Hendrick I. Lott House

It’s a beautiful weekend to join in on tomorrow morning’s community bike ride along the waterfront.

✍️ Come write something that matters.

Join us for Poetry in Place: A Hands-On Writing Workshop on the lawn of the Lott House in Brooklyn. Guided by QWERT Poetry's Pierce D. Logan, you'll go from first idea to finished poem, and type your final piece on a vintage typewriter. 🖊️

No experience needed. Just curiosity. We provide everything: paper, envelopes, and wax seals.

📍 The Hendrick I. Lott House
🗓️ June 6, 2026
🎟️ $15 | Ages 16+

Register today: https://shorturl.at/jUNxk

Most people in Brooklyn haven’t heard of Nathan Straus Jr., but he played a big part in Marine Park’s story. He was the son of Macy’s co-owner Nathan Straus, served as a New York State Senator, and later led the US Housing Authority. In August 1930, Straus turned his attention to Brooklyn. As president of the Park Association of New York, he offered a $10,000 prize to encourage top landscape architects to create a big, unified plan for Marine Park’s 1,500 acres along Gerritsen Creek. This contest led to Charles Downing Lay’s winning design, which was so impressive it earned a Silver Medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Thanks to Straus’s vision, Marine Park began to take shape into what we know today.

📸 Nathan Straus Jr., Library of Congress

Before "pencil me in" became a common phrase, people actually did just that. 🖊️

Young men would write their names on a woman's dance card before the evening started, saving their place for a certain song and moment. This 1920 dance card from the Omega Alpha Pi Alpha Chapter June Dance at the Hotel St. George gives us a glimpse into that tradition. From the Victorian era through the 1920s, dance cards were more than social tools. They were decorative keepsakes and a record of all the connections made in one night.

📸 Dance Card, Catherine Lott Divis Collection, Hendrick I. Lott House

Urban development wouldn't reach the area we know as Marine Park and the surrounding Gerritsen's Creek until the late 1920s. The area was, and still is, relatively isolated relative to New York City - there is no subway access. South of Kings Highway in Flatlands, north of present-day Sheepshead Bay, and east of Nostrand Avenue in Gravesend remained relatively undeveloped. Further south along the western shore of Gerritsen's Creek, a fishing and oystering community had built up during the nineteenth century in the area that would become Gerritsen Beach. On the eastern side of the creek, a fishing community with hotels and summer bungalows called Flatlands Bay sprang up. There was Bayview Casino and Club, and the Pirate's Den Bar and Grill. The history and early community attest to the area's close connection to the water.

✍️ Come write something that matters.

Join us for Poetry in Place: A Hands-On Writing Workshop on the lawn of the Lott House in Brooklyn. Guided by QWERT Poetry's Pierce D. Logan, you'll go from first idea to finished poem, and type your final piece on a vintage typewriter. 🖊️

No experience needed. Just curiosity. We provide everything: paper, envelopes, and wax seals.

📍 The Hendrick I. Lott House
🗓️ June 6, 2026
🎟️ $15 | Ages 16+

Register today: https://shorturl.at/rz0ar

Poetry in Place: A Hands-On Writing Workshop Join Qwert Poetry for a hands-on poetry workshop inspired by nature, community, and the world around us, on the historic lawn of the Lott House.In this workshop, you'll explore poetry from the first idea to the finished piece. We'll use both traditional writing methods and vintage-style typewriters....

Oysters were once central to Brooklyn, with Black oystermen playing a key role. Join us for Oysters & Origins: Black History on the Half Shell. Ben "Moody" Harney of will share the story of Black people in the oyster trade from ancient times to 19th-century Brooklyn. Enjoy a live oystering demo, hands-on shucking workshop, and view historic tools from the Lott House collection.

🦪 Saturday, May 9, 2026
🦪 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
🦪 Hendrick I. Lott House
🦪 $10 per person | Registration required

Recommended for ages 10+. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.

Grab your ticket today: https://shorturl.at/XDLKN

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Looking for some cooking inspiration? 🍴

Our collection includes a copy of Gleaning for the Table, which offers a glimpse into what the Lott family ate and cooked during that time. In the 19th century, cookbooks became much more popular, especially among middle and upper-class women. As the century went on, women’s roles at home shifted as they took a greater interest in domestic science and nutrition.

In the late 1800s, consumerism also influenced cookbooks. Companies started using them to promote national brands and new household products. Cookbooks began to offer more than just recipes, including household tips, advice on managing the home, and information about where to buy products. This particular copy even features a local ad from Douglas Pharmacy, which had several Brooklyn locations and sold the ‘purest and freshest drugs and chemicals in the market.’

📸Gleanings for the Table, Catherine Lott Divis Collection, Hendrick I. Lott House

Take a look at this of the former township of Flatlands, drawn by S. H. Stebbins in 1915. Stebbins mentions that he based his map on materials and estimates from 1704 and 1873. The map does a great job of showing the Flatlands area and highlights many notable landmarks.

The boundary line from the mouth of the Stroom Kill through said Kill and so around to the mouth of the Fresh Kill is approximately the original patent line; the line from tee mouth of the Fresh Kill through Jamaica Bay and Rockaway Inlet and the shore line of Barren Island are shown approximatley as they existed in 1873. The roads show in full lines are the highways recorded in 1704 or subsequently thereto. The names of localities are taken from ancient maps, unrecorded instruments or instruments of records.

One of our favorite landmarks still around today is Kings Highway, which still runs through Brooklyn. Do you spot any other places you recognize?

📸Plan of the former township of Flatlands, New York Public Library