mournful planets
Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Many times have I commented on the odd causality surrounding certain dates in the historical record. Obviously – September 11 has become the center of attention for NY historians since 2001, but this is a week wherein propitious events seem to have happened over the centuries. To begin with, the European discovery and description of our little town seems to have begun some four hundred and five years ago today.
In 1609, September 12th was the day that a fellow named Henry Hudson sailed up a certain river after having noticed two or three large islands in a natural harbor, onboard a Dutch East India Company ship called the Halve Maen.
Oddly enough, September 12th is considered to be the anniversary of the Battle of Marathon by scholarly sources.
Then there’s the First World War, and September 12th is the day that Gerry decided to dig in – which began three and a half years of trench warfare.
from greatwar.co.uk
From 12th September 1914 the German Army began to “dig in” on the high ground of the Chemin des Dames ridge on the north bank of the river Aisne. The Germans dug defensive trenches with the intention of securing the position and preventing any further possibility of withdrawal. This battlefield area witnessed the beginnings of entrenched positions and the change from a mobile war to a static deadlock between the opposing forces. From this date the entrenchments would gradually spread along the whole length of the Western Front, would become deeper and more impregnable and would characterize the siege warfare fighting of the Western Front for the following three and a half years.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned in the past, your humble narrator has been writing a bi-weekly column over at Brownstoner Queens.
There’s a few of these posts which I’d direct you to check out, including:
- Thousands of Gallons of Oil Dumped Into the Dutch Kills Tributary This Summer –
A scandalous act, and the impressive investigative prowess of the DEC are brought to bear - Introducing: The Smiling Hogshead Ranch, LIC –
Wherein an urban farm and community garden project on Skillman Avenue can finally be recognized - From High Above LIC –
Shots from atop the Z Hotel in LIC, and I finally get to meet Borough President Melinda Katz. - New York Consolidated Card Company Building –
A profile of the Dutch Kills factory building. - My Beloved Creek –
A boat trip with the AnchorQEA superfund contractors down my beloved Newtown Creek.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Oddly enough, I’ve got this weekend off from tours and obligations.
I plan on attending Kevin Walsh’s Forgotten Tour #83, which will explore Little Neck and Douglaston, in an effort to ameliorate my utter ignorance about eastern Queens. Also, I just received my paper back copy of Robert Caro’s “The Power Broker” from Amazon, so there’s a bit of reading I’m anxious to get into.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Upcoming Walking Tours-
Saturday, September 27th, 13 Steps Around Dutch Kills
Walking Tour with Atlas Obscura, click here for tickets and more info.
Sunday, September 28th, The Poison Cauldron of the Newtown Creek
Walking Tour with Brooklyn Brainery, click here for tickets and more info.
The Newtown Pentacle 
Happy to hear about the articles at BQ, lovely photo of the bridge. Wallpaper!! 🙂
Deniz
September 12, 2014 at 11:22 am