Becoming Brooklyn

Summary

Becoming BrooklynThe Johannes I. Lott farmhouse site in Marine Park, Brooklyn is a unique place to explore the shifting identities that occurred in the greater NYC area as it became more and more urbanized. The Lott’s originally owned more than 200 acres of land. The Lott family passed down this property to descendants from 1719 to 1989 during this time, Lott family members had to adapt to many changes including a change from Dutch to English rule, the formation of the United States, the birth of Brooklyn, the end of slavery and the eventual absorption of Brooklyn into the now sprawling metropolis of New York City. By the 1930s, almost all their land was sold off to developers and the Lott’s soon saw their farmstead engulfed in cookie cutter houses. This farmhouse site and the transitions it went through can be seen as a microcosm of the changes in the larger surrounding metropolitan area.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• ‘O Brave New World’: Archaeologies of Changing Identities

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-19,03