The website My Inwood has some great then & now pictures of this northern neighborhood on Manhattan, which remained very rural into the early 20th century. Speculative real estate came in tandem with the construction of the IRT Seventh Avenue line which reached Inwood in 1906.
Sherman Creek Power Plant
By 1951, the Sherman Creek Power Plant was surrounded by housing projects, like Dyckman Houses.
Spuyten Duyvil
Spuyten Duyvil means “Spouting Devil” in Dutch, due to the harsh currents where the creek and the Harlem River connect. Today, the Henry Hudson Bridge crosses through, close to the narrowing in the back part of the photograph.
Isham Park
Isham Park is notable for its views of the Hudson and Harlem River valleys. There is archeological evidence that the land was used by Native Americans as a burial ground and planting fields, and for less desirable activities as seen in the photograph. Isham Park was built starting in 1911. A reader has noted that the photo below, though noted as Isham Park Dump, is actually today’s Inwood Park where the baseball fields are located.
Inwood Hill Boat Club
Broadway
207th Street Subway
Dyckman Street
Dyckman Street is named for Dutch farmer William Dyckman, whose family owned over 250 acres of farmland in the area. The Dyckman Farmhouse, located nearby at the corner of Broadway and 204th Street, was built by William Dyckman in 1784 and is the oldest remaining farmhouse in Manhattan.
Check out My Inwood for what these places look like today. See more vintage photos of New York City in our Vintage Photo column.
