Bay Ridge Historical Society

07/04/2026

06/15/2026

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. We hope you can join us this Wednesday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom for our last meeting before our summer break.

This month we are honored to have Douglas Westfall, Congressionally-Recognized National Historian, join us to discuss his upcoming book about the early Dutch settlers of New York which include his direct ancestor Juriaen Westvaal who came to Manhattan Island in 1642. Among many historical facts he will discuss is how the Dutch settlers had an early version of the Bill of Rights. His talk will be complete with maps showing Lower Manhattan property owned by his ancestors. Should be a very interesting talk!

As in the past, our meetings will take place exclusively over Zoom. Below is outlined registration information. Please make every effort to attend. Attendance is free and open to the public so please feel free to invite your friends and associates but advance registration is required so please click the link below and register! If clicking does not work, please copy the link into your browser.

You are invited to register for a Zoom webinar!

When: Jun 17, 2026 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Bay Ridge Historical june 17 2026 Meeting

Register in advance for this webinar:

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. This month we are honored to have Douglas Westfall, Congressionally-Recognized National Historian, join us to discuss his upcoming book about the early Dutch settlers of New York which include his direct ancestor Juriaen Westvaal came to Manhattan Isl...

05/18/2026

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society.

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. As I am sure you are well aware, this July 4th will mark the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and commencement of our great nation. Celebrations are being planned all over the country and we are lucky in NYC to have a front seat to perhaps the greatest one of all; Sail4th250! This month we are privileged indeed to have Bill Armstrong, Communication Director for Sall4th250 and Maggie Sweeney, Maritime Director, join us at our meeting to bring us up to date on all the planning taking place and answer questions we may have. Please don't miss this special event. Feel free to invite your friends, neighbors and relatives as this meeting, like all of our meetings, is free of charge and open to the public.

As in the past, our meetings will take place exclusively over Zoom. Below is outlined registration information. Please make every effort to attend. Attendance is free and open to the public so please feel free to invite your friends and associates but advance registration is required so please click the link below and register! If clicking does not work, please copy the link into your browser.

When: May 20, 2026 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Bay Ridge Historical May 2026 Meeting

Register in advance for this webinar:

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. As I am sure you are well aware, this July 4th will mark the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and commencement of our great nation. Celebrations are being planned all over the country and we are lucky in NYC to have....

04/11/2026

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. This month we are pleased to have Colin Fraser, life-long philatelist join us in our monthly meeting to discuss "Insights to American History Through Postal Artifacts" using the collection of the late Ryohei Ishikawa . Mr. Fraser's talk will provide historical insight into early American postal history. Mr. Fraser is a former Vice-President at Christie’s and is now an independent dealer. He is a former board member of the American Stamp Dealers Association and the Philatelic Foundation (New York). He is currently living in Woodstock, NY.

As in the past, our meetings will take place exclusively over Zoom. Below is outlined registration information. Please make every effort to attend. Attendance is free and open to the public so please feel free to invite your friends and associates but advance registration is required so please click the link below and register! If clicking does not work, please copy the link into your browser.

You are invited to register for a Zoom webinar!

When: Apr 15, 2026 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Bay Ridge Historical Society April 15 2026 Meeting

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aCdMtckaQdqBtmQ3lXZ0IA
Looking forward to seeing you all on April 15. It should be a very interesting discussion and we hope you can join.

Best regards,

Tom McCarthy
President

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. This month we are pleased to have Colin Fraser, life long philatelist join us in our monthly meeting to discuss "Insights to American History Through Postal Artifacts" using the collection of the late Ryohei Ishikawa . Mr. Fraser's talk with provide h...

03/09/2026

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. As in the past, March represents the start of our Spring schedule of events. As such, on March 18, 2026 we will have our first meeting in the year of the year and what an exciting year it portends to be! This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States, known as the Semiquincentennial, since the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. We are planning to fully participate in all the celebrations planned for this year and will update the membership as plans coalesce.

In keeping with this theme, this month we are pleased to have Dr. Edward A. Marlatt, retired Adelphi University professor join us to discuss "LOYALISTS vs PATRIOTS: The American Revolution in Brooklyn and on Long Island" The program will cover Loyalists and Patriots in Brooklyn and on Long Island during the American Revolution, including the Tryon Oath where many Long Island males pledged allegiance to King George III and not to General George Washington. All of Long Island [all four counties] were under British control for the duration of the American Revolution, after the Patriot’s defeat at the Battle of Brooklyn in August 1776.

As in the past, our meetings will take place exclusively over Zoom. Below is outlined registration information. Please make every effort to attend. Attendance is free and open to the public so please feel free to invite your friends and associates but advance registration is required so please click the link below and register! If clicking does not work, please copy the link into your browser.

You are invited to register for a Zoom webinar!

When: Mar 18, 2026 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Bay Ridge Historical March 18 2026 Meeting

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nN-xkyxOQayLEIvViBMIOQ

Looking forward to seeing you all on March 18. It should be a very interesting discussion and we hope you can join.

Best regards,

Tom McCarthy
President

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States, known as the Semiquincentennial, since the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. We are planning to fully participate in all the celebrations planned for this year and w...

12/15/2025

Christmas and Hanukkah greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. We would like to wish all of our members a joyous and wonderful holiday season.

On Wednesday, December 17, we will have our last Zoom meeting of the year and we hope you can join us. We will begin again with a series of Zoom meetings and other events in March, 2026 and will be communicating our anticipated schedule early in the new year.

This month we are pleased to have our own vice president, Henry Stewart, speak with us on a topic that is sure to interest our membership. On December 16, 1853, the residents of a rural, mostly farming community in Kings County called Yellow Hook met and resolved to rename their home Bay Ridge. This story might be familiar: It's been told and retold many times, but local historian and Society Vice President Henry Stewart uses original research to blast through the lore and explain what really happened almost 172 years ago. Spoiler alert: It wasn't about yellow fever. At least not really. Henry Stewart is a journalist, Bay Ridge native and the author of HOW BAY RIDGE BECAME BAY RIDGE, TRUE CRIME BAY RIDGE and MORE TRUE CRIME BAY RIDGE, all of which are available at The BookMark Shoppe and on Amazon.

As in the past, our meetings will take place exclusively over Zoom. Below is outlined registration information. Please make every effort to attend. Attendance is free and open to the public so please feel free to invite your friends and associates but advance registration is required so please click the link below and register! If clicking does not work, please copy the link into your browser.

When: Dec 17, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Bay Ridge Historical Society December 17 2025 Meeting

Register in advance for this webinar:

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. This month we are pleased to have our own vice president, Henry Stewart, speak with us on a topic that is sure to interest our membership. On December 16, 1853, the residents of a rural, mostly farming community in Kings County called Yellow Hook met....

12/06/2025

On Sunday, Dec. 7, our nation will memorialize the 84th anniversary of the horrific and shocking attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As a result ,the Imperial …