Literary New York: Its Landmarks and Associations

In Short

This literary history traces the growth of New York City through its writers, landmarks, and social circles from the seventeenth century into the dawn of the twentieth. Beginning with the early Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam and progressing through the American Revolution, the Knickerbocker era, and the mid-nineteenth century, it maps out the homes, taverns, print shops, and parks where authors gathered. The book endures as a vivid portrait of a rapidly expanding metropolis, preserving the physical and social geography of a literary culture that was constantly reshaping itself alongside the city.

The Story

The narrative opens in seventeenth-century New Amsterdam, depicting a small Dutch trading settlement where the earliest colonial writers lived amidst simple brick houses, narrow lanes, and fortified walls. It captures the local atmosphere of early weddings, church gatherings in the fort, and the quiet routines of early colonial officials and early rhymers who laid the settlement's intellectual foundation.

As the colony transitions under British control and moves toward the eighteenth century, the city expands. Early institutional developments begin to take shape, including the founding of King's College, the creation of public libraries, and the arrival of spirited visitors and governors whose literary ambitions were often thwarted by political turmoil, slave uprisings, and border conflicts. The period leading into the American Revolution highlights a growing community of printers, pamphleteers, and political minds whose writings mirrored the city's political unrest and shifting physical boundaries.

With the conclusion of the war and the arrival of the nineteenth century, the story enters the Knickerbocker era, a period of rich creative output. The narrative follows Washington Irving from his childhood haunts near Golden Hill to his later years along the Hudson, detailing how local geography directly inspired his legendary tales. Surrounding Irving is a vibrant circle of poets, dramatists, and editors who frequented the Park Theatre, Martling’s Tavern, and the lively basement stalls of Windust’s, forming the city's first true literary center.

The mid-nineteenth century brings further transformation as New York becomes a magnet for diverse writers. Edgar Allan Poe navigates the city's publishing houses and quiet outlying cottages, while figures like Bayard Taylor and Richard Henry Stoddard form deep bonds in cramped attic rooms and iron foundries. Sunday-evening salons, such as the one hosted by Alice and Phoebe Cary, bring together journalists, poets, and critics, creating a supportive network amidst the urban rush.

Finally, the narrative moves toward the late nineteenth century and the early 1900s, documenting how relentless urban development swallowed historic rural estates, old orchards, and landmark buildings. Yet, as newer generations of authors settle into fresh neighborhoods, the book closes by illustrating how the city's literary tradition continuously renews itself across every changing street.

How It Unfolds

Writers of the Dutch settlement The narrative begins in old New Amsterdam, capturing the customs, church gatherings, and simple lifestyles of early Dutch inhabitants and colonial rimesters.

Colonial growth and political friction The story shifts to the early eighteenth century, detailing the arrival of bookish visitors and ambitious governors who struggled to cultivate literature amidst colonial disputes and civic unrest.

Revolutionary voices and changing streets The focus turns to the physical transformation of the town leading up to the Revolution, tracking historic structures like the Debtors' Prison and the emerging print shops around the Common.

The Knickerbocker generation flourishes Washington Irving and his contemporaries take center stage as the book explores their childhood haunts, popular taverns, and the birth of iconic local satire.

Mid-century salons and expanding boundaries The narrative follows a new wave of poets and journalists gathering in attic quarters and welcoming parlors, while urban growth slowly alters older landmarks.

The modern era takes shape The closing sections survey the late-nineteenth-century literary scene, showing how historic sites were replaced by modern structures as new generations of writers established their own haunts.

The People

• Jacob Steendam — The early Dutch poet of New Amsterdam who wrote plain, deeply felt verse while living among the original settlers, representing the city's earliest literary impulse.
• Governor Robert Hunter — A cultured English governor who arrived in 1710 hoping for a quiet life of literary correspondence with friends like Dean Swift and Joseph Addison, only to find his dreams consumed by political wrangling, financial trouble, and colonial turbulence.
• Eliza Schuyler (Mrs. John J. Bleecker) — A young woman who grew up watching the construction of early public buildings around the Common, later becoming one of New York's early recognized poetesses after moving away from the city.
• William Dunlap — A versatile playwright, painter, historian, and practical theater manager who maintained his artistic pursuits while operating the Park Theatre and frequenting local gathering spots.
• Thomas Paine — The radical political writer whose final years were spent seeking quiet in rural Manhattan fields, pursued by public controversy even long after his death and burial.
• Washington Irving — The central figure of the Knickerbocker era, whose childhood near Golden Hill and love for the Hudson countryside shaped a lifelong career of romantic and historical writing.
• Joseph Rodman Drake — A talented young poet and pharmacist who co-authored satirical verses and wrote romantic fantasies of the Hudson River before dying of consumption at twenty-five.
• Fitz-Greene Halleck — Drake's devoted friend and fellow poet, who frequented city taverns and immortalized their companionship in enduring verse.
• N.P. Willis — An industrious editor, author, and social traveler who maintained an immense capacity for journalistic work beneath an elegant, slightly foppish exterior.
• Charles Fenno Hoffman — A spirited native New Yorker and magazine editor who built a thriving literary circle despite carrying the weight of personal tragedy and eventual mental illness.
• Bayard Taylor — A hard-working writer and traveler who hosted fellow poets in his modest attic rooms, forging lifelong creative bonds despite financial struggles.
• Richard Henry Stoddard — A young poet who transitioned from labors in an iron foundry to become a central figure in the city's mid-century literary circles.
• Alice and Phoebe Cary — Sisters from Ohio who established a warm Twentieth Street parlor that served as a famous Sunday-evening gathering place for the city's writers and intellectuals.

In Its Own Voice

"The poet of the rich was married to Tryntie Croegers by the good Dominie Megapolensis."

This line describes the vibrant, festive gathering inside the fort's stone church during an early New Amsterdam wedding.

"Though Madame Knight met many persons of quality and witnessed many interesting scenes, had her visit in the city been extended, say for half a dozen years, until the coming of Governor Robert Hunter, she would have met a man truly in full accord with her ideas and tastes."

Here the author reflects on the brief visits of colonial travelers and the missed connections between cultured figures of the era.

"Relentlessly and remorselessly the great masses of brick and mortar have forged ahead in their furtherance of the city's growth, seeking a level as they spread, dominating the island, levelling the hills, and stretching over valleys until the surface of the land is altered beyond all knowing."

This passage captures the melancholy theme of physical loss as modern construction continuously erases old neighborhood landmarks.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores the dynamic relationship between a rapidly expanding city and the creative minds that inhabit it. It argues that literature is not created in isolation, but is deeply rooted in physical spaces—the specific streets, taverns, boarding houses, and natural landscapes where writers live and interact.

Underneath the historical accounts lies a quiet lament for the temporary nature of human effort and urban geography. As historic structures are demolished to make way for modern developments, the memory of early authors risks fading alongside the physical structures they knew. The narrative demonstrates how literary traditions survive through shared friendships, editorial partnerships, and the persistent recording of local history.

Why Read It Today

This work will deeply satisfy historical enthusiasts, literary scholars, and anyone captivated by the urban heritage of New York City. Reading it feels like taking a guided walk through forgotten neighborhoods alongside a knowledgeable host who points out the hidden histories buried beneath familiar pavement.

The prose is clear, affectionate, and grounded in specific detail, avoiding dry academic formality while capturing the unique atmosphere of each passing era. While modern readers must navigate a dense catalog of long-forgotten names, nineteenth-century publication titles, and period geography, these details provide a genuine sense of historical texture. What remains with the reader is a rich appreciation for how a bustling commercial center cultivated a vibrant, enduring cultural life across three centuries.