Handwritten statement to the town clerk announcing the birth of a child to an enslaved woman, signed and recorded as an official document.
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Historic photo of workers posing around a massive circular gasket during tunnel construction, with several seated atop and others standing inside.
Printed and handwritten bill of sale for an enslaved person, including signatures, witness names, and notary declaration.
1810 census document enumerating New York City residents, including enslaved people, by ward.
1728 handwritten petition requesting additional land for a Jewish burial ground in New York City.
1705 handwritten document signed by multiple Manhattan residents denouncing Catholicism.
Page from the 1653 Court Minutes of New Amsterdam showing a proposed plan for the original wall that later became Wall Street.
A 17th-century illustration of New Amsterdam paired with a modern photograph showing the waterfront’s transformation.
Ornate handwritten deed with decorative title page and interior pages listing an itemized inventory of belongings.
1654 deed transferring Coney Island from the Nayack tribe to Gravesend settlers, signed by Chief Guttoquoh and tribal elders.
Architectural grid drawing of a 16th-century town square with notes, alongside a faded 17th-century handwritten property deed.
Decorative map titled “Longe Isleand” with ornate border, ships in the harbor, gardens in green, and a large compass rose.