Art & Artifacts Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Badge |
Collection |
Alfred E. Steers collection |
Object ID |
M1985.15.62 |
Date |
1910 |
Dimension Details |
5 7/8" H x 2 1/2" W x 0 3/8" D |
Description |
1910 ribbon badge commemorating the opening of the Long Island tunnel. |
Place Names |
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) Long Island (N.Y.) |
Subject Headings |
Committees Openings Ribbon badges Transportation Tunnels |
Personal and Corporate Names |
Steers, Alfred E., 1860-1948 |
Collection Finding Aid |
Alfred E. Steers collection (ARC.009) |
Curatorial Notes |
Donated to BHS by his descendants, this ceremonial ribbon once belonged to Brooklynite Alfred E. Steers (1860-1948). Together, his collection of mementos, medals, and ribbons document both Steers' official municipal activities and his involvement in important local civic organizations. Steers lived at a critical transitional moment in Brooklyn's history, when the independent city was giving way to the borough. Born into a grocer family in the town of Flatbush (today a neighborhood of Brooklyn), Steers quickly rose to prominence in local government. Appointed first a justice of the peace in Flatbush, in the 1890s Steers became city magistrate and in 1910, Brooklyn Borough President. As Brooklyn Borough President from 1910 to 1913, Steers was a constant ceremonial presence at local celebrations and events. In this period, New York City's transit infrastructure was quickly growing to keep up with the expanding metropolitan area. In 1910, Steers wore this medal to the opening of the Long Island Runnel that connected the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan. |