SCENES FROM FORGOTTENTOUR #70, Bay Ridge

by Kevin Walsh

Saturday, August 17th was yet another bright and sunny day for a ForgottenTour (as most have been in 2012 and 2013) and over 40 ForgottenFans turned up for a walk through the ancestral home of your webmaster, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Though I moved away in 1993, Bay Ridge will always be home, though just about everyone I knew has died or moved away, except for my dentist. But with the state of my teeth, that makes me a frequent visitor.

The tour went past Bay Ridge’s numerous historic sites such as St. John’s Episcopal Church, where Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were vestrymen; Fort Hamilton itself; John Paul Jones Park, with its numerous war memorials and one of the four remaining Rodman guns ever produced… the world’s biggest cannons; Fontbonne Hall, a former mansion where famed gourmand Jim Brady entertained Lillian Russell; the wildly fanciful “Gingerbread House”; a walk along the shore to view the distant Manhattan skyline; and we took in the view from Owl’s Head Park.

There are 5 remaining tours this year… next is in Manhattanville on Saturday, September 7th, meeting on the southeast corner of Broadway and 125th Street, with the admission $20 or $15 for Greater Astoria Historical Society members. Hope to see you!

–Flickr page of ForgottenTour #70 with photos from “Hubcap” Joe DeMarco

8/29/13

 

4 comments

Steve Webber August 30, 2013 - 4:42 pm

Those photos brought back a lot of memories. When I first moved to Brooklyn I lived on 101st right across for the park. I remember standing on my balcony almost 18 years ago waiting to see if the woman I’d met at a party the night before and who’d asked for a ride on my motorcycle actually showed up. She did, and we rode on the side streets off Shore Road. We also went for a walk by the water. Earlier this month we celebrated our 17th anniversary.

Reply
mike in fla via bklyn September 1, 2013 - 8:48 pm

Kevin-
August just flew by!
Belated Happy Birthday!
Tour #70-wow!
Keep on keeping on…

Reply
Larry Gertner September 9, 2013 - 5:56 am

Hi, Kevin;
Finally got around to organizing my photos.
The AIA Guide, 5th Edition lists that Firemen’s Association you were interested in.
[link]https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=wombat1417&target=ALBUM&id=5913494686939077489&authkey=Gv1sRgCIvG3oW40cOIwgE&feat=email[/link]

Reply
Larry Gertner September 9, 2013 - 5:58 am Reply

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