2. One of the First Homes Built in Williamsburg Was At South 4th and Bedford Avenue

South 4th and Bedford Avenue today

One of the first homes built in the neighborhood was on the future intersection of South 4th and Bedford Avenue. Named “Keikout” (Dutch for “look-out”), it was first a refuge in case of Indian attacks, and then a boarding house, and its most famous tenant was Captain William Kidd. Kidd based many of his pirate voyages out of Manhattan, where local merchants invested in his operations, but he had a soft spot for Keikout because, according to legend, one of his former lovers was buried near there, passing away while he was out at sea. With his dashing style and questionable accumulation of wealth, Kidd may have been the first true Williamsburg hipster.