Alice Austen (1866 - 1952) was one of America's earliest and most prolific female photographers. Over the course of her life, she captured about 8,000 images. Though she is best known for her documentary work, Austen was an artist with a strong aesthetic sensibility. Furthermore, she was a landscape designer, a master tennis player, and the first woman on Staten Island to own a car.&nbsp; The Alice Austen House is a birant cultural center where the spirits of early American photography are kept alive. There are exhibits of Austen's work, educational programs for students, and a range of cultural programs for the public. The museum, which was Austen's home, is a Victorian Gothic Cottage.

Website

Video

More Info

This establishment was the house of Alice Austen, but is now a museum that is part of the Historic House Trust. The house sits in a beautiful park that boasts a panoramic view that stretches from the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan to Brooklyn and, on a clear day, Coney Island. The museum includes a permanent exhibition of Alice Austen's work, changing exhibitions of contemporary art, and period rooms. There is also a beautiful Victorian Garden at the museum. This is one of the best views in and of New York City. Staffs and volunteers are always happy to give private tours of the museum.

Alice Austen House and Museum

Classroom

Starting at Fort Wadsworth, drive your way along the shoreline of Staten Island to three more museums, and end at a park on the interior of the island.

The location of the fort was first fortified by the Dutch in the 17th century. During the American Revolutionary War in the early 1800s,&nbsp;the British took control of the area and constructed the historic batteries that remain there to this day. When the Revolutionary War ended, the American military took over. During the War of 1812, the fort was used&nbsp;for defense by both the U.S. Army and the NY State Militia.&nbsp; Fort Richmond, built in 1847-1862,&nbsp;was used during the Civil War. In 1865, the name was changed to Fort Wadsworth to honor Brevet Major General James Wadsworth, who was mortally wounded during the Battle of the Wilderness. In 1902, the entire post was named Fort Wadsworth. The fort served it's purpose throughout the two World Wars. During the Cold War, the military posted the command center for New York's Nuclear defense system here. Due to it's isolation,&nbsp;it was easier to keep information secure and safe from outside hands. Today, it stands as a&nbsp;fort that has been through many different events through history. Other usage of the fort included: headquarters for the 52nd Anti-Aircraft (AAA) Brigade, master facility of the Nike Missile firing&nbsp;batteries of the NY Defenses, the U.S.&nbsp;Army Chaplain School, and U.S. Navy's headquarters for it's Naval Station New York.&nbsp; In 1994, the fort retired when the Navy turned it over to the National Park Service's Gateway National Recreation Area.&nbsp;Today, the fort is a museum and managed by the National Parks Service. Visitors visit daily, to see the great military fort, along with the weaponry used. The fort stands as a reminder for how the nation was protected during the early years of this nation. With most battles taking place between naval and forts, this fort sat in the perfect position to fight off any enemy.&nbsp;

On the west shores of the New York Harbor Narrows, Fort Wadsworth occupies 226 acres on the northern shore of Staten Island. It has guarded the entrance to New York for over 200 years with the distinction of being the fort with the longest continuous military history in the country. The fort has been through many renovations as technology improves. It is now well known for its magnificent views of the New York Harbor. 

Fort Wadsworth

Newly opened in 2015, the National Lighthouse Museum is dedicated to preserving the navigational history of lighthouses. It is located next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal on what was once the United States Lighthouse Service general service depot, which, at its peak was the country's main operations and technology center. The museum was established to educate the public about the history of lighthouses which, thanks to modern technologies, are becoming more and more obsolete. The museum offers lighthouses tours, symposiums, lectures, and other events throughout the year. 

National Lighthouse Museum

Founded in 1881, the Staten Island Museum, which is in two locations—one is in St. George and the other in Snug Harbor—is the only general interest museum in New York City. Its areas of focus are the natural science, art, and history of Staten Island and the region. Its collections reflect these areas. The natural science collection features over half a million specimens. The art collection features works from all over the world, with an emphasis on Staten Island related art. The museum also houses a library and archives which hold thousands of books and other materials related to the island.

Staten Island Museum

The land on which the park now sits was originally owned by Louis and Berta Dreyfus, owners of the L.A. Dreyfus Company, which produced the base for chewing gum companies. The property consisted of a two acre field with a large rock in the center, about twelve feet tall. The rock was thought to resemble a sugar loaf, and thus was henceforth dubbed "Sugar Loaf Rock." At the turn of the twentieth century, many of the local kids would come to play in the field and climb on Sugar Loaf Rock. The Great War broke out in 1914, and once the United States started to play an active role in the war in 1917, many Staten Islanders responded to the call. By 11 November 1918, 144 would be killed. The names of these men, who may have once played in the field surrounding Sugar Loaf Rock, are listed on a brass plaque placed on the northeast face. Facing southwest is another plaque, briefly noting the history of the rock, it having been placed in its present location by a glacier thousands of years ago. This plaque also notes how the rock has been, in a sense, re-purposed to commemorate Staten Island's fallen soldiers of the "Great War." The land was donated by the Dreyfuses to the City of New York and turned into Hero Park in 1920. A plaque on the southeast face recognizes the Dreyfuses, their contribution in donating the land, and their role in upholding the memory of the heroes the park's name memorializes. In the following decades, Hero Park greatly changed. Vandalism plagued the park over the years. Sugar Loaf Rock was covered with graffiti, vestiges of which can still be seen today. Due the substantial efforts of the Parks Department, the park has been cleaned up. Many of the plaques by each tree mentioning the names of each fallen Staten Islander were stolen, until eventually the New York Parks Department removed the rest, and consequently none remain. Despite this, today Hero Park can continue to do proper justice to the servicemen from Staten Island that gave their lives during the First World War.

In 1920, this plot of land was donated to the City of New York and named Hero Park, in honor of the 144 Staten Island men who were killed in the Great War.  Sugar Loaf Rock, the most prominent feature located towards the center of the park, has been adorned with several plaques (pictured below) which honor the men by name and further emphasize the Staten Island heritage of these brave men.

Staten Island Northeast Coastline Museums

Alice Austen House and Museum

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information