BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
128 PIERREPONT STREET, BROOKLYN, NY 11201 www.brooklynhistory.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: HOUSED IN A MAGNIFICENT LANDMARK BUILDING IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS DESIGNED BY GEORGE POST IN 1878 AND COMPLETED IN 1881, BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY (BHS) MAINTAINS AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, MAPS, BOOKS, ARTIFACTS AND PAINTINGS RELATING TO NATIONAL AND LOCAL HISTORY. WE DRAW FROM THESE HOLDINGS TO CREATE INTERPRETIVE EXHIBITIONS THAT PROMPT VISITORS TO RECONSIDER THE FUNDAMENTAL FACTS OF HISTORY IN LIGHT OF PRIMARY SOURCE DOCUMENTS AND ARTIFACTS. BHS SERVES ALMOST 80,000 PEOPLE ANNUALLY BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CIVIC DIALOGUE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS THROUGH EXHIBIT TOURS, PUBLIC PROGRAMMING, RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR NEW YORK CITY STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS AND WRITTEN CURRICULA FOR NEW YORK CITY TEACHERS.

MAKE THE VIBRANT HISTORY OF BROOKLYN TANGIBLE, RELEVANT AND MEANINGFUL FOR TODAY'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES AND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

MUSEUM:EXHIBITIONS AT BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY CONNECT BROOKLYN'S MULTILAYERED HISTORY TO THE HISTORY OF OUR NATION AND TO ISSUES THAT CONTINUE TO SHAPE THE BOROUGH TODAY. BHS HAS FIVE GALLERIES FEATURING LONG-TERM AND ROTATING EXHIBITIONS. PUBLIC PROGRAMMING SERIES ALSO ACCOMPANY MANY EXHIBITIONS, AND ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES ALLOW VISITORS BEYOND THE GREATER NEW YORK CITY AREA TO EXPLORE THESE STORIES.(CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)EXHIBITIONS AT BHS HAVE FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHS CHRONICLING NEW YORK CITY'S FOOD PANTRIES, EXPLORED A CONTESTED HISTORY THROUGH THE VOICES OF VIETNAM VETERANS, CELEBRATED JACKIE ROBINSON'S LEGACY AS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO PLAY PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL, EXAMINED PHOTOGRAPHY AND LETTER-WRITING IN CIVIL-WAR BROOKLYN, AND LOOKED AT THE UNSUNG HEROES OF BROOKLYN'S ANTISLAVERY MOVEMENT.IN SEPTEMBER 2019, BHS OPENED "AN OPENING", AN INSTALLATION OF AUDIO AND VISUAL ARTWORKS BY BROOKLYN-BASED ARTIST KAMEELAH JANAN RASHEED, ENGAGES WITH A MULTIPLICITY OF MUSLIM EXPERIENCES IN BROOKLYN. ELEVEN LARGE-SCALE PRINTS BY RASHEED ARE PLACED IN CONVERSATION WITH AUDIO NARRATIVES FROM ORAL HISTORIES DRAWN FROM BHS'S RECENT MUSLIMS IN BROOKLYN PROJECT. THE RESULT IS AN IMMERSIVE ENCOUNTER WITH ART AND SOUND THAT CHALLENGES NARROW CONCEPTIONS OF MUSLIM IDENTITY AND HISTORY.

COLLECTIONS:BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOUSES A WORLD-RENOWNED ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARY ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF ITS LANDMARK BUILDING. THE OTHMER LIBRARY'S MAGNIFICENT READING ROOM, WITH ITS STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS AND CARVED WOODEN COLUMNS, TRANSPORTS THE VISITOR TO AN EARLIER ERA. THE CURATORIAL AFFAIRS & COLLECTIONS (FORMERLY LIBRARY & ARCHIVES) DEPARTMENT COLLECTS, PRESERVES, AND MAKES ACCESSIBLE ONE OF THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF MATERIALS RELATED TO BROOKLYN'S HISTORY AND CULTURE. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)ITS HOLDINGS INCLUDE OVER 33,000 BOOKS, 1,600 ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS, 1,200 ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS, 50,000 PHOTOGRAPHS, 8,000 ARTIFACTS, 300 PAINTINGS, AND 2,000 MAPS WHICH DOCUMENT THE COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL, COMMUNITY, AND CIVIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE BOROUGH. THE COLLECTIONS FOSTER NEW AND CUTTING-EDGE SCHOLARSHIP; SUPPORT PUBLIC LEARNING AND RESEARCH; AND ENRICH BHS'S EXHIBITIONS, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, AND PUBLIC PROGRAMMING. THE LIBRARY IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR RESEARCH.BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY IS THE ONLY CULTURAL INSTITUTION IN BROOKLYN THAT MAINTAINS A PERMANENT ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM. BEGUN IN 1973, BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S ORAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS NOW INCLUDE OVER 1,200 INTERVIEWS. THROUGH AN INTEGRATED DESCRIPTION PROGRAM WITH THE LIBRARY & ARCHIVES, THESE ORAL HISTORIES BRING THE VOICES OF HISTORY TO BROAD AUDIENCES THROUGH EXHIBITIONS, DIGITAL HUMANITIES PROJECTS, K-12 AND POST-SECONDARY CURRICULA, PUBLIC PROGRAMS, AND VIA THE BHS BLOG AND FLATBUSH + MAIN PODCAST. THE COLLECTIONS PROVIDE A WEALTH OF HISTORICAL EVIDENCE ABOUT THE LIVES OF TWENTIETH- AND TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY BROOKLYN RESIDENTS, AND REVEAL HOW DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES HAVE SOUGHT TO PRESERVE VITAL SOCIAL, POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS, AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS AS BROOKLYNITES, NEW YORKERS, AND AMERICANS. THE COLLECTIONS CONTAIN INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, CANTONESE, AND MANDARIN, WITH NARRATORS BORN AS EARLY AS 1880. RECORDING THE VOICES OF TODAY'S AND YESTERDAY'S BROOKLYNITES IS JUST ONE OF THE WAYS THAT BHS FULFILLS ITS MISSION TO MAKE THE VIBRANT HISTORY OF BROOKLYN TANGIBLE, RELEVANT, AND MEANINGFUL FOR TODAY'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, AND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.DURING 2019-2020 BHS CONTINUED ITS WORK ON THE MULTI-YEAR REVEALING LONG ISLAND HISTORY, A GROUNDBREAKING COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH INITIATIVE THAT WILL MAKE MUCH OF BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S WORLD-RENOWNED COLLECTIONS OF BROOKLYN AND LONG ISLAND DIGITALLY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME. IN FACT, THIS PROJECT REPRESENTS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE CATALOGING AND DIGITIZATION PROJECT AT BHS SINCE THE INSTITUTION'S OTHMER LIBRARY REOPENED TO RESEARCHERS IN 2006 AFTER BEING CLOSED FOR ALMOST A DECADE DURING AN EXTENSIVE RENOVATION OF BHS'S LANDMARK BUILDING. AS COLLECTIONS ARE AT THE HEART OF ALL BHS PROGRAMMING-FROM EDUCATION PROGRAMS, TO EXHIBITIONS, TO PUBLIC PROGRAMS-THIS PROJECT MARKS A TURNING POINT IN OUR INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY, AS WE MORE FULLY TECHNOLOGIZE THE CARE, MANAGEMENT, AND ACCESSIBILITY OF OUR INVALUABLE HISTORICAL RESOURCES.IN 2020, BHS LAUNCHED TWO MAJOR ONLINE COLLECTIONS PROJECTS, INCLUDING PORTAL TO THE PAST, A COMPREHENSIVE WEB PORTAL THAT INCLUDES DIGITIZED VERSIONS OF BHS'S EXTENSIVE MAP COLLECTIONS. THE SECOND ONLINE INITIATIVE LAUNCHED IN 2020 WAS AN ONLINE COLLECTION OF ORAL HISTORIES FROM WOMEN WHO WORKED AT THE BROOKLYN NAVY YARD DURING WWII.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS:BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S AWARD-WINNING EDUCATION PROGRAMS SERVE OVER 15,000 K-12 STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND ADULTS ANNUALLY (80% FROM TITLE I SCHOOLS) THROUGH TOURS, IN-CLASS & AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, DIGITAL CURRICULA, YOUTH INTERNSHIPS, AND TEACHER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WORKSHOPS THAT CONNECT BROOKLYN EVENTS TO U.S. AND WORLD HISTORY. SINCE 2011, BHS HAS ALSO PARTNERED WITH THE BROOKLYN NAVY YARD DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO LEAD STUDENT, TEACHER, AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS AT BLDG 92 IN SOCIAL STUDIES AND STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH) TOPICS, INCLUDING LABOR AND INDUSTRY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND INNOVATION. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY EDUCATION PROGRAMS EMPOWER CHILDREN, YOUTH, TEACHERS AND FAMILIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INTERPRETATION OF BROOKLYN HISTORY AS THEY BUILD CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THAT WILL SHAPE THEIR PRESENT. EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE GROUNDED IN BHS'S UNIQUE AND RESONANT PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIALS, DATED BETWEEN 1620 AND 2016. IN THESE COLLECTIONS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FIND MYRIAD CASE STUDIES TO ENHANCE, ENLIVEN, AND BROADEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING AND TEACHING OF AMERICAN HISTORY NARRATIVES AND STEM SUBJECTS FROM PRE-K TO GRADE 12.BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROGRAMS SUPPORT THE COMMON CORE LEARNING STANDARDS AND NEW YORK CITY SOCIAL STUDIES SCOPE AND SEQUENCE AND CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO ELA, ART, SCIENCE, AND MATH CURRICULA. OUR EMPHASIS ON DOCUMENT ANALYSIS, CRITICAL THINKING, AND EVIDENCE-BASED REASONING WITH ORIGINAL PRIMARY-SOURCE TEXTS HELPS TO BUILD TRANSFERABLE SKILLS THAT BENEFIT STUDENTS ACROSS DISCIPLINES.BHS WAS AWARDED A 2019 AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FROM THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR STATE AND LOCAL HISTORY (AASLH) FOR ITS YOUNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM. OFFERED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOLS, THE YOUNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM INTRODUCES STUDENTS TO THE DYNAMIC PROCESS OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH ABOUT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. THE AASLH LEADERSHIP IN HISTORY AWARDS, NOW IN ITS 74TH YEAR, IS THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS RECOGNITION FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN THE PRESERVATION AND INTERPRETATION OF STATE AND LOCAL HISTORY. BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY IS A REGISTERED VENDOR WITH THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (VENDOR ID: BRO-120000). BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY IS AN AUTHORIZED PROVIDER OF NYS CONTINUING TEACHER & LEADER EDUCATION (CTLE) CREDITS.

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