Staten Island in the 1920s: A Journey Back in Time with Fascinting Historical Photos

Close your eyes and let the ferry horn take you back to a simpler, yet vibrant era. There it is—coming into view as you pass by the Statue of Liberty—the “forgotten borough” as some affectionately call it. But back in the 1920s, Staten Island was anything but forgotten. It was a thriving hub of life, culture, and history, set against the backdrop of Prohibition, Jazz, and the Great Depression.

The Ferry Tale Begins

The Staten Island Ferry was more than just a vessel; it was a symbol of a burgeoning metropolis. Although the ferry had been operational since the 18th century, the 1920s saw a rise in its prominence. Families from the borough would make a day of it—packing picnic baskets, dressing in their Sunday best, and sailing across the harbor for a day in the Big Apple. Of course, the trip wasn’t complete without the kids getting a nickel scoop of ice cream from vendors lining the terminal.

Prohibition and the Island Speakeasies

Despite the nationwide ban on alcohol, Prohibition didn’t quite catch on in Staten Island as it did in the rest of the country. The Island was known for its speakeasies, secretive bars where people could enjoy a tipple away from the prying eyes of the law. Local lore has it that there were underground tunnels connecting some of these establishments. “The Harbor Light,” as locals nicknamed one such haunt, was particularly famous. To this day, Islanders whisper about the seedy characters and corrupt politicians who frequented it.

The Heart of Italian Culture

Staten Island was also the gateway to a new life for many Italian immigrants, who brought with them a piece of the Old World. The aroma of homemade pasta sauce wafted through the air in neighborhoods like Rosebank and South Beach. Italian-Americans contributed greatly to the Island’s culture—think Italian ice carts on hot summer days and bocce games in local parks. Families would gather around tables laden with traditional dishes like lasagna and braciola during Sunday dinners, a custom that continues to be a cornerstone of local culture.

The Great Depression’s Subtle Waves

The Great Depression hit Staten Island, albeit less severely compared to the rest of the country. While the factories and shipyards saw a decrease in activity, the Island’s self-sufficient agricultural community provided some buffer against the worst of times. Nonetheless, the economic downturn led to a sense of solidarity, birthing community initiatives and cooperatives aimed at supporting one another through the challenges.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable aspects of Staten Island in the 1920s was the community of Sandy Ground. Founded before the Civil War by free African-Americans, Sandy Ground had become a symbol of resilience and freedom. This community flourished in the ’20s, and it was a crucial stop along the Underground Railroad. Its residents were oyster fishermen who brought a rich African-American culture, interwoven with gospel music and Southern cuisine, to the Island.

#1 Before the Fourth of July parade in Dongan Hills, the eldest boy plays Uncle Sam, circa 1920s.

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#2 New Dorp Theater at 135 New Dorp Lane between 8th Street and South Railroad Avenue, 1929.

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#3 Staten Island’s 200-year-old Pavilion on the Terrace, originally constructed as a residence in 1835. Circa 1920s

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#4 Woodland Beach, located between Midland Beach and Miller Field, thrived in the 1920s.

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#5 Buses at the St. George Terminal, January 1920.

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#6 Swimmers at Sanitary Baths Building on South Beach, 1920s.

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#7 Messina’s Market on Staten Island, 1923.

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#8 Newsboys Camp at Woodland Beach, Staten Island, 1920s

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#9 Find on the Raritan Bay Beach, St. Elizabeth’s at Mt. Loretto, 1920s

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#10 Change Along the Railroad in Grant City with a Crossing Guard at Midland Ave., 1920.

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#11 Staten Island Savings Bank’s goal was to serve the residents and business owners of Stapleton; bank workers pose, 1923.

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#12 Rev. Dr. Frederick Sutter and Wagner College President Adolf H. Holthusen lay the cornerstone of Parker Hall, 1922.

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#13 William and Ethel Brown at Camp Pratt, later known as Camp St. Edward; the property is now St. Edwards Pointe, 1920s.

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#14 Ice Skating at Clove Lakes, Staten Island, 1925.

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#15 Arbutus Lake, Annadale, 1924.

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#16 Amboy Road, Great Kills, Featuring Old Cars, Shops, and Signs, 1920s

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#17 The Cove, Formerly Columbia Fishing Club, Features Ocean Activities and Dining at Hylan Blvd. and Richmond Avenue, Eltingville, 1920s

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#18 Staten Island Savings Bank Lined with Vintage Cars, 1920s.

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#19 Auto accident on Thompson Street, Stapleton, circa 1925.

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#20 Birney Car or Red Mike at St. George Terminal on the Port Richmond via Silver Lake Line, 1921.

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#21 After Shopping, Unwind at the Palace Theater or the Elm Theater, Richmond Avenue, 1920s.

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#22 Traffic Studies of New York Plaza, Taken from Top of Waltz Building, 1929.

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#23 Annadale near the train station, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. at left, 1920s

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#24 Annadale near the train station, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. at left, 1920s

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#25 A celebration in St. George for the groundbreaking of the Staten Island-Brooklyn subway tunnel that never came to fruition, 1923.

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#26 William S. Archer and Ted Herman with employees at Arcman Electric Service in Port Richmond, 1920.

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#27 Sub-branch Library at New Dorp, Staten Island, opened in 1926.

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#28 Around 1920, Charles Peters operated a hotel offering ‘First Class Accommodations’ next to Schmidt’s Boat Rentals, 1925.

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#29 Bayonne Bridge Under Construction, 1928.

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#30 Richmond Turnpike, Also Known as Victory Blvd., Staten Island, 1923.

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#31 The Railroad System Has Been a Part of Staten Island’s History for Over 150 Years; Cornelius Vanderbilt Built a Railroad in 1860s. Circa 1920s

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#32 Lineup of Buses on the Loop of St. George Viaduct, 1920.

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#33 Staten Island’s Original Bookmobile, City’s First “Library on Wheels,” 1922.

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#34 Hanging Out on Bard Avenue, West Brighton, 1921.

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#35 Staten Island Rapid Transit Company, 1920s.

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#36 St. John Villa Academy’s Elementary School Class, 1926.

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#37 Richmond Terrace, Port Richmond, 1929

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#38 Police Department Model T Ford, circa 1920s.

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#39 City’s First Library on Wheels in Staten Island, 1922.

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#40 Looking Northward on Bay Street in St. George, Staten Island, 1929.

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#41 Bay Street in St. George Looking North Towards Borough Hall, 1921.

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#42 The Casino Dancing Pavilion, Tottenville Beach, 1920s

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#43 Dominic Polizzano in His Shoe-Repair Shop Across from Stapleton Houses, 1922.

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#44 Backers of Staten Island’s First Radio Show at Elk’s Club, 1929.

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#45 With the sunlight streaming through the windows, this Staten Island Rapid Transit car looked handsome in 1925, and it was brand new, 1925.

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#46 Camp Viola, Woodland Beach, Staten Island, 1920s.

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#47 Lumbering on Staten Island, Eltingville, 1924.

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#48 The Outerbridge over the Arthur Kill, under Construction, 1927.

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#49 St. George Viaduct with the Richmond Lighting and Railroad building in the background, 1920.

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#50 Burgher Avenue, Dongan Hills; 1920s

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#51 Streetcars Were Common in Port Richmond Square Before Automobile Traffic Became Popular, 1920.

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#52 Thompson’s Stadium, Stapleton, Home of the Staten Island Stapletons of the NFL from 1924 Until 1933, Demolished 1958.

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#53 Looking Toward St. George from a Bend in the Road on Richmond Terrace in New Brighton, 1920s

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#54 Buses parked along the St. George waterfront, 1920.

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#55 Ritz Theatre, Port Richmond, nightlife, songs, dances, women racket, 1920s.

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#56 Eltingville Train Station, watchman halts a Model T pickup truck at the tracks, 1920.

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#57 Van Duzer and Broad Streets, Stapleton, 1927.

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#58 Fishing privilege 25¢, Boat for Bayonne, Elizabeth, Bathers not permitted on this walk, Midland Beach Pier, 1928.

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#59 Staten Island Ferry Terminal, Whitehall Street, upper-level waiting room, 1923.

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#60 Fox Hills Army Hospital Constructed with 87 Buildings, Largest Army Hospital in the World During WWI; Closed in 1922, Circa 1920s.

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#61 Great Kills Beach, Bought by City in 1929; Part of Gateway National Recreation Area in 1973. Circa 1920s

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#62 Johnson Ave., Tottenville, Site of Town’s First Library and Tottenville Hat Works; Hat Works Operated Until 1927.

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#63 Early Tennis on Staten Island: “The Bellevue,” Once the Cunard Estate on Grymes Hill, Courtesy of Staten Island Museum, 1920s.

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#64 Driver and Crewman at St. Vincent’s Hospital Ambulance (Now RUMC), 1920s

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#65 Early Medical Care at Sea View Hospital and Home on Staten Island, Circa 1920.

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#66 The Ferryboat Richmond Approaches Whitehall Ferry Terminal, Circa 1921.

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#67 Ice Skating at Clove Lakes, Staten Island, Circa 1925.

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#68 Construction of the Central Span of Goethals Bridge Between Staten Island and Elizabeth, N.J., Cost $7.2 Million; Opened in 1928, 1925.

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#69 Staten Island Ferry Originally Named George W. Loft; Changed to West Brighton in 1925, 1923.

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#70 Caravan of the Staten Island Protestant Churches Convention travels to New Jersey over the Goethals Bridge, 1928.

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#71 Goethals Bridge during construction, 1927.

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#72 Richmond Ice Co. on Clove Road, east of Bard Avenue, 1920s.

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#73 The Staten Island Ferry Boat Richmond Entering the Slip at Whitehall, Circa 1921.

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#74 Amboy Road, Annadale; Children Playing in a Lot off Amboy Road, Circa 1924.

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#75 Felix the Cat debuted as the first-ever balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, 1927.

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#76 The ferryboat President Roosevelt entering the slip at St. George, 1924.

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#78 The Tompkins Bus Corporation, a gasoline bus operating company formed in 1925 on Staten Island, replaced streetcar and trolleybus routes and formed new ones, 1925.

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#79 Outerbridge Crossing opened with the first Goethals Bridge, named for Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge, 1928.

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#80 St. George business center looking along Bay Street toward Borough Hall, 1920.

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#81 Children Gather Before the Fourth of July Parade in Dongan Hills, Early 1920s

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#82 West Brighton on Staten Island, 1920s

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#83 Memories of Woodland Beach as Public Pools and Beaches Are Closed, 1920s

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#84 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad New York Terminal Lines, St. George, Staten Island, Circa 1924.

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#85 Seguine Ave. Crosses Staten Island Rapid Transit Station with Automobiles Visible at Left, 1924.

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#86 Richmond Turnpike at Clove Road, Circa 1923.

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#87 Northeast Corner of Bay and Sand Streets in Stapleton, Model A Fords Indicate 1920s.

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#88 Policemen on Bicycles Talk with Passenger Car Driver, Circa 1920

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#89 Felix the Cat: First-Ever Balloon in the Macy’s Parade, 1927.

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#90 First-Ever Macy’s Christmas Parade Featured Marching Elephants, 1924.

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#91 Guyon Avenue, looking towards Amboy Road and North Railroad Avenue, Oakwood, circa 1920.

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#92 $10,000 Worth of Booze Seized at the Steuben Club, Stapleton, One of Staten Island’s Biggest Clubs, 1929.

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#93 U.S. Air Service in Miller Field, New Dorp, Built in 1921, Closed as an Airbase in 1969, Circa 1920s.

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#94 The Swiss Chalet, Located at 18 Nelson Avenue, Became KJ’s Ale House in 2001, Then Bungalow 18 in 2012, Currently the Pour House, Built in 1929.

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#95 “Captain’s Row” at the water in Mariners Harbor, homes built by ship captains along Richmond Terrace, 1924.

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#96 South Beach, Once Summer Destination, Includes Walch’s Pavillion, 1920.

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#97 Midland Beach Boasted a Ferris Wheel and Other Amusements, 1920s.

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#98 Flag Day Parade in Port Richmond at Veterans Park Drew Crowds of 5,000 to 20,000 Onlookers, 1920.

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#99 Fishing privileges at Midland Beach pier cost 25 cents, 1928.

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#100 Mother’s Day throwback: Mrs. Mohlenoff with her sons in the family greenhouse, the last large farm in Richmond County, 1929

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#101 Mount Loretto, circa 1920: The 400-acre area was purchased in 1882 by the Reverend John Christopher Drumgoole, 1920.

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#102 Masonic Hall and Post Office, Stapleton, 1920

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#103 Keiber and his Westerleigh farm produced fruits and vegetables for the Waldorf Astoria hotel, phased out in 1924.

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#104 Construction of the main span of the Goethals Bridge, named for Major General George W. Goethals, opened on June 20, 1928

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#105 The Outerbridge under construction, named for Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge, opened in 1928, 1927.

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#106 Linoleumville, Travis, once housed one of the nation’s first linoleum factories; the community renamed itself Travis after the factory’s closure, 1922.

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#108 Prince’s Bay train station as it looked in 1924, allowing cars to cross the tracks, 1924.

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#109 The New York side of the Staten Island Ferry captured in 1929, New York.

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#110 Shoe shiners at work on board the Staten Island Ferry, USA, circa 1920s-1930s.

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#111 Sailors Snug Harbor in Staten Island, captured in 1929.

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#112 Pilot house of a Staten Island Ferry in 1929.

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#113 Palace Theater in Port Richmond, Staten Island, 1920.

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#114 Launch of the first steel caisson for the Holland Tunnel at Staten Island shipyards, 1922.

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#115 St. George Branch of the New York Public Library, Staten Island, 1920.

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#116 Cafeteria at Proctor and Gamble in Port Ivory, Staten Island, 1928.

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#117 A mobile New York Public Library unit parked on a Staten Island Street for locals to browse books.

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#118 Theatrical performance at Dongan Hall in Staten Island, captured on May 27, 1921.

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#119 Young women dancing on Midland Beach, Staten Island, to radio-set jazz music.

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#120 P&G Dividend Day Ushers at the St. George Theatre, 1929.

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