Abbreviation | BCHS |
---|---|
Named after | County and borough of the Bronx |
Established | 1955 |
Founders | Burt Gumpert, Elizabeth Siedenstein, Joseph Duffy, Sol Elbaum, Theodore Schliessman, Fred E.J. Kracke, John McNamara, Ronald Schliessman, Theodore Kazimiroff, Coralie Doherty, and Vincent Hunt |
Legal status | private, non-profit |
Purpose | educational and cultural |
Headquarters | 3309 Bainbridge Avenue, The Bronx, NY 10467 |
Location |
|
CEO | Gary Hermalyn |
CAO | Teresa Brown |
Librarian and Archivist | Dr. Steven Payne |
Curator Emerita | Kathleen A. McCauley |
Publication | The Bronx County Historical Society Journal |
Subsidiaries | Museum of Bronx History, Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library, The Bronx County Archives |
Affiliations | Historic House Trust, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, |
Website | bronxhistoricalsociety |
The Bronx County Historical Society is a private non-profit organization that collects and disseminates historical material and information about the New York City borough of the Bronx, as well as southern Westchester County, New York.
The Society collects items such as books, reports, photographs, objects, and other artifacts about the Bronx as well as archival records documenting groups and individuals in the borough. It provides information to thousands of people each year through its Research Library and The Bronx County Archives, by mail, over the phone, and via digital communication. [1] The Society also works with the New York Public Library's Bronx Library Center and its branch libraries in sharing these resources. The Bronx County Historical Society is digitizing select portions of its collections. [2] [3]
The Society honors Bronx High School valedictorians with an annual awards ceremony held at the Museum of Bronx History. [4] The Society is also the largest publisher of books and articles about the Bronx and produces The Bronx County Historical Society Journal, the oldest continuously published historical periodical in the New York metropolitan area.
The Bronx County Historical Society is a joint sponsor with Fordham University's Department of African and African American Studies of the Bronx African American History Project. [5] [6] Over 230 oral histories have been gathered so far, fourteen associated archival collections accessioned, and many books, articles, lectures, musicals, commemorations, and exhibitions have been produced. [7] The oral histories are being cataloged at The Bronx County Archives. [8]
In 2010, the Society launched the Bronx Latino History Project, which highlights Latinos who lived or contributed to the Bronx throughout its history. [9] [10] Because the Latino population is the largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the borough since the mid-20th century (constituting more than half of the county's population), the Society's education department is continuing the process of increasing its collections to reflect the Bronx's ethnic diversity. [11]
The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library is the only facility in New York City solely dedicated to the collection, preservation, and dissemination of the history and heritage of the Bronx. The diverse materials in its collections document the growth and development of the Bronx from its early days as part of Westchester County in the seventeenth century, through its annexation to the City of Greater New York in the late nineteenth century, and up to the present.
The Research Library houses over 7,000 books, directories, pamphlets, newspapers, and periodicals, a growing number of which now also exist in digital formats, as well as more than 200 atlases and sheet maps. Its extensive Photograph Collection comprises 75,000 photographs and slides, which include around 3,000 rare and vivid nineteenth- and early twentieth-century glass negatives; and 1,600 postcards, which primarily depict early twentieth-century Bronx scenes. The Research Library also has a sizable A/V Collection, which contains more than 200 audio cassettes, 300 reel-to-reel tapes, 150 phonograph records, and 200 video cassettes and DVDs. Finally, the Research Library's Vertical file collection includes more than 400,000 newspaper clippings and other print ephemera on a comprehensive variety of Bronx subjects.
The Bronx County Historical Society founded The Bronx County Archives in 1974 to act as a repository for Bronx municipal records. Since that date, The Bronx County Archives have acquired a dedicated building, located next door to The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library, equipped with moisture- and temperature-controlled storage space. The Bronx County Archives currently house 114 individual collections, which comprise around 3205 cubic feet and uniquely document many aspects of Bronx history. These aspects include Bronx businesses and economic development; city planning and infrastructure; civic organizations and clubs; culture and cultural institutions; capital disinvestment and urban devastation; education; healthcare; housing and cooperatives; local history; municipal records; politicians and political parties; and radicalism and community activism. The Bronx County Archives also contain especially rich documentation of Black and Jewish life and culture in the borough. A growing number of archival collections document Latino life and culture in the Bronx as well. As of July 2020, finding aids have been created for the majority of collections and will be provided to researchers upon request.
In addition to the Bronx County Historical Society Research Library and The Bronx County Archives, The Bronx County Historical Society also administers two national landmark historic houses, the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, the former home of the American writer Edgar Allan Poe, and the Valentine–Varian House, a colonial-era farmhouse that also hosts the Museum of Bronx History.
Since its founding in 1955, The Bronx County Historical Society has published, authored, commissioned, and produced popular books, monographs, pamphlets, periodicals, bibliographies, research aids, classroom guides, primary source collections, radio broadcasts, videos, musical performances, and other special interest items on many aspects of Bronx history. In addition, since 1964 the Society has published an annual journal on Bronx history that contains scholarly articles, reminiscences, oral histories, book reviews, and poetry.
Below is a partial list of books and pamphlets published or authored by The Bronx County Historical Society, 1955–2020:
The official historian of the Bronx, though independently appointed, is traditionally headquartered at The Bronx County Historical Society.
The Bronx is the northernmost borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New York City borough of Queens, across the East River. The Bronx, the only New York City borough not primarily located on an island, has a land area of 42 square miles (109 km2) and a population of 1,472,654 at the 2020 census. Of the five boroughs, it has the fourth-largest area, fourth-highest population, and third-highest population density.
Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in the United States, and of early American literature. Poe was one of the country's first successful practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre. In addition, he is credited with contributing significantly to the emergence of science fiction. He is the first well-known American writer to earn a living by writing alone, which resulted in a financially difficult life and career.
Fordham Manor is a neighborhood located in the western Bronx, New York City. Fordham is roughly bordered by East 196th Street to the north, the Harlem River to the west, Fordham Road to the south, and Southern Boulevard to the east. The neighborhood's primary thoroughfares are Fordham Road and Grand Concourse.
"The Bells" is a heavily onomatopoeic poem by Edgar Allan Poe which was not published until after his death in 1849. It is perhaps best known for the diacopic use of the word "bells". The poem has four parts to it; each part becomes darker and darker as the poem progresses from "the jingling and the tinkling" of the bells in part 1 to the "moaning and the groaning" of the bells in part 4.
The Grand Concourse is a 5.2-mile-long (8.4 km) thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Grand Concourse runs through several neighborhoods, including Bedford Park, Concourse, Highbridge, Fordham, Mott Haven, Norwood and Tremont. For most of its length, the Concourse is 180 feet (55 m) wide, though portions of the Concourse are narrower.
The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site is a preserved home once rented by American author Edgar Allan Poe, located at 532 N. 7th Street, in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though Poe lived in many houses over several years in Philadelphia, it is the only one which still survives. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962.
The Poe Museum or the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, is a museum located in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia, United States, dedicated to American writer Edgar Allan Poe. Though Poe never lived in the building, it serves to commemorate his time living in Richmond. The museum holds one of the world's largest collections of original manuscripts, letters, first editions, memorabilia and personal belongings. The museum also provides an overview of early 19th century Richmond, where Poe lived and worked. The museum features the life and career of Poe by documenting his accomplishments with pictures, relics, and verse, and focusing on his many years in Richmond.
Fordham Plaza, originally known as Fordham Square, is a major commercial and transportation hub in the Fordham and Belmont sections of the Bronx in New York City, New York, United States. It is located on the south side of Fordham Road at Third and Webster Avenues, at the eastern end of the commercial strip along Fordham Road that runs past Grand Concourse and Jerome Avenue to about Grand Avenue, and to the west of the Bronx's Little Italy district on Arthur Avenue in Belmont.
Tamerlane and Other Poems is the first published work by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The short collection of poems was first published in 1827. Today, it is believed only 12 copies of the collection still exist.
The Edgar Allan Poe Cottage is the former home of American writer Edgar Allan Poe. It is located on Kingsbridge Road and the Grand Concourse in the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, a short distance from its original location, and is now in the northern part of Poe Park.
The Valentine–Varian House is a historic house located in the Norwood neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. Built in 1758 by Isaac Valentine, it is the Bronx's second oldest house and oldest remaining farmhouse. The house remained in the Varian family, which included Isaac Varian, the 63rd Mayor of New York City until 1905, when it was sold. It is currently a part of the Historic House Trust and houses the Museum of Bronx History and the offices of the Bronx County Historical Society. It is a two-story, five bay fieldstone residence with a gable roof. It was moved to its present site in 1965 and restored between July 1965 and May 1968.
The Bronx County Courthouse, also known as the Mario Merola Building, is an historic courthouse building located in the Concourse and Melrose neighborhoods of the Bronx in New York City. It was designed in 1931 and built between 1931 and 1934. It is a nine-story limestone building on a rusticated granite base in the Art Deco style. It has four identical sides, an interior court, and a frieze designed by noted sculptor Charles Keck. The sculptures on the 161st Street side are by noted sculptor George Holburn Snowden. Two sculptural groups on the Walton Avenue side are by noted sculptor Joseph Kiselewski. Kiselewski collaborated with Adolph A. Weinman to create the work. The Bronx Museum of the Arts was once located on the main floor. The building stands two blocks east-southeast of Yankee Stadium, and across 161st Street from Joyce Kilmer Park.
Lloyd Ultan is a historian and author. A native of the borough of The Bronx in New York City, he was the Bronx borough historian from 1996 to 2023. He is a professor of history at Fairleigh Dickinson University's and a member of the adjunct faculty at Lehman College. Ultan received a B.A. in history from Hunter College in 1959 and an M.A. in history from Columbia University in 1960.
The Bronx Library Center is a branch of the New York Public Library in the Fordham section of the Bronx in New York City. The library is located at 310 East Kingsbridge Road between Fordham Road and East 192nd Street, two blocks east of the Grand Concourse. It is the central library for the Bronx, and the largest library in the borough.
The Bronx Municipal Building, later known as Bronx Borough Hall and eventually as Old Bronx Borough Hall (1897–1969), was the original administrative headquarters of the Bronx Borough President and other local civic leaders. It was located in the East Tremont neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City.
The following is a timeline of the history of the borough of the Bronx in New York City, New York, United States.
The Bronx County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for Bronx County, which is coterminous with the Borough of the Bronx, in New York City. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws.. The current Bronx County District Attorney is Darcel Clark.
Edward Doucet was an American Jesuit academic who was the seventh President of Fordham University.
Gary "Doc" Hermalyn is an American historian and author, based in New York City. He is an Edgar Allan Poe scholar, and an authority on the history of The Bronx. Hermalyn is editor/author of 172 books on urban history, geography, education, natural history and exploration. He is CEO of The Bronx County Historical Society and a fellow of The Explorers Club.
Rattlesnake Creek is an underground waterway in the northeast Bronx, New York City. It flowed above ground level until the mid-20th century, with a waterfall and a pond over its course. Rattlesnake Creek has since been mostly covered over, but a small portion of it is still visible in Seton Falls Park.