PHOTO by Bill Higgins

The Noble Maritime Collection is excited to present a four-part lecture series by Patricia M. Salmon called The Bridge and Staten Island: Unplanned Chaos and Disorder about the opening of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1964. Admission is by donation, and visitors may attend one, a few, or all four parts of the series.

Join us for Part 1 on Sunday, June 23 at 12:30 PM. Since its earliest days Staten Island was a farming community. Just like the farmers, those in power knew that the earth beneath their feet was truly the Island’s greatest resource. After consolidation in 1898, improvements were seen in transportation (including ferry service), utilities and public services. A spurt in civic building took place at Saint George making it the municipal hub of the awakening borough. New fire, police and road departments were also developed, as were a few modern schools. All of these enhancements were heralded in the media by realtors, bankers, politicians and others. This led to a real estate boom and increases in population. The roaring ‘20s saw the borough on the precipice of grand development but the massive depression that followed halted most plans for advancements. This laid the groundwork for the disorder and chaos that occurred on Staten Island forty years later.