Plymouth Church and Henry Ward Beecher

Plymouth Church, located in Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, was founded in 1847 by transplanted New Englanders who wanted a Congregational church like those in which they had been raised, with a simple order of worship, governed by the congregation. The 21 men and women who founded the church in Brooklyn Heights called as their first pastor Henry Ward Beecher , thus beginning the most prominent ministry in the second half of 19th century America.

Beecher's powerful preaching and outspoken opposition to slavery filled the pews to overflowing, and his sermons were so wildly popular that the ferries from Manhattan to Brooklyn were dubbed “Beecher Boats.” Under Beecher's influence, Plymouth Church developed connections with the Underground Railroad - the secretive network of people who helped slaves escape to the North and Canada.

Beecher was also a master at creating public events to strengthen the fight against slavery. He staged mock “auctions” at Plymouth, urging the congregation to purchase the freedom of actual slaves. During one service, he trampled the chains that had bound John Brown. He invited famous anti-slavery advocates to speak at the Church, including William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, Wendell Phillips, Charles Sumner, and Frederick Douglass.

Beecher's sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, also joined in the anti-slavery movement and penned the century's bestselling book "Uncle Tom's Cabin"in 1852.

President Abraham Lincoln worshiped at the church twice in 1860, the only church in New York City Lincoln ever attended.

The Beecher Garden is a formal garden on Orange Street, and is located between the Church House and the Sanctuary. It contains a statue of Henry Ward Beecher and a bas-relief of Abraham Lincoln, both by Gutzon Borglum, who later sculpted Mount Rushmore.

Many celebrated Americans became a part of Plymouth history. In 1867, a group from the Church undertook a five-and-a-half month voyage aboard the steamer Quaker City to Europe and the Holy Land. Joining them as a journalist was the young Mark Twain. His satiric account of this pioneering tour group," The Innocents Abroad," was Twain's best-selling work throughout his lifetime.
Twain spoke at Plymouth, as did many other famous writers and activists, including Clara Barton, Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Horace Greeley, and William Thackery.

More recently, in January 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave an early version of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech at Plymouth. Later that August, “I Have a Dream” was delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Source

Henry Ward Beecher - Cadman Plaza, Columbus Park at Johnson Street, Brooklyn, New York

Unfortunately Beecher's career was rocked by allegations of adultery. In 1872 Theodore Tilton, his longtime friend and sometime journalistic collaborator, accused the preacher of committing adultery with his wife, Elizabeth. A salacious trial resulted which became the most widely covered event of the century, garnering more newspaper headlines than the entire Civil War!

There was a hung jury, and Beecher survived and was ultimately exonerated by the church, but his reputation and some of his causes suffered devastating setbacks.

Beecher suffered a stroke in March of 1887 and died quietly in his sleep two days later. Brooklyn, which was still an independent city at that time, declared a day of mourning. The state legislature recessed, and telegrams of condolence were sent by national figures, including President Cleveland.

Henry Ward Beecher was laid to rest in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery on March 11, 1887, followed by his wife Eunice in 1897.

To learn more about Beecher you can read a fascinating book entitled "The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher" by Debby Applegate, which won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner for biography.

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York

Last week I blogged about the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and this week I'd like to show some more sites from the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, and explain a little more about the area.

The first two photos are of the views of the East River and lower Manhattan as seen from the northern end of Brooklyn Heights, taken as I walked away from the promenade.

This photo, and the one below, show some of the houses and buildings that face that same spectacular view, and have the promenade adjacent to their backyard.

Brooklyn Heights encapsulates the history of New York and America. The Dutch first appeared in 1645, forming the settlement of "Breuckelen." The word "breuckelen" means marsh land, is thought to come from the areas resemblance to Breuckelen, Holland, where the settlers originated.

It was from Brooklyn Heights that George Washington watched the Revolutionary War Battle of Brooklyn unfold into a terrible defeat for the young Colonial Army. Under the cover of darkness on August 29th, 1776, Washington's army crossed the East River from Fulton Ferry, below where the Brooklyn Bridge rises today, leaving Brooklyn to the British. I'll write more about the Battle of Brooklyn in a future blog post

The bluffs of Brooklyn Heights were already a popular location in the 18th century when many of Manhattan's early merchants built mansions here overlooking the city on the island below.

In 1807, Robert Fulton captained his steamboat, The Clermont, from Brooklyn on its maiden voyage up the Hudson River. In 1814, Fulton gained a franchise to operate ferry service via steamboat from Brooklyn to Manhattan, which enabled both Brooklyn and Manhattan residents to travel easily back and forth across the East River. Brooklyn Heights then became the city's first suburb.

As the population of Brooklyn exploded, it became a city in 1833, and throughout much of the 1800s was the third most populous city in America! On January 1, 1898, Brooklyn became a borough of the city of New York.

Brooklyn Heights developed a reputation as a haven for writers. In 1855, it was here that Walt Whitman printed the first ten pages of his well-known book of poetry, Leaves of Grass, including the poem "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry."

Click to enlarge the photo above to see the original slate sidewalk that still remains in many areas of Brooklyn Heights.

Some of the famous inhabitants who lived in Brooklyn Heights were two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Norman Mailer, who lived near the 70 Willow Street residence where Truman Capote wrote the novel "Breakfast At Tiffany's," and not too far from the former 102 Pierrepoint Street residence where fellow Pulitzer Prize-winning author Arthur Miller wrote "All My Sons." Miller lived for a time with wife Marilyn Monroe at 62 Montague Street, where he wrote "Death Of A Salesman."

Brooklyn Heights is now the current home of celebrities Gabriel Byrne, who won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV drama, Paul Giamatti, who won Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Mini-Series Made for Television for his role in HBO’s "John Adams", and Ugly Betty star Ana Ortiz, who plays sister Hilda on the hit ABC-TV show.

The neighborhood is charming, full of many old homes dating back to the 1800's, and lined with narrow streets. The house above dates back to 1830.

The residences have many different styles of architecture-- Federal, Italianate and Greek revival style brownstones and buildings. In 1965, Brooklyn Heights was the first New York neighborhood to gain the status of historic district.

In the photos above and below are examples of some of the quaint homes that were converted from carriage houses. The stable area is now sometimes used as an inside parking garage for the home's residents. Presently about 70% of households in Brooklyn Heights do not own or lease an automobile, which is interesting when considering that this a rather affluent neighborhood. One of the reasons for this might be the limited street parking facilities, its proximity to Manhattan, and readily available public transportation.

The opening of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883 and subway service in 1908 brought changes to the district. Its elite character partly gave way to bohemianism, and hotels were built among the brownstone residences, and many of the rich moved away. Since the 1920s, the Heights have gone in and out of fashion, but in the 1980s a new generation of young professionals moved into the area once more and revitalized the local economy.

Many of the buildings that were once offices or hotels from the last century have been converted into condos or co-ops. Rents in the area are very high, close to two thousand dollars for a one room studio apartment, four to six thousand for a two to three bedroom apartment.

Home prices range from a few million upwards toward eleven million.

Brooklyn Heights is a wonderful place to walk around and get a feeling of what life in old time New York was like.

I like to walk around it and dream I could afford to buy one of these houses!

A fascinating short film produced by the New York Times about the rise fall and rebirth of Brooklyn Heights can be viewed at this link, which begins with these words: "Beneath the surface of Brooklyn's oldest and most exclusive neighborhood lurk the ghosts of a darker past."

There are so many stories that could be told about those who've lived in Brooklyn Heights, and many yet waiting to happen!