Whispers of the past linger here at Bushwick Inlet. This seemingly unremarkable body of water holds centuries of secrets. Bushwick Inlet wasn’t always an inlet. It began its life as Bushwick Creek a much larger and deeper estuary. Its headwaters once sprawled across what is now McCarren Park.
Imagine a time before the clamor of the city. Bushwick Creek was pristine. Shellfish thrived in its waters. The indigenous Keskechaugue people harvested them. They even used the oyster shells to create wampum their own form of currency. Around 1640 a Norwegian man Dirck Volckertsen de Noorman arrived. He started the area’s first farm. His farm is believed to have stood near the present-day corner of Franklin and Calyer Streets. The creek was then informally called Noorman’s Kil a name still remembered today by a local tavern.
The creek’s peaceful existence didn’t last. In the mid-1800s industries sprang up along its banks. Charles Pratt founded the Astral Oil Works in 1857. This refinery significantly altered the creek’s ecosystem. It dumped vast quantities of oil into the water. The once-thriving shellfish disappeared. The creek became polluted and foul-smelling.
Bushwick Inlet saw shipbuilding too. The most famous ship launched here was the USS Monitor the nation’s first ironclad warship. Built in just 101 days in 1862 it played a crucial role in the Civil War. Today Monitor Street and a monument in McGoldrick Park serve as reminders of this legendary vessel.
The creek’s transformation continued. Parts of it were filled in for development. By 1913 the infill operation was complete. Bushwick Creek effectively ceased to exist. Bushwick Inlet as we know it today was born. It became an industrial dock hosting businesses like Bayside Fuel Oil. It was even a haven for rumrunners during Prohibition.
Today Bushwick Inlet is undergoing a dramatic change once more. It’s transforming into a vibrant park a testament to the city’s commitment to reclaiming its waterfront. The fight to acquire the land was long and complex. It cost tens of millions of dollars. The area saw protests. There were headlines about it. Yet here we are at the edge of this ongoing transformation. Bushwick Inlet Park stands as a reminder of the area’s rich and sometimes turbulent history a story etched in the very waters and land we see before us.