1. Hell’s Kitchen Was Once a Rural Area Covered in Floral Meadows
Hell’s Kitchen today.
Before Hell’s Kitchen became the turf of gangs and gangsters, things were looking rosy along the Hudson River in Midtown Manhattan – an area once covered with green flower-filled meadows that the Dutch settlers called Bloemendael (later anglicised as Bloomingdale), meaning the Vale of Flowers. It was also known as the Great Kill District — ‘kill’ being the old Dutch word for ‘creek’, in reference to a little river that once ran through the area and out into the Hudson River.
Next, check out the The Untapped Guide to Hell’s Kitchen and read about Gang History in Hell’s Kitchen. Follow the adventures of author, Ellie Seymour, at newyork-onmymind.com. Seymour is currently working on her forthcoming book, Secret Brighton.