The Gateway to a New Century!
It has been a day since I last wrote. It’s a scary thought, but I am beginning to wonder when I will return back to 2009. I came down to breakfast this morning and spotted a New York Times paper, it was several days old and awaiting disposal. I was immediately drawn to it and when I saw it open to a story about Emily Roebling, I picked it up and began to read. This must be a coincidence! I had seen her at the ceremonies and heard people in the streets speak of her, but I wasn’t entirely sure I realized just how much of an effect this one woman had on something as monumental, as the Brooklyn Bridge. Although oppression of gender isn’t something I experience in 2009, I must remind myself constantly that these were different times. A woman, even as classic as Emily Roebling, wouldn’t have been permitted to partake in the building of something like the Brooklyn Bridge. Emily Roebling got her chance to shine, and many people took notice. Although it wasn’t under the best circumstances, Washington Roeblings falling ill to a fever, Emily took the reigns, and stepped in for her husband.
I recalled a book about this very subject that I had read in a history class I had taken several semesters
ago, now I was actually in the thick of the events. Many historians accredit her to the great success the bridge ultimately had earned. David McCullough wrote, she was hard to get down, and there is nothing on record of her ever being negative about the fifteen-year job her husband took on. She remained supportive through it all. “She quite bluntly refused to give in. More, she seemed to gather strength as time passed and gradually she began exerting a profound and interesting influence in bridge matters.” (McCullough, 462) The rest is history, you might say. Stories began circulating about her, the parts she played, and many of these stories were the truth. However, she did not secretly take over as the engineer of the bridge, as some might suggest, instead she had a “thorough grasp on the engineering involved. She had a quick and retentive mind, a natural gift for mathematics, and she had been a diligent student during the long years he (her husband) had been incapacitated.” (McCullough 462-463) This, however, did not sit right with those trustees of the bridge. They questioned Washington’s state of mind, and the credibility was questioned of those who supported her. Despite the judgments made against those involved, Emily was “Quite literally his (Washington’s) eyes, his legs, his good right arm. And the more she did, the more the gossips talked.” (McCullough, 464)
I wasn’t sure what to think of this. I decided that I would take a walk down the river front, and take a second look at the now open bridge. On my way to the bridge, I passed the house in which the Roebling’s were living. I paced the street several times, and stood at the gate looking in on the old brick home. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Emily, but I didn’t have much luck, although I did get a look at the dog that chased me away from the gate. I continued towards the bridge and noticed the towers off in the distance immediately. As I was walking, I remembered a poem I once read about the Brooklyn Bridge.
Walt Whitman returned to his beloved city of New York in 1878, and saw the nearly completed bridge. He declared the visit provided "the best, most effective medicine my soul has yet partaken--the grandest physical habitat and surroundings of land and water the globe affords--namely, Manhattan Island and Brooklyn, which the future shall join in one city--city of superb democracy, amid superb surroundings." (Whitman) Having written the poem “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” earlier, he had a deep love for the city of New York. “It avails not time or place nor place, distance avails not….” (Whitman) It is interesting that Whitman wrote this before the bridge was fully completed, because it applies to the completed bridge in 1883 and in 2009. The sight of the structure makes you lose your breath, and time stands still for a brief second. I remember going on vacations to New York and staring in awe over the sight of the bridge stretching over the East River. A friend once recounted an experience he had had. Apparently, every year poets gather at one end of the bridge, and they read poetry at the top of their lungs as they walk across. When they get to the other side they stop and a person will read Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” When or if I ever return to 2009, I will come back here with a new perspective, and ready to read my favorite Brooklyn Bridge Poem.
"All modern New York, heroic New York, started with Brooklyn Bridge" (Haws, 61) Historians accredit the Brooklyn Bridge as a turning point for Americans. After the Civil War, and during the Gilded Age, there was great political unrest and chaos with the reconstruction in the South, economic recession, political corruption in New York, and labor unrest. This was a proud and triumphant moment for Americans, there was a technological leap, and the United States was at the forefront. "The key to civilization fashioned in New York can be found in the monumentality of its skyline, not in the lives of its inhabitants." (Haws p. 115) The bridge was only the beginning of the skyline, but already the fascination had begun. Haws wrote that the Brooklyn Bridge is an icon that has had a great impact onto the cultural development of New Yorkers and Americans. It served as a "Communal notice board upon which individuals and groups inscribe their thoughts and feelings" (Haws, 224).
The bridge is well known all over the world, and remains to be one of the few structures of the Nineteenth-Century that has survived New York City’s growth and development. It’s interesting to note that the same speeches give on the day the bridge opened were given at the fiftieth anniversary in 1933. The speeches were ones of progress and inspiration not on the current troubles of the times.
For fifty years after its completion, the Brooklyn Bridge remained the largest suspension bridge ever made. It was referred to by many as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and it was an even greater sensation that ever imagined by anyone involved. (McCullough, 543) The Bridge remained an endless fascination and amazed anyone who saw it. “For millions of immigrants arriving in New York through the 1880’s and 1890’s and on into the new century, it was one of the first things to be seen of the New World as they came up the bay. It was one of the landmarks they all looked for, the great world-famous symbol of the faith that was literally moving mountains.” (McCullough, 547) The fact that the bridge was designed by an immigrant himself increased its appeal to the mass population because it emphasized the “American dream.” It made people think that they could make something of themselves in a place with opportunity and promise.
The Bridge also served a practical purpose. It did everything it had promised. Instead of having to cross the East River on a Ferry you could now move it across with the ease of a bridge. In Brooklyn itself it “Stimulated growth, raised property values, and provided safe, reliable alternative to the ferries. It put Brooklyn on the map.” (McCullough, 551)
I thought about all these things I had learned in class and began to put them all together. I was also beginning to put together why I had gone back in time to 1883, and the importance of the Brooklyn Bridge. How much longer will I be here you might ask? I wish I knew the answer myself!
(1) McCullough, David. The Great Bridge. New York, New York (1972)
(2) Haw, Richard. Art of The Brooklyn Bridge. New York, New York (2008)
(3) Haw, Richard. The Brooklyn Bridge: A cultural History. New York, New York (2005)
(4) Wiedman, H. John. “Why we need our Brooklyn Bridges”. American Society of Civil Engineers. Library of Congress (1983)
(5) Whitman, Walt. "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," Leaves of Grass. Washington, DC (2007)
It has been a day since I last wrote. It’s a scary thought, but I am beginning to wonder when I will return back to 2009. I came down to breakfast this morning and spotted a New York Times paper, it was several days old and awaiting disposal. I was immediately drawn to it and when I saw it open to a story about Emily Roebling, I picked it up and began to read. This must be a coincidence! I had seen her at the ceremonies and heard people in the streets speak of her, but I wasn’t entirely sure I realized just how much of an effect this one woman had on something as monumental, as the Brooklyn Bridge. Although oppression of gender isn’t something I experience in 2009, I must remind myself constantly that these were different times. A woman, even as classic as Emily Roebling, wouldn’t have been permitted to partake in the building of something like the Brooklyn Bridge. Emily Roebling got her chance to shine, and many people took notice. Although it wasn’t under the best circumstances, Washington Roeblings falling ill to a fever, Emily took the reigns, and stepped in for her husband.
I recalled a book about this very subject that I had read in a history class I had taken several semesters
ago, now I was actually in the thick of the events. Many historians accredit her to the great success the bridge ultimately had earned. David McCullough wrote, she was hard to get down, and there is nothing on record of her ever being negative about the fifteen-year job her husband took on. She remained supportive through it all. “She quite bluntly refused to give in. More, she seemed to gather strength as time passed and gradually she began exerting a profound and interesting influence in bridge matters.” (McCullough, 462) The rest is history, you might say. Stories began circulating about her, the parts she played, and many of these stories were the truth. However, she did not secretly take over as the engineer of the bridge, as some might suggest, instead she had a “thorough grasp on the engineering involved. She had a quick and retentive mind, a natural gift for mathematics, and she had been a diligent student during the long years he (her husband) had been incapacitated.” (McCullough 462-463) This, however, did not sit right with those trustees of the bridge. They questioned Washington’s state of mind, and the credibility was questioned of those who supported her. Despite the judgments made against those involved, Emily was “Quite literally his (Washington’s) eyes, his legs, his good right arm. And the more she did, the more the gossips talked.” (McCullough, 464)I wasn’t sure what to think of this. I decided that I would take a walk down the river front, and take a second look at the now open bridge. On my way to the bridge, I passed the house in which the Roebling’s were living. I paced the street several times, and stood at the gate looking in on the old brick home. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Emily, but I didn’t have much luck, although I did get a look at the dog that chased me away from the gate. I continued towards the bridge and noticed the towers off in the distance immediately. As I was walking, I remembered a poem I once read about the Brooklyn Bridge.
Walt Whitman returned to his beloved city of New York in 1878, and saw the nearly completed bridge. He declared the visit provided "the best, most effective medicine my soul has yet partaken--the grandest physical habitat and surroundings of land and water the globe affords--namely, Manhattan Island and Brooklyn, which the future shall join in one city--city of superb democracy, amid superb surroundings." (Whitman) Having written the poem “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” earlier, he had a deep love for the city of New York. “It avails not time or place nor place, distance avails not….” (Whitman) It is interesting that Whitman wrote this before the bridge was fully completed, because it applies to the completed bridge in 1883 and in 2009. The sight of the structure makes you lose your breath, and time stands still for a brief second. I remember going on vacations to New York and staring in awe over the sight of the bridge stretching over the East River. A friend once recounted an experience he had had. Apparently, every year poets gather at one end of the bridge, and they read poetry at the top of their lungs as they walk across. When they get to the other side they stop and a person will read Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” When or if I ever return to 2009, I will come back here with a new perspective, and ready to read my favorite Brooklyn Bridge Poem.
"All modern New York, heroic New York, started with Brooklyn Bridge" (Haws, 61) Historians accredit the Brooklyn Bridge as a turning point for Americans. After the Civil War, and during the Gilded Age, there was great political unrest and chaos with the reconstruction in the South, economic recession, political corruption in New York, and labor unrest. This was a proud and triumphant moment for Americans, there was a technological leap, and the United States was at the forefront. "The key to civilization fashioned in New York can be found in the monumentality of its skyline, not in the lives of its inhabitants." (Haws p. 115) The bridge was only the beginning of the skyline, but already the fascination had begun. Haws wrote that the Brooklyn Bridge is an icon that has had a great impact onto the cultural development of New Yorkers and Americans. It served as a "Communal notice board upon which individuals and groups inscribe their thoughts and feelings" (Haws, 224).
The bridge is well known all over the world, and remains to be one of the few structures of the Nineteenth-Century that has survived New York City’s growth and development. It’s interesting to note that the same speeches give on the day the bridge opened were given at the fiftieth anniversary in 1933. The speeches were ones of progress and inspiration not on the current troubles of the times.
For fifty years after its completion, the Brooklyn Bridge remained the largest suspension bridge ever made. It was referred to by many as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and it was an even greater sensation that ever imagined by anyone involved. (McCullough, 543) The Bridge remained an endless fascination and amazed anyone who saw it. “For millions of immigrants arriving in New York through the 1880’s and 1890’s and on into the new century, it was one of the first things to be seen of the New World as they came up the bay. It was one of the landmarks they all looked for, the great world-famous symbol of the faith that was literally moving mountains.” (McCullough, 547) The fact that the bridge was designed by an immigrant himself increased its appeal to the mass population because it emphasized the “American dream.” It made people think that they could make something of themselves in a place with opportunity and promise.
The Bridge also served a practical purpose. It did everything it had promised. Instead of having to cross the East River on a Ferry you could now move it across with the ease of a bridge. In Brooklyn itself it “Stimulated growth, raised property values, and provided safe, reliable alternative to the ferries. It put Brooklyn on the map.” (McCullough, 551)
I thought about all these things I had learned in class and began to put them all together. I was also beginning to put together why I had gone back in time to 1883, and the importance of the Brooklyn Bridge. How much longer will I be here you might ask? I wish I knew the answer myself!
(1) McCullough, David. The Great Bridge. New York, New York (1972)
(2) Haw, Richard. Art of The Brooklyn Bridge. New York, New York (2008)
(3) Haw, Richard. The Brooklyn Bridge: A cultural History. New York, New York (2005)
(4) Wiedman, H. John. “Why we need our Brooklyn Bridges”. American Society of Civil Engineers. Library of Congress (1983)
(5) Whitman, Walt. "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," Leaves of Grass. Washington, DC (2007)
