New digital museum highlights past, present and future of Red Hook

The history of Red Hook is now just a click away.

Red Hook WaterStories, a new digital museum curated by PortSide NewYork – a living lab for better urban waterways – is looking to bring the maritime history of the waterside Brooklyn nabe to the masses with redhookwaterstories.org.

Including extensive historical research, vintage articles, maps and illustrations, the site will enable users to search for and read original sources along with essays written by the PortSide team directly on the site.

Factoring in the importance of current information along with the historical database, Red Hook WaterStories will include extensive information on flood preparation and resiliency planning. Descriptions of all current maritime businesses with vessels in Red Hook, real time data on those vessels (donated by Marine Traffic) and a blend of a NOAA mariners chart with a land map, along with an intro to reading a chart for non-maritime users, will also be included on the site, according to PortSide.

“PortSide is putting coastal history into resiliency – that has been a missing piece – as we continue to use new media to educate diverse audiences about waterfronts past and present, with an eye to shaping New York City’s future,” said PortSide NewYork’s President Carolina Salguero. “We are particularly grateful for the pivotal seed money from Councilmember Carlos Menchaca that took our years of work on Red Hook WaterStories to new levels and supported the creation of this unique community guide and resource.”

“Red Hook’s deep history and vivid present are well represented by Red Hook WaterStories,” added Menchaca. “Local cultural treasure, PortSide NewYork, has created an innovative program that residents and visitors can use to understand our neighborhood.”

Ultimatley, the digital museum covers 400-plus years of Red Hook’s maritime history, according to PortSide, and reveals “forgotten and overlooked stories” involving the neighborhood while at the same time serving as a resource for locals, tourists, history buffs, urban planners and educators.

“Red Hook WaterStories is a terrific addition to an already great neighborhood,” said Brooklyn Chamber President and CEO Carlo A. Scissura. “Thanks to this extensive listing of retailers and community resources, residents and visitors alike will be able to get more out of Red Hook than ever before.”