Brooklyn
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Brooklyn. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
former city, since Jan. 1, 1898, one of the five boroughs of the city of Greater New York; situated on the W. extremity of Long Island, on New York Bay and the East river, which separates it from New York and connects Long Island Sound with New York Bay. Brooklyn is connected with New York by the Brooklyn, the Manhattan and and the Williamsburg bridges numerous ferries, and comprises Brooklyn proper, Williamsburg, Gravesend, Flatbush, ush, Flat Lands, New Lots, New Utrecht, and several smaller suburban towns that were united with it prior to its consolidation with New York. It now extends from the Atlantic Ocean at Coney Island to the East river and New York harbor, and occupies the whole of Kings county; area 66.39 square miles; pop. (1900) 1,166,582; (1910) 1,643,351; (1920) 2,018,356. The surface of the borough is generally elevated, sloping from the bay and river to a ridge which extends through the island. Its highest point is Mt. Pleasant, 194 feet above tidewater. Its water front extends from Newtown creek, emptying into the East river, to beyond Sheepshead Bay. The shore opposite lower New York is an irregular bluff, with an elevation of about 90 feet, and is known as Brooklyn Heights, while South Brooklyn is low. Brooklyn, being an aggregation of separate towns and villages, presents a very irregular street system and lacks unity of design. The main business street is Fulton street, from Fulton Ferry to East New York, and contains some of the largest retail establishments in the United States. Clinton avenue is the handsomest street in the city, and is lined with fine residences surrounded by ornamental grounds and shade trees. There is an excellent water system and the average daily consumption is 170,- 000,000 gallons. The borough has 892 miles of paved streets and 375 miles of unpaved streets open to traffic. Various electric street railroads and steam and electric elevated roads connect Brooklyn with its suburbs, and by means of four bridges with Manhattan Borough. There are 55 parks, playgrounds and open spaces in Brooklyn, with an area of 1,153 acres. Prospect Park is the largest, with 526 acres, including 77 acres of lakes and waterways, 70 acres of meadows, 110 acres of woodland, and 259 of plantations. It is situated on an elevated ridge and commands a magnificent view of the ocean, the Sound, Long Island, New Jersey, and New York City. It has been left to a great extent in its original wooded condition, making it one of the most picturesque parks in the United States. There is a Soldiers and Sailors' Memorial Arch and a statue of President Lincoln at the Flatbush avenue entrance. Of the other parks, Washington Park, the site of extensive Revolutionary fortifications, of which Fort Greene is the principal one, is the largest. Among the smaller parks are the City Park, Carroll Park, Tompkins Park, Seaside Park, and Highland Park. The principal public buildings of Brooklyn are grouped together about the Borough Hall. This building is of white marble in the Ionic style. The Kings sty County Court House stands just E. of the Borough Hall, and has a marble front with a Corinthian portico and an iron dome over 100 feet high. Near the Court House are the Municipal Building and the Hall of Records, both of marble. The Federal Building is the finest structure in the borough, built of granite at a cost of $5,000,000. It is in the Romanesque style, with numerous turrets and a tall tower. It was opened in 1892 and is occupied by the postoffice and the United States courts. Other notable buildings are the Academy of Music, the Brooklyn Bank, Pratt Institute, the Brooklyn Library, the Art Association Building, and the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. The most notable and important navy yard in the United States is located here. In 1918-1919 Brooklyn had 8,281 factories, employing a total of 185,625 people, an increase in 10 years of over 3,000 factories and 40,000 employees. The principal articles of manufacture are: Machinery and metal products, clothing, textiles, boots, shoes, furs, chemicals, drugs, paints, colors, paper goods, books, wood products, instruments, electrical appliances, confectionery, foods, tobacco, fla flax, hemp, jute products, rubber and leather goods. Brooklyn has a water front of 200 miles, and when the Jamaica Bay improvement is carried out will have 150 more. Over $200,000,000 has been spent in the development of its shore line. It is estimated that more than half the foreign commerce of New York City is carried on from the Brooklyn docks. The steamship piers alone represent an investment of over $100,000,000. More than 40 steamship lines with a fleet of 700 ships leave and enter Brooklyn docks. One inlet from the East river alone, although only four miles in length, carries more commerce annually than that floated on the entire Mississippi river. There were in 1919 6 National banks with 2 branches, 6 State banks with 14 branches, 6 trust companies with 16 branches, 22 savings banks, and 20 private banks with capital, surplus, and undivided profits of over $90,000,000 and representing resources of $1,000,000,000. In addition to these institutions, there are 7 title and mortgage guarantee companies with home or branch offices in the city that have assets of over $100,000,- 000, a capital of $13,000,000, and a surplus of $29,000,000. Savings bank deposits are $423,363,418. There are 695,- 000 depositors with an average account of $609. In 1919 there were 347,313 registered pupils in the public schools. The public school system includes a Training-school for Teachers, Girls' High School, Boys' High School, Manual High School, and Truant School. For higher education are the Polytechnic Institute for boys; the Packer Institute for girls; Pratt Institute (coeducational); the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy, and the Brooklyn Institute. Brooklyn has been widely known as the City of Churches. There are now nearly 575 of such edifices and chapels, with a membership of 782,422. The Roman Catholic Church is the strongest denomination. Then follow the Methodist Episcopal, Protestant Episcopal, Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Congregational, Reformed, synagogues, and others of various denominations. The most important hospitals in Brooklyn are the Long Island College, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Homœopathic, General, St. Mary's, Methodist, St. John's, and St. Peter's. The public institutions are most ly at Flatbush, and include the insane asylum, hospital, and almshouse. The assessed valuation in 1920 was $1,865,123,952. The tax rate was 2.36. Brooklyn was settled by the Dutch in 1636 at New Utrecht. In 1646 five small towns consolidated under the name of Breuckelen, from the Dutch town whence most of the settlers came. In 1666 the first Dutch church was built in Breuckelen. About this time the English came into possession of New York and Long Island, and Breuckelen became a part of West Riding. On Aug. 27, 1776, the battle of Long Island was fought in Brooklyn, and the village was held by the British till 1783. Brooklyn was incorporated as a village in 1816; slavery was abolished there in 1825, and in 1834 it became a city. Several adjoining towns were annexed from time to time, and in 1896 Brooklyn comprised all of Kings co. On Jan. 1, 1898, Brooklyn was consolidated with Greater New York, under the name of the Borough of Brooklyn. CHARLES BROOKS, WILLIAM SHIRLEY, editor of "Punch," was born in London, April 29, 1816. From clerk he became a reporter, and settling in London, wrote dramas, contributed to some of the leading periodicals and journals, and in 1853 was sent by the "Morning Chronicle" to study labor conditions in Russia, Syria and Egypt. His observations were published in "Russians of the staff of the London "Punch." In 1870 the South" (1856). In 1854 he joined he succeeded Mark Lemon as its editor. His novels include "Aspen Court"; "The Gordian Knot"; "The Silver Cord"; "Sooner or Later." He also wrote "Amusing Poetry" (1857). He died in London, Feb. 23, 1874.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
one of the five boroughs of New York City. It occupies the western end of Long Island for ten miles solid. With the exception of several fragments, notably Prospect Park, the range of hills in which Washington sought to keep the force of Howe at bay have been graded, paved, and converted into a handsome residence section. Brooklyn was incorporated in 1801. In the course of growth it absorbed a full score of villages until it was the fourth city of the Union, but it was in turn consolidated with New York in 1898. Brooklyn has been called "the sleeping place of Manhattan." Wealthy New Yorkers of the brownstone front type have been able to maintain homes up Central Park way, and New York's poor have congregated in the down town slums; but the well to do--the thrifty--have sought homes on Long Island. It is estimated that from 50,000 to 100,000 people, enough for a large city in themselves, leave New York City for Brooklyn at nightfall. The problem of transportation has been a serious one. It is not an easy matter to move a hundred thousand people in an hour; yet all desire to go at about the same time. Steam ferries in-numerable ply from shore to shore of the East River, connecting with Brooklyn car lines. A suspension bridge , as wide as a street and having two stories, was swung across on huge wire cables in 1883. Two others are in course of erection, and a tunnel under the East River will be opened by the Rapid Transit Commission ere long. The parks, schools, libraries, streets, and transit facilities of Brooklyn have been well and honestly managed, presenting a marked contrast to the thievery current at times in New York. Brooklyn has been called a city of churches . Plymouth Church, long the pastorate of Henry Ward Beecher, and the Tabernacle, the church of Thomas De Witt Talmage, are here. Brooklyn is not wholly a residence city. Aside from the thousands of shops, groceries, palatial stores, and other places of business that pertain to a city of a million and a third of people it is the seat of enormous manufacturing interests. Nearly $6,000,000 a year are paid to wage earners in foundry and machine shops. Nine-tenths of the sugar consumed in the United States is refined at Brooklyn. From $12,000,000 to $15,000,000 worth of coffee is roasted here each year for the large wholesale houses. The printing and binding of a large part of the books issued by New York publishers are done in Brooklyn. There are many other important industries, as the making of ropes, bagging, gloves, and porcelain. Few cities of the Union exceed Brooklyn in the total annual value of manufactures. The United States navy yard attracts many visitors. It is the best equipped yard possessed by the government. Monster battleships are received here for shelter and repairs and the government is also undertaking the construction of ships on its own account. The yard is located on Wallabout Bay, where the floating prisons of the British rode at anchor during the Revolutionary War. Over 11,000 Americans who died from inhuman treatment on board of these prison hulks in sight of green trees, air, and water, lie buried here in the government grounds. See New York City 2026 Editor's Note: The consolidation the entry mentions is still resented in Brooklyn as "the Great Mistake of 1898," when an independent city — then the fourth largest in America — became a borough. Its other great grievance came in 1957, when the Dodgers left for Los Angeles. Brooklyn has since become a global shorthand for a certain kind of creative urban life, and its brownstones among the most expensive in the country. (Ed: BR 2026-06-11)