The Town of Flatlands was one of the original six towns in what is now Brooklyn, N.Y. The land on which Flatlands was founded was acquired by Dutch settlers from the Canarsie (sometimes spelled Canarsee), the original inhabitants of the area, in 1636. By 1647, the Dutch were calling the area Nieuw Amersfoort (New Amersfoort). In 1661, New Netherland Director-General Peter Stuyvesant granted New Amersfoort the right to local rule. By 1664, the British had taken control of New Netherland and changed the name of New Amersfoort to Flatlands.
During the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, Flatlands was the site of intense local conflict. In August of 1776, many of the farms were burned by local militia, in accordance with orders from the Provincial Convention of New York, to prevent Loyalist landowners from helping the British Army.
At the turn of the 19th century, Flatlands was still primarily farmland and would remain that way until the mid-1800s. Construction of transportation infrastructure came slowly to Flatlands. By the late 1800s, construction of major roadways (such as Flatbush Avenue) and the introduction of horse car service (1875) and electric trolley service (1893) allowed residents of Flatlands access to the more developed areas of Brooklyn. Improved transportation infrastructure led to a slow-but-steady population increase in Flatlands; it also led to the development of suburban housing. In 1896, Flatlands became the last of the original six towns of Brooklyn to be annexed to the City of Brooklyn. Within two years of the annexation of Flatlands, the City of Brooklyn itself was incorporated into the New York City in 1898.
Today, Flatlands is a neighborhood in Brooklyn. Its approximate borders run between Nostrand and Ralph Avenues (West to East) and between Avenues H to T (North to South).
-
Sources:
- "Flatlands." In
The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn, edited by John B. Manbeck, 123-126. [New York]: Citizens Committee for New York City; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
From the guide to the Supervisor of the Town of Flatlands account books, 1817-1886, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
