For the public park of the same name, see Marine Park, Brooklyn

Marine Park, Brooklyn

Marine Park is a public park located in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. Its 798 acres surround the westernmost inlet of Jamaica Bay. Most of the land for Marine Park, Brooklyn was donated to New York City to be turned into public park land by the Whitney family in 1920 and by Frederic B....

.

Marine Park is a neighborhood located in the New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 borough

Borough (New York City)

New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...

 of Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, that lies between Mill Basin

Mill Basin, Brooklyn

Mill Basin is a neighborhood in New York City in the southern portion of the borough of Brooklyn lying along Jamaica Bay and bounded to the north by Avenue U, and to the east, south, and west by the Mill Basin/Mill Island Inlet...

 and Gerritsen Beach

Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn

Gerritsen Beach is a small town/community in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, located near Marine Park and Sheepshead Bay. The area is served by Brooklyn Community Board 15.-Geography:...

. The neighborhood is mostly squared off in area by Gerritsen Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, Avenue U

Avenue U

Avenue U is a street located in Brooklyn, New York City. This avenue is a main thoroughfare throughout its length. Avenue U begins at Stillwell Avenue and ends at Bergen Avenue...

 and Kings Highway. It partly surrounds the eponymous park

Marine Park, Brooklyn

Marine Park is a public park located in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. Its 798 acres surround the westernmost inlet of Jamaica Bay. Most of the land for Marine Park, Brooklyn was donated to New York City to be turned into public park land by the Whitney family in 1920 and by Frederic B....

. The neighborhood is largely made up of ethnic groups such as Italian, Irish, Greek, and Jewish. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18

Brooklyn Community Board 18

Brooklyn Community Board 18 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of Canarsie, Bergen Beach, Mill Basin, Flatlands, Marine Park, Georgetown, and Mill Island...

. As of 2007, Marine Park had a population of 86,253.

History

The neighborhood is situated around Gerritsen Inlet, the westernmost inlet of Jamaica Bay

Jamaica Bay

Jamaica Bay is located on the southwestern tip of Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, and the town of Hempstead, New York/hamlet of Inwood...

. During the last 5,000 years strips of sand were deposited by ocean currents. These beach strips form a surf-barrier and allow salt marsh

Salt marsh

A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...

es to "...grow in the calm water on their protected bay side..."

"...Gerritsen Creek was a freshwater stream that once extended about twice as far inland as it does today. Around 1920 the creek north of Avenue U was converted into an underground storm drain. Yet it continues to supply the salt marsh with fresh water, which helps the marsh support a wide range of organisms. ..."

Native Americans

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 living in the nearby Keshawchqueten village favored the creek for hunting and fishing. Food preparation pits dating from, 800 to 1400 A.D. were revealed by archaeological excavations in Marine Park. The pits contained deer and turtle bones, oyster shells, and sturgeon scales. The area was originally a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 settlement which had the first tide mill

Tide mill

A tide mill is a water mill driven by tidal rise and fall. A dam with a sluice is created across a suitable tidal inlet, or a section of river estuary is made into a reservoir. As the tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one way gate, and this gate closes automatically when the tide...

 in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. Dutch settlers found the salt marshes and coastal plain-land of southern Brooklyn similar to Holland's landscape. Their food comprised farm-produced livestock, game, and harvests of oysters and clams, which were easily obtainable in this natural setting. Years passed, and city plans were elaborated to make a port out of Jamaica Bay

Jamaica Bay

Jamaica Bay is located on the southwestern tip of Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, and the town of Hempstead, New York/hamlet of Inwood...

. A Real estate boom was anticipated, and land was bought by private owners.

"...Fearing that the relatively pristine marshland around Gerritsen Creek would be destroyed, Frederick B. Pratt and Alfred T. White offered the city 150 acre (0.607029 km²) in the area for use as a park in 1917. After a seven-year delay the City accepted the offer. The prospect of a new park inspired developers to erect new homes in the area and, in the year 1926, form the organization, Marine Park Civic Association, although park improvements were slow to follow. Fill deposited in the marshlands in the 1930s and now land purchases increased the park's area to 1822 acres (7 km²) by 1937. That year the Board of Aldermen named the site Brooklyn Marine Park..."

In 1939, over 789 acres (3.2 km²) of land were donated to New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, and Marine Park (the park itself)

Marine Park, Brooklyn

Marine Park is a public park located in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. Its 798 acres surround the westernmost inlet of Jamaica Bay. Most of the land for Marine Park, Brooklyn was donated to New York City to be turned into public park land by the Whitney family in 1920 and by Frederic B....

 was created. Many of the houses in the neighborhood were also built around the same time. These houses are referred as Marine Park Neighborhood. A couple of additional land transactions took place. For example, 1024 acres (4 km²) of park were transferred to the National Park Service

National Park Service

The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...

, and now it is Saltmarsh Nature Center.

Today's Marine Park

Marine Park is mostly made up of middle class ethnic residents, including mostly Irish, then Italian and Greek heritage. It is a middle class neighborhood that enjoys many Irish Catholic traditional festivals, along with being a very patriotic American community.

External links

• Marine Park Civic Association, with history of the neighborhood
• Marine Park Photo Gallery (Winter)
• Marine Park Greenery
• Salt Marsh Nature Center located in the Marine Park neighborhood
• Marine Park Dogs