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Bridges

Outerbridge Crossing and Goethals Bridge

They were opened in 1928, connecting Staten Island to New Jersey.

Bayonne Bridge

It was opened in 1931, and it connects Elm Park, Staten Island, and Bayonne New Jersey.

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

It was opened in 1964 and it connects Staten Island to Brooklyn

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Lighthouses

Staten Island Lighthouse

It was built in Lighthouse Hill on Edinboro Road and has been operating since 1912. Another lens was added to it in 1939 to extend the reach of its beam of light to 18 miles

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Lighthouses

Elm Tree Lighthouse

It was built in 1939 by the Coast Guard and replaced an earlier wooden lighthouse built in 1856.

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Lighthouses

Fort Wadsworth Light

It was first lit in 1903 with a fresnel lens lighting up 14 miles ahead. After the Verrazano deemed it obsolete, it was deactivated in 1965.

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Snug Harbor

Snug Harbor Cultural Center was founded in 1801
Originally it was home to retired sailors
Snug Harbor cared for mariners on Staten Island from 1833 to 1976
It was the nation’s first home for retired merchant seamen
Eventually it became a cultural center

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Fort Wadsworth

The fort was used as a point of defense during World War I
It divides the New York Bay into Upper and Lower parts

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Kill van Kull

One of the six significant maritime and industrial areas designed to protect and encourage concentrated working waterfronts
Tidal canal that separates Staten Island's North Shore from Bayonne, NJ

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2.�Oyster Harvesting

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Oyster Harvesting in the 1800s

Most important industry for SI in the early 1800s
Immature oysters from neighboring waters would be harvested and planted in SI waters to grow their oyster beds
Captain David Van Name

Transported York River Oysters to Prince Bay, SI and planted them
“Starvation Farm” - his farm of 600 acres in Poropotank Greek in Gloucester County

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Decline of Oyster Harvesting

In 1910, New York Harbor became very polluted

Due to industrial affairs
Many more ships in the area and their wastes

In 1916, the Health Department of NYC banned Oyster Harvesting when Typhoid Fever was traced back to them

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3.�Ship Building

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Port Richmond, SI Shipyard

In 1888 William Burlee started a shipyard in Port Richmond - “Burlee Dry Dock”
In 1998, he took over Port Richmond Iron works, expanding his shipyard
Built engines and wood & steel vessels

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Staten Island Ship Building

In 1903 the yard was expanded to Mariners Harbor
In 1907, the shipyard was renamed Staten Island Ship Building (SISB)

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The United Shipyards

In 1929 SISB merged with 5 other shipyards and became “the United Shipyards”

Theodore A. Crane’s Sons Co.
James Shewan & Sons
W. & A. Fletcher & Co.
Morse Dry Dock & Repair Co.
New York Harbor Dry Dock Co.

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Bethlehem Steel

In 1938 Bethlehem Steel bought the company
They contributed to the WWII effort by building navy ships and in turn creating jobs
In 1959, the shipyard closed

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4.�Shipping

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Mariners Harbor

In the early 1900s, the Mariners Harbor was filled with prominent shipping and dry dock companies

One of the biggest - Bethlehem Steel

In this neighborhood, many houses were built by sea captains who wanted to live near the waterfront
It became known as “Captain’s Row”

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Mariners Harbor

Mariners Harbor was the site of much fishing and oyster harvesting in the past
Tugboat companies operated here too

Kirby Off Shore Marine
Miller’s Launch West Yard

The shipping business went on to slow during the great depression

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Mariners harbor

Today there is a Mariners Harbor Yacht Club, that started in 1910, that serves as a reminder of the area’s nautical past.
There is also a group of people who grew up in Mariners Harbor who have come together and they are known as The Office.

They hope to guide and mentor the youth of their community

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https://www.silive.com/entertainment/2019/11/flashback-staten-island-mariners-harbor-is-rich-in-maritime-history.html

https://www.silive.com/news/2018/11/then-and-now-mariners-harbor-steeped-in-history.html

https://statenislandsnorthshore.wordpress.com/bethlehem-steel%E2%80%99s-world-war-ii-era-shipyard-in-new-york/

https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-19951102-1995-11-02-9511010140-story.html

https://www.oldstatenisland.org/historic-timeline.html

https://forgotten-ny.com/2015/10/staten-island-lighthouse-lighthouse-hill/

https://www.silive.com/specialreports/2011/03/rich_history_of_oystering_come.html

https://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/bethstatenisland.htm

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sailors-snug-harbor/history

https://www.siferry.com/

https://www.6sqft.com/10-places-with-ties-to-new-yorks-maritime-history/

https://seahistory.org/museums-sites/the-noble-maritime-collection/

https://seahistory.org/publications/

http://www.goingcoastal.org/img/mhpdf/Ch%2012%20Epilogue%201941-Present.pdf

Sources