Wednesday, February 1, 2023 – THE EAST RIVER IS FULL OF TALL TALES, FROM THE HUSSAR AND BRITISH GOLD TO DINOSAUR BONES
FROM THE ARCHIVES
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2023
ISSUE 901
NEWS NOTES FROM
ALL OVER
NO DINOSAURS, BUT OTHER
TREASURES
YOUNGEST SCOUTS ON THE ISLAND
A MAP CORRECTED
Recently a story has been circulating about a boatload of pre-historic bones being lost in the East River around 65th Street in 1940. The bones were supposedly on their way from Alaska to the American Museum of Natural History. To date no evidence of the shipment has been located.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/nyregion/joe-rogan-mammoth-tusks-east-river.html?searchResultPosition=1
Meanwhile
In 1971, The Sunday News featured the discovery of 3 anchors in the East River at the site of the 63rd Street subway tunnel. They were to be shared, 2 at South Street Seaport Museum and one at the new island subway station.
Needless to say the anchors never reached the South Street Seaport Museum and inquiries into their whereabouts have never been answered,
YOUNGEST SCOUTS VISIT KIOSK
Members of Daisy Troop 3416 and leader Christina Kirkman
visited the RIHS Kiosk on Monday to learn about the Island history and visit island sites. An interesting tour of the kiosk and answering questions was followed by a story time.
Daisy members are learning all about the island including visiting different buildings.
RIHS President Judy Berdy read from the new book ROOSEVELT ISLAND KIDS. This audience could recognize all the pictures and told us of their favorite places on the island,
A MAP CORRECTED
When the Whitney Museum published a map featuring the New York sites that were featured in Edward Hopper’s art, something struck me as being incorrect in the interactive map.
The map featured the painting “Blackwell’s Island” as being located on the south end of out island. Wrong, the Octagon is at the north end and the map had to be corrected. Since the Octagon is still on the island how could such a mistake be made?(left )
It took weeks to hear back from the curator of the Hopper exhibit. After a few e-mails back and forth the map was corrected yesterday morning. Thanks to curator Kim Conoty for correcting history.
This is the correct version:
Two other paintings of the Queensboro Bridge are also featured on the site, (right)
PHOTO OF THE DAY
PLEASE SEND YOUR RESPONSE TO:
ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM
TUESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
TITANIC MEMORIAL
Titanic Memorial Lighthouse, at Fulton and Pearl Streets inside South Street Seaport.
From South Street Seaport website: https://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/titanic-memorial-lighthouse/
“Located in the Titanic Memorial Park at the corner of Pearl Street and Fulton Street, the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse, part of the collection of the South Street Seaport Museum, stands as a memorial to all those lost during the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic. Originally erected on the roof of the Seamen’s Church Institute at South Street and Coenties Slip, the tower was donated to the South Street Street Seaport Museum in 1968.” Andy Sparberg
Aron Eisenpreiss and Joyce Gold,( NYC tour guide) also got it right!
Oops: Andy Sparberg also gave correct answer about Monday’s photo of the Flushing Meadow Aquacade.
Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
JUDITH BERDY
THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com
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