Flashback Friday: The Bucolic Gowanus Canal

It’s hard to imagine the Gowanus Canal at a time when it was … bucolic. But this was just the beginning of what would make it the “Lavender Lake,” as industry built up around it. The title of the photo is “Erie Basin.”

Taken in 1905 the photo caption reads: “Waterfront at Gowanus Canal showing docked ships (some sail, some steam), warehouses, piers, and pilings.”

The image is part of the Brooklyn Collection at the Brooklyn Public Library, and you can find more historic images like this one there or through Brooklyn Visual Heritage. The original source is from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Do you have any interesting old photos of Park Slope? Share them with us at editor@bklyner.com!