Not Just Pencils– a new Kickstarter campaign by historian and troubadour Dr. Kavin Dann – will gift Kickstarter and its global community with a book revealing the stories of the generations of makers who lived and worked on the Greenpoint block where Kickstarter now curates Earth’s prodigious crowdfunded creativity. A nod to the Eberhard pencil factory where Kickstarter has its headquarters, Not Just Pencils uncovers the stories of carnivalesque characters and their inventions. Join Dr. Dann for a preview of Not Just Pencils and a deep dive into the microhistory of this single Brooklyn block’s pioneering gadgets, gizmos, and machines – and their creators, in a virtual talk with Untapped New York on Monday, December 21st.
Matthew Dripps 1869, Map of the city of Brooklyn: being the former cities of Brooklyn & Williamsburgh and the town of Bushwick, as consolidated January 1st, 1855 by an act of the legislature of the State of New York, NYPL Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division
In this exciting discussion, Dr. Dann will introduce you to characters like Neziah Bliss, whose Novelty Iron Works employed 1500 people and was America’s largest builder of steamboat engines; Alpheus Rollins, who rowed Bliss and others across the East River to Manhattan for 3¢ a trip in his hand–built skiff the Katy Dear; and Magdalena Duryea Meserole, who as a widow and mother of 5 daughters ran the enormous farm between Noorman’s Kill (Bushwick Inlet) and Mespath Kill (Newtown Creek), long before a single factory smokestack broke Green Point’s Arcadian horizon.
This virtual talk on Monday, December 21st at 12PM ET, is organized for Untapped New York Insiders. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today and get two months free with code JOINUS. After that plans start at just $10/month. A video of the tour will also be made available to all our Insiders afterward in the Video Archive section of our website. Already a member? Book here!
Nicole Saraniero is the Insider-in-Chief at Untapped New York, leading our Untapped New York Insiders membership program. Nicole graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science in Televis
