Red Hook Brooklyn

Colonization

The indigenous Lenape people referred to the area as Ihepetonga, signifying a high point of sandy soil. Dutch colonists from New Amsterdam settled the village in 1636, christening it Roode Hoek due to its red clay soil and prominent projection into the Upper New York Bay. In Dutch, “Hoek” translates to “point” or “corner,” rather than the English “hook” denoting something curved or bent. The actual “hoek” of Red Hook was situated on an island protruding into Upper New York Bay, present-day Dikeman Street west of Ferris Street. By 1657, Roode Hoek became part of the Town of Brooklyn.

Rapelye Street in Red Hook commemorates the early roots of the Rapelje family, one of New Amsterdam’s earliest settlers. Descended from Sarah Rapelje, the first European child born in the nascent Dutch settlement in the New World, the family’s lineage extends to Brooklyn’s beginnings. Joris Jansen Rapelje, Sarah’s father, migrated to Brooklyn after her birth, becoming a prominent figure in the community and a member of the Council of twelve men. Rapelye Street in Red Hook honors the Rapelje family’s enduring legacy in Brooklyn.

American Revolution

During the Battle of Brooklyn, also known as the Battle of Long Island, Fort Defiance was erected on the hoek. George S. Sproule, a Loyalist engineer, depicted this fortification on his 1780 map titled “a Map of the Environs of Brooklyn.” The complex comprised three redoubts on a small island interconnected by trenches, with an earthwork on the southern side to thwart any attempted landings. Spanning approximately 1,600 feet in length, the entire earthwork enveloped the island. The three redoubts covered an area measuring about 400 by 800 feet, with the primary earthworks measuring around 150 by 175 feet, and the tertiary one approximately 75 by 100 feet. Maps by Sproule and Bernard Ratzer illustrate Red Hook as a low-lying area replete with tidal mill ponds established by the Dutch.

In April 1776, General Israel Putnam arrived in New York to evaluate and bolster its defenses. Among the initiatives undertaken were the construction of forts on Governor’s Island and Red Hook, facing the bay. On April 10, one thousand Continentals seized control of both points and commenced the construction of Fort Defiance, armed with one three-pounder cannon and four eighteen-pounders. These cannons were intended to be fired over the fort’s parapets. In May, George Washington described Fort Defiance as “small but exceedingly strong.” On July 5, General Nathanael Greene deemed it “a post of vast importance,” and shortly thereafter, Colonel Varnum’s regiment joined its garrison. Despite the formidable defenses, on July 12, the British vessels Rose, Phoenix, and Tyrol managed to pass by Fort Defiance and the more robust works on Governor’s Island unscathed, reaching as far as Tappan Zee. Although they faced constant harassment, the British vessels eventually retreated to Staten Island on August 18. It is believed that gunfire from Fort Defiance inflicted damage upon the British ships.

Industrial era

In the 1840s, entrepreneurs initiated the construction of ports to serve as the “offloading end” of the Erie Canal. Among these ports were the Atlantic Basin, dredged in 1850, and the Erie Basin, dredged in 1864. Concurrently, in 1849, the New York Legislature authorized the dredging of the nearby Gowanus Creek, transforming it into a 1.5-mile commercial waterway connected to Upper New York Bay. This dredging project was completed in 1860. Subsequent legislative action in 1867 permitted further deepening of the canal. With the completion of the creek’s dredging, Red Hook emerged as a bustling industrial center, welcoming up to 26,000 ships annually.

Various ethnic groups of dockworkers began settling in Red Hook during this period. African-American dockworkers started relocating to the area in the 1890s, while Italians established communities around Columbia Street. Many dockworkers resided in boarding houses, and speculative rowhouses were constructed to accommodate them. The industrial growth also led to the development of makeshift shanty towns. By the mid-1880s, a settlement known as “Slab City” had emerged, housing around 2,000 squatters and several hundred livestock in the vicinity of Hamilton Avenue.

Investment and decline

In the 1930s, Red Hook was characterized by poverty, and the area where the Red Hook Houses now stand was occupied by a makeshift settlement for the homeless known as a “Hooverville”. Efforts to revitalize Red Hook began during this period, leading to the opening of the Red Hook Play Center in 1936 and the Red Hook Recreational Area in 1940. The construction of the Red Hook Houses was completed in 1939.

During the 1990s, Life magazine famously labeled Red Hook as one of the “worst” neighborhoods in the United States and dubbed it “the crack capital of America”. This period was marked by significant challenges, including drug-related violence. The tragic death of Patrick Daly, the principal of P.S. 15 in Red Hook, in 1992 underscored the extent of these issues. Daly was killed in a crossfire during a drug-related shooting while searching for a student who had left the school premises. In honor of his memory and contributions, the school was later renamed the Patrick Daly School. Daly was deeply respected and cherished within the school community.