These paintings were created at the turn of the last century, but they may give us a glimpse of what the Island’s rural and farming communities looked like at the beginning of the British occupation starting in 1776.
You will notice that in 1906, the Island was still sparsely populated on the south shore, dotted with farmhouses separated by wide pastures and fruit orchards. These are the remnants of the long-gone 18th century agricultural base which sustained Staten Island and its population well into the 19th century.
Hay, made from the salt grass that grew abundantly in the marshes, and fish, clams and oysters which thrived in the estuaries had almost completely disappeared by the time these pictures were painted.
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