Bay Ridge Historical Society

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 …

11/17/2025

Bay Ridge Historical Society - Wednesday Novembe 19 2025 Zoom Meeting - 7:30 p.m.

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. As I am sure you are aware, July 4 2026 will be the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As we approach the anniversary, the Bay Ridge Historical Society will join in many local celebratory events (more to come on that!) and will attempt to focus our speaking schedule on historical subjects pertaining to the American Revolution and our November speaker will be the first of many. This month we are lucky to have Norman Goben join us. HIs presentation is entitled "A Celebration of Brooklyn 1776 Plaques – Local Landmark Signage" and will focus on the many sites in Brooklyn of Revolutionary War significance that are recognized by plaques and memorials. I am sure you will find the talk fascinating as we learn what incredible history took place on the very streets we walk every day.

Mr. Goben is a lifelong resident of Manhattan with an avid interest in early American History, which he has avidly researched over the past 13 years. He has spoken at many New York City historical sites, including Federal Hall, Hamilton Grange, the Van Cortlandt House Museum, and the New-York Historical Society.

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: Nov 19, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Bay Ridge Historical November 19 2025 Meeting

Register in advance for this webinar:

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. As I am sure you are aware, July 4 2026 will be the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As we approach the anniversary, the Bay Ridge Historical Society will join in many local celebratory events (more to come on that!...

10/13/2025

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. As you know, we meet each month over Zoom. This month we will be presenting photos of Bay Ridge taken by Bay Ridge resident Samual Thomas Winter at the turn of the 20th Century. Each year, we try to set aside one meeting at which we show photos from this incredible collection. This year we will be showing many photos that have not been widely circulated or shown in previous years in addition to old favorites. Samuel Thomas Winter's photos capture Bay Ridge as it transitioned from a rural farming community to a suburban retreat for the elite to the suburb in the city we all grew up knowing and loving. Please make every effort to join us for this exciting experience!

We hope you can join us for what looks to be a very interesting talk. As in the past, our meetings are presented over Zoom and are free of charge and open to the public. So, please feel free to forward this invite to any of your friends and relatives who you think may find it of interest. We do as, however, that you pre-register using the link below.

You are invited to register for a Zoom webinar!

When: Oct 15, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Bay Ridge Historical October 15 2025 Meeting

Register in advance for this webinar:

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. As you know, we meet each month over Zoom. This month we willl be presenting photos of Bay Ridge taken by Bay Ridge resident Samual Thomas Winter at the turn of the 20th Century. Each year, we try to set aside one meeting at which we show photos from....

09/15/2025

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. I would like to welcome you to a new season of Bay Ridge Historical Society events. We have an exciting schedule planned for this Fall and are starting off on September 17 with our first Zoom meeting of the season. This month we are pleased to have the distinguished Stephen Rolandi join us and provide an interesting historical perspective on this year's mayoral race. His topic will be “WILL ’25 BE LIKE ’69? – How New York City’s finances, politics and government were impacted by the 1969 Mayor’s Race and what it portends for this year’s Mayoral Race”

Stepen retired in 2015 after a distinguished career with the State and City of New York. He held executive positions in the administrations of four Mayors and two Governors. A graduate of Xaverian High School, Mr. Rolandi holds a BA degree in History and Political Science from New York University, and an MPA degree from NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. He teaches public policy and finance at Pace University and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. A frequent commentator on public finance and politics, Professor Rolandi has served on numerous boards in Washington, DC; New York City and Westchester County. He is a member of: Brooklyn Historical Society, Ripon Society, American Society for Public Administration, and the Bay Ridge Historical Society.

We hope you can join us for what looks to be a timely and very interesting talk. As in the past, our meetings are presented over Zoom and are free of charge and open to the public. We do as, however, that you pre-register using the link below.

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

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mQ2Yvr9ZTyGHFa1XR4fjzA

Best regards,

Tom McCarthy

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. I would like to welcome you to a new season of Bay Ridge Historical Society events. We have an exciting schedule planned for this Fall and are starting off on September 17 with our first Zoom meeting of the Fall season. This month we are pleased to ha...

06/16/2025

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. This month we are pleased to have a respected and accomplished historian, and the author of several books, Associate Professor of History Ed O'Donnell of Holy Cross College, join us to discuss the incredible career of the great Theodore Roosevelt. As president. Theodore Roosevelt brought about significant changes in politics, business regulation, labor law, women’s rights, and social welfare policies. But before he was president, he was the NYC Police Commissioner and the New York State Governor.

Professor O'Donnell's talk will explore all of his many accomplishments including many of his overlooked ones in his career prior to ascenting to the presidency.

The meeting is, of course, free of charge and open to the general public so please feel free to invite your friends and family members. As in the past, the meeting will take place via Zoom and you will need to register in advance for the meeting as is outlined below.

When: Jun 18, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Bay Ridge Historical June 18 2025 Meeting

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Bj1-Aj8nQRqe4xGSaBNzkA

Best regards,

Tom McCarthy
President

06/07/2025

Greetings from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. I am pleased to pass along the attached invite from Justin Batt of the Fort Hamilton Army Base Harbor Defence Museum. He has graciously invited our membership and all interested parties to attend a celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States Army and the 200th Anniversary of the founding of our very own Fort Hamilton Army Base. The celebration will take place on Friday June 13. Details are contained in the attached document.

It should be a very interesting and uplifting event and I would encourage all of you to attend. I know I will be there!

Best regards,

Tom McCarthy

05/19/2025

Don't miss our upcoming meeting this Wednesday. It should be very interesting. See below for details.

You will need to register in advance for the meeting. Please use the following link to register:
When: May 21, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Bay Ridge Historical May 21 2025 Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_ixEcnuKbTQ2iS7zFpLWUEQ
Looking forward to having you join what looks to be a very interesting and informative presentation and discussion.