Manhattan neighborhoods/boundary issues are a clusterfck (Lee, Hamilton: apartment, houses)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It was always officially Hamilton Heights. Sugar Hill is a nickname that was given to area in the 1920's Harlem Renaissance era, because famous black people like Paul Robeson, Countee Cullen, and others lived there.
And, let's not forget the Manhattan neighborhood that is not even on the map:Marble Hill.
Marble Hill is an area in the southwest Bronx that is not in the Bronx but is part of New York County/Borough of Manhattan, and has been part of New York County since November 1, 1683 when New York County was created.
When city authorities widened the Spuyten Duyvil Creek -- it connects the Hudson River to the Harlem River (the year slips my mind for the moment), the creek bed lay just to the north and east of Marble Hill. Rather than widen this section of the Creek, the engineers dug a new channel to the west of the existing "creek", resulting in Marble Hill appearing to be in the Bronx when one looks at a current map.
But the Marble Hillers remain part of New York County (they vote for the New York County D.A. and are called to serve on New York County juries) and the Borough of Manhattan.
That's true; almost everyone forgets that Marble Hill is politically a part of Manhattan. I believe that originally, it was connected to Manhattan Island; Spuyten Duyvil was dredged out and the narrow strait separating Marble Hill from The Bronx was filled in. Very similar to the landfill that made Coney Island a peninsula!
So many people do not believe that Marble Hill is Manhattan and attached to the mainland, but the post office has not helped matters by assigning it a Bronx zip code and then the phone company switched them to 718 when the Bronx switched as well.
Marble Hill has a storied history from Dutch colonial days to a prominent position in the Revolutionary War, where for a time Hessians had captured the fort located there.
For a little additional history, may I recommend The WPA Guide to New York City, which was originally published in 1939 to coincide with the World's Fair. There's a paperback reprint edition currently available. It's absolutely fascinating--just like opening a time capsule to a vanished world.
For those who may want to learn more about life in New York City at the end of the 18th Century, or if you're simply looking for a good read, I recommend:
"The Trial of Levi Weeks" by Estelle Fox Kleiger, Laurel Paperback, March 1991, ppg. 240 (includes Appendix, Notes and Index). (Alternate title: "The Manhattan Well Mystery".)
This case has more going on than the OJ trial:
1. It's the first recorded murder trial in New York City and in the U.S.A.
2. The defense is led by BOTH Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr
From the back cover:
On December 22, 1799, Gulielma (Elma) Sands, a young woman residing in a Greenwich Street boardinghouse, borrowed a muff from a neighbor, left the house, and disappeared. On Christmas Eve, three young boys playing in Lispenard Meadows found Elma's borrowed muff floating in the Manhattan Well. Nine days later, Elma's body, violently battered, her gown "torn open with great violence" was grappled from the depths.
LEVI WEEKS, HER LOVER AND A FELLOW BOARDER, WAS ARRESTED FOR HER MURDER.
Did he do it? Would he be convicted? With brilliant suspense and historical accuracy, author Kreiger recreates the sensational trial of Levi Weeks and lets us witness his defense attorneys--Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr--in action ... in a real life murder mystery that is also a unique portrait of America's past.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Let's not forget Marble Hill ...
