York Athletic Club, Millrose Athletic Club, and the Women’s Swimming Association.  

Letter to Grover Whalen, Chairman Mayor’s Reception Committee, from Women’s Swimming Association, August 20, 1926. Mayor’s Committee on Receptions to Distinguished Guests Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

Although Whalen and his committee could take advantage of the several-day ocean voyage before Ederle returned to America, they needed to move quickly. He summoned committee members by telegram and held the first meeting on Monday, August 23. The “Minutes of the Meeting” are included in his files. Whalen opened the meeting: “We have come together this afternoon on a very interesting and, I am sure, a very pleasing occasion – to plan for the welcome of one of New York’s own…”.   But then he added, “I am sure that we all feel very proud of Gertrude, and we call her by her first name because we feel that she is very close to us and because she has done so much to make us realize that after all young womanhood today [is] not giving all of its time to smoking and drinking.” The surviving records do not say what prompted that statement.   

Whalen then turned to the purpose of the meeting and noted that the U.S. Treasury Department had kindly consented to “permit Miss Gertrude Ederle and party to leave the S. S. Berengaria at quarantine” and bypass immigration protocols.   

Gertrude Ederle, at center standing behind her father (with flag) and mother aboard the Macom, August 27, 1926, photographer: Eugene de Salignac. Department of Bridges Plant & Structure photograph collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

Whalen’s files show that within two days he and the committee had finalized a timeline for the event on August 27.  It would begin at 9 a.m. when the committee and members of the Ederle family were instructed to assemble at Pier A, and board the steamer “Macon,” [a city-owned vessel]. By 10 a.m. they expected to tie up alongside the S.S. Berengaria, bring Ederle aboard the Macon, and return to the Battery for the start of the parade at 11:45. The procession would reach City Hall by 12:15, and after the formal ceremonies, hosted by the Mayor, “Miss Ederle will be escorted to her home on Amsterdam Avenue.” The following week, on September 1, Mayor Walker planned a formal dinner at the Commodore hotel for Ederle, her family and invited guests.  

Whalen’s correspondence includes a letter from Charles A. Oberwager, President of the United German Societies of the City of N.Y. Mr. Oberwager was also apparently a City Magistrate and used his official stationery for the correspondence. Oberwager wrote: “The German Americans of New York City are keyed up to the highest pitch; their enthusiasm for Miss Gertrude Ederle of New York knows no bounds and thousands of men and women are eagerly awaiting the moment to greet her upon her arrival here and to cheer her to the echo.” He then listed no less than fifteen special “requests” such as, “. . . if in or about the City Hall there should be decorations containing flags of foreign nations, that the German flag be also displayed.” And, “. . . a number of ladies, not more than twenty-four, be permitted to wear sport caps, black skirts and white sweaters.” 

A carbon copy of Whalen’s response is also in the file. Whalen politely acknowledged Oberwager’s enthusiasm but also let him know that “. . . We plan to welcome Miss Ederle . . . first as an American citizen and secondly as a New York girl whose marvelous achievement in conquering the English Channel has brought to her country, her city and to her people untold glory.” He added “. . . since the official escort must represent the spirit of the City, only the American and municipal flags may be carried.”     

Gertrude Ederle joined Track & Field Olympic athlete Pat McDonald (left) and Grover Whalen (right) in the ticker-tape parade for the 1952 United States Summer Olympic Team, July 7, 1952. Mayor’s Reception Committee photograph collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

Gertrude Ederle’s day proceeded as planned. When asked why she undertook the swim, she said she wanted to bring honor to the United States. She also added that her father had promised her “a small roadster” if she succeeded. After losing her hearing in 1930 and suffering a debilitating back injury in 1933, she spent many years teaching deaf children to swim. Gertrude Ederle died at age 98 on November 30, 2003. 

Many years later, Grover Whalen wrote in his autobiography, Mr. New York [G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1955] about receptions he organized and said that there had been so many only a few stood out in his memory. And one that did was Gertrude Ederle’s welcome parade. “Well do I recall that day in August of 1926 when all New York turned out to welcome home the first women to swim the Channel.” He recalled that the Police Department had underestimated the crowds that would turn up for the event. “After the official ceremony Mayor Walker escorted Trudy to the front steps of City Hall in response to the request of the press for a picture. They did not tarry there long, however. A tidal wave of citizenry burst upon them. One burly patrolman rushed to Trudy’s rescue, lifted her bodily, and carried her back inside City Hall. Two other policemen ran interference for the slim Mayor, one on either side of him, and finally got him back into the building.”  

Just two weeks after Gertrude Ederle enjoyed her triumph, on September 10, 1926, the City held a ticker-tape parade for another cross-channel swimmer, Mille Gade Corson.  Billed as the “First Mother and Second Woman to Swim the Channel,” the 27-year-old Danish-American Corson explained her motivation: “I’ve got to make some money for my kids.”    

What We're Working on Now: Indexing Felony Indictment Files

On November 25, 1878, Richard Plunkett wrote to a Mr. W. D. Sloane from his jail cell in “The Tombs” prison. “I will once again appeal to you for mercy not for myself but for my poor old father & mother who is on the brink of the grave and for my poor wife and two little children all of whom with yourself I have so cruelly wronged.” In another missive from his cell on the same day, he added with regard to his wife and children, “I don’t know what will become of them I suppose they will go to the poorhouse.”

“The Tombs” Prison with its distinctive “Egyptian” motif entrance, ca. 1880s. DeGregorio Lantern Slide Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

The letters, and other documents can be found in the New York District Attorney’s felony prosecution file, Peo. v. Richard Plunkett, November 14, 1878. According to the Bill of Indictment, the Grand Jury indicted Mr. Plunkett for “Embezzlement and Grand Larceny” of money from the firm of W. & J. Sloane. The file included evidence in the form of a check made payable to “R. Plunkett” for One Thousand Sixty-Four Dollars,” [equivalent to about $30,000 currently] dated October 29, 1878, drawn on the Bank of New York.

In one of his several letters to the Sloane brothers, proprietors of the firm, Plunkett explains, “Mr. Sloane whatever money I took it was not to hoard up... if that was the case I could have taken tens of thousands; no, it was only when I had no money to satisfy my thirst for rum.”

Letter to W. D. Sloane, from Richard Plunkett, page 1, November 25, 1878. New York District Attorney Indictments Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

Letter to W. D. Sloane, page 2. New York District Attorney Indictments Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

These letters, and many thousands of similar documents, are found in the New York District Attorney’s closed case file collection, one of the series of records pertaining to the administration of criminal justice in the Municipal Archives.

Beginning in 1990, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awarded grant funds to the Municipal Archives for several projects to ensure long-term preservation and provide greater access for selected series in the collection. The types of material include docket books, minutes of court proceedings, and case files. They currently total more than 20,000 cubic feet, and date from 1684 through the 1980s.

Bill of Indictment, for “Larceny of Money & Etc. from the Person in the Night,” with notation of conviction, 1878. New York District Attorney Indictments Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

Among the preservation projects, the Endowment supported indexing the New York District attorney’s felony indictments from 1879 through 1894. Creation of that index greatly expanded the utility of the series for social historians and other researchers. The Archives is currently continuing the indexing effort, beginning with cases filed in 1878 and working in reverse chronological order.

The records being indexed consist of the “files” or papers, produced over the course of the felony indictment process. Each file pertains to a particular defendant accused of a felony. The case files generally include three types of documents: 1) the grand jury indictment (a “bill” of indictment), signed by the foreman; 2) documents generated by the lower courts—police or magistrate’s—including the defendant’s plea; and 3) supporting documents including witness statements, coroner’s inquests, photographs, newspaper clippings, correspondence, diaries, marriage certificates, business cards, and bankbooks.  

Plea Statement, Police Court, 1878. New York District Attorney Indictments Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

The first document in most case files is the formal indictment; it serves as a cover sheet for the succeeding items in the file. It typically reads, “The People vs.... [name of defendant]” and lists the alleged offense, name of counsel, date of indictment, name of district attorney, and whether or not the defendant has been bailed. It is signed by the foreman of the grand jury. There is usually a notation indicating the trial outcome, e.g. “tried and acquitted” or, “convicted” and sometimes if convicted, the sentence, e.g. “S.P. (State Penitentiary), 10 years.” The indictment also includes a full account of the alleged criminal offense; for more routine crimes, this usually consists of a printed form where the clerk simply fills in the name of the defendant. Otherwise, it is a very detailed written statement.

The file includes various documents generated during the arraignment process in the police court. They comprise the original “complaint” filed by a police officer, the victim of the crime, or an officer of an organization such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The forms detail the names of the police court justice, arresting officer, court clerk, and witnesses. Other papers provide detailed information as to the time, place, and circumstances of the offense. These documents provide the rich descriptive information that researchers often find the most rewarding.

The lower court documents also include the defendant’s plea statement. The form consists of a series of questions that the clerk would ask of the defendant: “What is your name? How old are you? Where were you born? Where do you live? What is your occupation?” And finally, “Have you anything to say, and if so, what relative to the charge here preferred against you?” The answer is usually “I am not guilty.” The court clerk records the answers and the defendant signs the document, or makes an “X” if unable to write.

Bill of Indictment, for “Arson” with notation of circumstances and dismissal, 1878. New York District Attorney Indictments Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

The types of cases found in this series include indictments for more than seventy felony offenses ranging from abandoning a child to voting illegally and every other possible felony: bigamy, fraud, libel, homicide, rape, forgery, arson, poisoning, rioting, embezzlement, kidnaping, perjury, and keeping a disorderly house, to name a few. The more routine larceny, assault, and robbery are very well represented.

Letter to District Attorney, in Peo. v McCoy, 1878. New York District Attorney Indictments Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

Thanks to widespread availability of digitized newspapers, combined with the felony indictment index database, patrons can now access case files that previously would have been exceedingly difficult to identify. Armed with the name of a defendant and a date of the criminal transgression (usually from a newspaper article), these patrons are rewarded with unique and detailed information.

For family history researchers, it is not necessarily the criminal offenses that are of interest, but rather the other details about the defendants, their families, residences, occupations, possessions—information typically found in the files—that is so valuable and not available from any other source.

The large quantity of these records suggests that criminal activity was a significant and unfortunate fact of life in New York City at that time. However, the records which are the written legacy of that world now provide a windfall for scholars and other researchers as they seek to illuminate the past.

What may not be evident from this description of the records is the level of detail concerning daily life illuminated by the written account of the circumstances of a crime. The description also does not convey the emotions and passions that are revealed in the records. Many attachments in the files, such as letters from family and friends to the district attorney or the courts, are poignant and telling.

Check, evidence in Peo. V. Plunkett, 1878. New York District Attorney Indictments Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

Returning to Mr. Plunkett, the notation on the Bill of Indictment indicates that he pled guilty to Grand Larceny and was sentenced to the penitentiary for two years. One additional document in the file, dated October 7, 1879, Albany, N.Y. from the New York State Executive Chamber to the New York District Attorney provides further evidence of the outcome. The letter stated that an application had been made to the Governor for the “Pardon of Richard Plunkett” and requested the District Attorney to furnish to the Governor “…with a concise statement of the case as proven on the trial, together with any other facts or circumstances which may have been a bearing on the question of granting or refusing a Pardon.” There is not any documentation in this file on whether the pardon was granted.

The drama of Mr. Plunkett’s predicament and those of the many thousands of other defendants in the Municipal Archives’ collections are unique records that in many instances are the only extant documentation of that person’s existence. Given the value of this series the Municipal Archives believes devoting resources to expanding access is a worthwhile endeavor.