S.S. Argentina                            

                              postcard courtesy of VintagePostcards.com

By 1946 the war had ended. Notorious, The Big Sleep, and It's a Wonderful Life graced the silver screen. From the radio came the music of the Ink Spots, Frank Sinatra and Doris Day. Against this backdrop and by an act of Congress,(The War Brides Act-Public Law 271), thousands of foreign women made the trip across the Atlantic to begin new lives as American wives.  Married to U.S. servicemen, these "War Brides" came from Europe, Australia, The Phillipines and North Africa, often with small children, to join their husbands throughout the United States, adding their culture to the mix of this already diverse borough.                                                         

The first official "War Bride" ship, the S. S. Argentina left Southampton, England on January 26, 1946  with 452 women and 173 children.  Singing "There'll Always Be An England," they embarked on the difficult eight day journey. The Argentina ran into a violent storm along the way, and many women and their children suffered severe sea sickness, but they finally sailed into New York harbor in the early morning of February 4th. The Statue of Liberty was lit up for their arrival as they sang "The Star Spangled Banner." Then the women, who were met by husbands and in-laws, went off to various parts of the country to begin the next phase of their journey. Many of them settled in Brooklyn.  What did these young women think of Brooklyn when they arrived?  How were they received by their new in-laws?  How did they cope with homesickness? The Brooklyn Daily Eagle ran multiple articles chronicling the arrival and settling of these new Americans.               

 

 Rose Ferraro who married Charles Ferraro of 910 Willoughby Avenue shared her thoughts with an Eagle reporter a few days after arriving in Brooklyn. 

"There are two things I don't like about Brooklyn.  One, the streets of Brooklyn and the rest of the city I've seen, are so dirty.  Many of the girls remarked while coming from the dock by bus, on the litter that we saw about.  Another thing, there aren't many trees.  I miss them.  In the suburbs of London where I lived we had lovely trees lining the streets. And I'm surprised at the old fashioned trams that are still in use, but I understand they are being replaced by buses.  The people have been wonderful to me, however, and I've been made to feel at home among you.  The shopping centers are quite remarkable with their great quantities of shoes and dresses which we, from England, haven't seen in so long.  It's such a wonderful feeling to be able to go into a shop and buy as many pairs of shoes as I want."                        

Mrs. Margaret Horowitz from Vienna had been in a German concentration camp and had lost both her parents. She and her sister escaped to England where she met Raymond Horowitz. They were building a new life together at 447 Sheffield Avenue in East New York.  

It's terrific.  I've learned so many new things that I'm quite bewildered.  Words like terrific, cute and chic, and "so long" instead of "cheerio."  I like them very much.  At first, when I met some of my husband's friends who are from Brooklyn, I could barely understand what they were saying because of their accent.  But now I'm catching on.  It's amusing to find that you people think I have an accent.  I find the underground, pardon, subway, amazing.  I don't know how so many people can fit in the cars, but they do-and don't seem to mind beng crowded.  I had known a great many Americans in Oxford, so wasn't surprised when they welcomed me so warmly.  They are so homely--I mean friendly.  I have got into difficulty with that word.  We use it to mean someone who is gracious and helps to put you at ease.  And that's the way all the Brooklyn people I've met have been.  I feel sure I'm going to like it.

Her mother-in-law Mrs. Ida Horowitz was just as thrilled. 

Before I met Margaret I decided that if my son likes her, then I will like her, too.  And now that I've seen her, I love her...She's better looking then her pictures and is just the girl I would have chosen for Raymond.  I hope all the families with new English brides are as happy as we are. 

And before anyone thinks that all of these couples lived happily ever after -- that was not always the case. Many brides returned to their homes in England and elsewhere, disillusioned.  One women who had been told by her husband that he owned a restaurant with dozens of waiters and an orchestra relayed her sad story.  

"When I got to Brooklyn I found the restaurant was a snack bar. He wanted me to be his chief cook and bottle washer"

The S.S. Argentina had been refurbished by Todd Shipyards at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to accommodate the women and children. Ships that followed with succeeding groups of women in the following months were the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Victory, Saturnia and many others. It all began sixty fours years ago this week with ships carrying eager brides ready to take their place in America, whose stories were woven into the fabric of our country.

Never thought my heart could be so yearny.
Why did I decide to roam?
Gotta take that sentimental journey,
Sentimental Journey home.          

 Bud Green, Les Brown and Ben Homer 

Central Library turned sixty-nine years old this week.

In February 1941, thirty-four years after breaking ground on the original proposal, Central Library was ready to receive patrons.  A small ceremony with Borough President John Cashmore and other local dignitaries was held on January 31st in the new children's room (the Eagle called it "the mecca of juvenile readers").  At 2pm on February 1st, the doors of Central Library were opened for the public - without any ceremony or event.  According to the Eagle, "schoolboy" Raphael Kermish of 951 Carroll Street was the first member of the general public to pass through the grand entrance. 

The building that young Ralph toured (circulation and services did not begin until the following Monday, Feb. 3rd), was slightly different from today's Central.  For a start, services for the public were concentrated on the first floor.  All of the adult divisions shared the space that is currently used for Language and Literature.  The Young Adult and Children's services were in the same places as today, but the Children's room was separated from the rest of the building by a set of high bookshelves and it was only accessible from a separate entrance.  The third floor was used for administrative purposes, and the second floor and balcony were still unfinished (they would open eleven years later in 1952). 

During Central's first week of operation, only the circulation area and children's room were available to the public.  It would take a few weeks before the Young Adult room, designated for high school students, and the main reading room would be ready.  One impatient patron wrote an editorial to the New York Times complaining about the lack of high school services -- but they were on their way. 

Perhaps that disgruntled teenager would have been more sympathetic if he had seen these behind-the-scenes photos of Central's first days.  The 150-person staff worked tirelessly to transform the beautiful $5 million dollar structure into a functioning library.  I wonder if that shiny new copy of Sherlock Holmes is still available for check out:

A formal ceremony was eventually held on March 29 of that year.  Mayor Laguardia, who had already taken tours during the construction phase, was on hand to officially inspect the new building.  But by that point the ceremonies were just a formality.  Central Library had been in operation for two months, serving the great Brooklyn population with pride.  

In this biting cold I think longingly of summer, of heat, of gardens bursting with blossoms, fruits and whatever else they may produce. And produce they do, in an abundance that reminds one of the fact that not so long ago, much of Brooklyn's land was given over to the intensive cultivation of market garden crops.

I am reminded of this every time I visit a house I used to live in, the back of which is covered by a large grapevine. This vine left unchecked  would cover the entire back yard in a season. It was so vital that if you left a window open in the morning, by the afternoon shoots would be creeping into your bedroom--you could almost see the tendrils grow. It was said to have been planted by an Italian family that formerly lived next door; but grapevines have been growing in Brooklyn since long before the wave of immigration from Italy that began in the 1880s.

The printer and publisher Alden Spooner published a book in 1846 entitled The Cultivation of American Grape Vines and Making of  Wine that drew on his long experience of viticulture in Brooklyn. Spooner's enthusiasm for the Isabella grape led him to give cuttings to anyone who would accept them. He felt that "every man owning a lot of ground of any dimensions, may raise his own grapes and make his own wine."  It is very possible that offshoots of Spooner's vines are still growing in Brooklyn back yards today.

Another Brooklyn-based scholar of viticulture was Andrew S. Fuller, who wrote "The Grape Culturist: A Treatise on the Cultivation of the Native Grape" published in 1864. He signs himself Andrew S. Fuller, Practical Horticulturist, Brooklyn, N.Y., and his book shows an encyclopedic knowledge of the craft, from propogation through hybridizing, transplanting, pruning and training, diseases and pests and so on.  Whereas Spooner mentions only two or three varieties of grapes in 1846, by the 1860s Fuller lists 63 varieties from the Adirondac to the York Madeira.

After many years during which beermaking held the ascendency in Brooklyn, winemaking is finally making a comeback, with commercial winemakers in Williamsburg and Red Hook already in production.  Their grapes are not grown in Brooklyn yet, but backyard viticulture could have a bright future here.  It is a comfort to know that while we wait for the burgeoning of sun-ripened grapes on south-facing walls we can still enjoy the fermented fruit of years past--as people have done in Brooklyn for a very long time.

P.S. Notwithstanding the angle of the above illustration, no wine was drunk during the writing of this post.

Come and join us on Wednesday February 3 from 6 to 8 in the Brooklyn Collection Reserve Room for the first meeting of our new genealogy group. Genealogist and historian Wilhelmena Kelly will help group members trace their ancestry. In honor of Black History month the first meeting will focus on African-American ancestry but Ms Kelly will be demonstrating techniques and resources that can be used by all. Hereafter this group will meet regularly on the first Wednesday of the month. Light refreshments will be served.

Wednesday January 27th at 7 p.m. in the Brooklyn Collection, Second Floor, Central Library, Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn NY 11238. Come early (6:30) for wine and superb cheese, and meet the author.