FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2023-109 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (June12, 2023) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps from Steve Kovacs, we learn a little history of street names in lower Manhattan, New York City.

THE GRAND OLD DUKE OF YORK

On June 12, 1665, the colony of New Amsterdam came under British rule and was renamed New York. 

The United Provinces of the Netherlands gave up the island of Manhattan to the British in exchange for Suriname in South America and the island of Run in the East Indies.  Although this helped tighten the Dutch control of the spice trade, it seems like an unfair trade-off today.

The 1665 area of New Amsterdam is New York City’s downtown, known as lower Manhattan. Unlike most early settlements, there are many maps of the town, the Dutch having been the leaders in cartography at the time.  Historical records and a census that was taken have easily enabled historians to plot most of the inhabitants and land use.

For instance, the Battery is where the battery of cannons was located.  Broadway was the wide street that led north out of town to the wall – hence, Wall Street.  Most of the Financial District was laid out and follows the Dutch streets.  Alas, no monuments or buildings remain from that early time period.

Mitchell’s 1867 map of Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn is shown here from 1867.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.