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The Oyster Capital of the World

When considering the history of New York, it would be a missed opportunity to skim over the city's everlasting relationship with a particular salt-water mollusk: the oyster. Through a combination of overfishing and pollution forced the closure of the New York Harbor's oyster beds in the 1920s, the bivalves were once a treat enjoyed by all residents of the city, rich and poor alike.

Mark Kulansky, author of "The Big Oyster," officially crowned New York the "Oyster Capital of the World," writing that, "before the 20th century, when people thought of New York, they thought of oysters. This is what New York was to the world—a great oceangoing port where people ate succulent local oysters from their harbor."

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Urban Archive

1

New York Harbor

New York Harbor

The New York Harbor once contained 350 square miles of oyster beds, equating to about half the world's oyster population. The millions of oysters were the harbor's natural filtration system, straining the waterways of algae, plankton, and other sediments.

2

Brooklyn Ferry, Governors Island

Brooklyn Ferry, Governors Island

Before New York was colonized, the Lenape relied on the area's rich oysters as part of their food system. The Lenape harvested bivalves much larger than the creatures we know today, measuring roughly ten inches to one foot in diameter. It is said that when the Dutch arrived on "Pagganuck," the Native American name for present-day Governor's Island, Lenape introduced oysters to the settlers.

3

Ellis Island

Ellis Island

Once the Dutch settled on Manhattan, they named Ellis and Liberty Islands the "Oyster Islands" for the enormous beds that surrounded the landmasses.

4

19 Pearl Street

19 Pearl Street

Parelstraat, or Pearl Street, was once a waterfront roadway. It was named for the enormous middens—piles of oyster shells, that lined the way. In fact, shells were eventually used to pave the street. Oyster shells were commonly burned down to produce mortar or lime.

5

535 Bloomingdale Road

535 Bloomingdale Road

A series of harsh and discriminatory laws surrounding oyster farming in Maryland, a slave state, prompted the migration of many free Blacks to Staten Island in 1841. They settled in Sandy Ground, which is today the oldest continuously-inhabited free Black settlement in the country. The area was within walking distance to the rich oyster grounds at Prince’s Bay and the shipping port of Rossville. Oyster trade converted the quiet farmland into a self-sufficient and lively community.

6

2806 Richmond Terrace

2806 Richmond Terrace

Many Oystermen who worked in the harbor lived on Staten Island's Captain's row, pictured here. One such resident was Captain Stephen D. Barnes, who built his home here in 1853. The captain operated a stall in Manhattan’s Fulton Market. Records show his ships made journeys to Virginia to further stock New York Harbor’s artificial oyster beds or to stock up for the winter months.

7

Oyster Barge

Oyster Barge

Back on the Manhattan waterfront, oysters were processed in barges much like the two pictured here. To the rear of the vessel, small sailboats would unload their catch which would be processed in the body of the boat and then sold on the street-facing side. Barges had speakeasies or other clubs to serve seamen's vices on the second floors.

8

Delmonico's Restaurant, 44th Street

Delmonico's Restaurant, 44th Street

Delmonico’s restaurant, a New York staple, is credited for popularizing (at least in the city) dining on oysters raw in a half-shell. Before then, the bivalves were typically fried, baked, turned into pies, or stewed.

9

22-26 Coenties Slip

22-26 Coenties Slip

In fact, oysters and clams once dominated the street-food scene of New York City, long before hot-dogs or peanuts became the staples of the sidewalk.

10

New York Harbor

New York Harbor

Unfortunately, overfishing and pollution caused the demise of New York City's once-flourishing oyster beds. The last of the city's beds were closed in 1927. In "The Big Oyster," Kurlansky writes, “the history of the New York oyster is a history of New York itself—its wealth, its strength, its excitement, its greed, its thoughtfulness, its destructiveness, its blindness, and—as any New Yorker will tell you—its filth."

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