Charles E. Scriven collection on Brooklyn history
Call Number
Dates
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Charles E. Scriven collection on Brooklyn history spans the period circa 1900 to 1937 and is comprised of materials either written or compiled by Scriven (1848?-1936) in the course of documenting the history of Brooklyn from the colonial period up to the early 20th century, with particular emphasis on the neighborhood of Flatbush.
Biographical Note
Charles E. Scriven (1848?-1936) was a printer whose business, Charles Scriven and Co., was located at 74 Beekman Street in Manhattan. Scriven lived at 149 Snyder Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatbush, and was involved in Flatbush civic life, serving as Recording Secretary of the Flatbush Taxpayers' Association and as Past High Priest of the Flatbush Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons. Scriven was also a local historian who extensively documented the history of Brooklyn, with particular emphasis on Flatbush.
Source: "Charles E. Scriven." New York Times, December 30, 1936.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Scope and Contents
The Charles E. Scriven collection on Brooklyn history spans the period circa 1900 to 1937 and is comprised of materials either written or compiled by Scriven in the course of documenting the history of Brooklyn from the colonial period up to the early 20th century, with particular emphasis on the neighborhood of Flatbush. Materials include typed original essays and transcriptions of articles and essays from various sources; news clippings; correspondence; and ephemera relating to a wide range of subjects such as banking, churches, civic organizations, government, homesteads, landmarks, libraries, public schools, public transit, public utilities, and realty development. Specific subjects strongly represented include the consolidation of New York City in 1898, Erasmus Hall High School, the Flatbush Carnegie Library (later the Flatbush branch of the Brooklyn Public Library), the Flatbush Taxpayers' Association, Melrose Hall homestead, the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Fort Greene Park, and the public water supply, among many others.
There are also numerous references to African Americans in Brooklyn, including a transcription of an article from The Rural concerning an investigation into the murder of an African American in 1872. This article is located in the folder "Clippings - General Brooklyn interest."
A small portion of the collection expands its focus beyond Brooklyn and relates to the history of the greater New York City area, such as papers on the origins of New York City street names and news clippings containing items of citywide historical interest.
Subjects
Organizations
People
Topics
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Material in this collection is in the public domain.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Charles E. Scriven collection on Brooklyn history, 1973.254, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Frederick Heyer, 1937.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Folder titles in brackets were supplied by the archivist. News clippings were photocopied onto archival paper and the originals discarded.
