In the early 20th century, Brooklyn was the capital of the coffee business in America.

In 1814, Robert Fulton’s steam ferry helped transform Brooklyn from a rural hamlet to a booming city.

Immigrants have lived and worked in neighborhoods near the Brooklyn waterfront for generations.

Brooklyn’s waterfront was once dotted with warehouses storing tons of cargo from all over the world.

In the 19th century, the East River was one of the world’s busiest waterways.

Dangerous and destructive fires occurred frequently along the Brooklyn waterfront.

Longshoremen, boatmen, drivers, clerks, U.S. Customs inspectors and others once labored along Brooklyn’s waterfront.