It’s John Jacob Astor’s birthday today. The Astors were a powerful family in early New York history, making their fortune from the beaver pelt trade, and eventually owning a ton of city real estate. They’re why we have Beaver Street in the FiDi, and why Astoria is called Astoria. (He didn’t even put up a…
Read MoreThis October, the New-York Historical Society will present WWII & NYC, a massive exhibition looking at the effect World War II had on the city. Fathers, husbands, and sons were shuttled overseas from New York’s ports, while mothers, wives, and daughters picked up the work the men left behind. WWII & NYC features many firsthand…
Read MoreIt’s easy to assume the women of high society in the Gilded Age did nothing more than sip champagne and attend parties with the rest of Mrs. Astor’s 400. But not every woman who counted herself among New York’s elite was content to just sit back and enjoy the party. Edith Hope Goddard was one woman who…
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