Pearls of the Past

There was a time when oysters lined the shorelines of Manhattan and Long Island.  So many shells lined Manhattan’s eastern shore that one of its waterfront streets was named Pearl Street. In the 1600s and 1700s, travelers marveled at the size and quality of the oysters from New York City’s waters.  

Oysters were a mainstay in New York City. It was once said a single oyster could provide an entire meal – lending it the honor of being known as the poor man’s meal. The 19th century was the 'Golden Age of Oysters,' as a surge in production made oysters widely available. A plentiful resource, oysters were an affordable source of protein for the working class. Yet, they were also a favorite of the upper classes.

Beginning in the 18th century, New York City was one of the largest oyster production areas. Oysters were so abundant and synonymous with New York City that their shells were used for roads, cement, and fertilizer. Even buttons were made from oyster shells! Oyster Houses were overflowing, and oyster carts were as common as the modern hot dog or pretzel cart.

To build roads, or what we might call paths, people used crushed oyster shells, just like we use gravel today. The natural lime in oysters dries up mud, helping to prevent wet and muddy roads. The natural lime in the oyster shells also helps them stick together, which is another reason they were used in early types of cement. Over time, as people walked on the shells, they would break down and get squished together more tightly.

Native people who occupied these lands, as well as early settlers, also harvested oysters. Oysters were an important part of the native diet. The local native populations harvested oysters and other shellfish by hand or using wooden rakes. Evidence of Native American consumption and use of oyster and clam shells has been found archaeologically in the form of  shell middens . Shell middens found along the shorelines of Flatlands were described as "immense."

Post-contact, during the Dutch period, oysters and (particularly) quahog clams would be central to the  wampum industry . Oysters had quickly become a staple in the diet of the European settlers. The beads the native people made from the shells, wampum, were utilized as a form of currency. It was common for items to have a Dutch guilder's price and a wampum price, the currencies being relatively interchangeable.

As the demand for oysters grew throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries, so did overharvesting. As the natural oyster beds were depleted, and professional oyster farming was introduced.

Oystering had become a business and eventually an industry. The oystering business extended into deep South Brooklyn, particularly throughout Jamaica Bay. By the mid-19th century, several fishermen had settled throughout the communities along Jamaica Bay.  The term 'oystermen' first appeared in the 1870 census. By 1880, there were several oystermen and baymen, signifying a clear distinction between the two professions. Regardless, marine resources were a key component of the Flatland's economy.  

New York City's oysters had dramatically reduced in size by this period. The increased demand for oysters meant they were harvested at a younger age. Over harvesting determined that oysters would no longer grow to the sizes they were once famous for. Archaeology records note that oysters from an earlier period measure over 10" in length, while oysters harvested in late 19th century average 6" – 7" in length.

As the natural oyster beds diminished, those in the oyster business switched from fishing to farming. This transition truly led to the establishment of an oyster industry – not because of the presence of companies, but due to the privatization of resources. Oystermen planted oysters in many areas surrounding New York City. Sums of money, time, and effort were invested in these farmed oyster beds. Planters generally leased underwater land in the waters of Jamaica and Sheepshead Bays. By 1896, it was estimated that oyster planters leased 500 acres for oystering.

The planting and farming of oysters raised questions of access. The concept of public lands and resources available for common use originated with the Dutch and English foundations of the United States. Waterways were open for public use; residents could fish their local waters. Though there is a history of such high demand for oysters, local governments issued laws and restrictions as to who and when oysters could be harvested. They were essentially a free and shared resource. Oyster farming changed that. Farmers purchased spats (baby oysters) as seedlings to establish oyster beds, which differentiated these beds as private property, not a naturally occurring resource.  Following English law, the state owned the littoral zone of the shorelines – the area between low and high tide that transitions to the communal open waters. The state could not sell the land occupied by these private oyster beds, but it could lease the lands those beds occupied. Many leases were given to local landowners, but some attempted to acquire multiple acres to monopolize the industry (The Standard Union 4 March 1896).

The act of leasing underwater lands for private oyster beds led to both political and legal issues. To ensure public access to naturally occurring oyster beds, New York State required oyster planters to ensure no natural oyster beds were around or impacted by the planted beds. This led to disagreements between planters and baymen. In the mid-1880s, the Flatlands Oyster Protective Association was formed to protect the planters.

The industry faced other issues during this time, such as over-development and pollution, which were significant threats to Jamaica Bay's oyster industry. By 1845, offal rending industries had been established on Barren Island (present-day Floyd Bennet Field). From Rockaway, you could "both see and smell Barren Island, and the faint odor of decayed horses or putrid dogs… The stench is something to be feared, even by persons having very strong stomachs…" (Brooklyn Daily Eagle August 20, 1877).

 In the second half of the 19th century, news articles document the protest of Brooklyn's oyster farmers against sewage lines that would bring wastewater from inland Flatbush out to Jamaica Bay. Complaints and lawsuits claimed the sewage destroyed the oyster beds and impacted the industry. Complaints went nowhere, and it's no surprise that development trumped the needs of the relatively small oyster industry compared to that of a growing New York City.  

 Oystering continued into the early 20th century around Jamaica Bay. However, contamination and disease became an ongoing problem. In September 1912, Rockaway oysters were blamed for typhoid (Brooklyn Daily Eagle September 12, 1912). In March 1917, green dye and arsenic were found in some oysters from beds located off Canarsie, resulting from chemical waste from a local plant that led to an embargo on the oysters.  There were multiple incidents regarding contamination and disease. The New York City Department of Health condemned oysters from Jamaica Bay in January 1921.

Oysters were readily available to the Lott's – they were used for food, fertilizer, and paths.  Archaeological work at the Lott House in the early 2000s  recovered over 20,000 clam and oyster shells. Some exceptionally large shells likely date to the late 18th  or early 19th century, when oysters naturally grew larger.

A 19th-century family cookbook contains several methods of preparing oysters. None quite as appetizing as oyster ice cream, but the Lott family did add oysters to their Thanksgiving stuffing.

Oyster rakes are among the  Hendrick I. Lott House's collection .  The 1870s census lists several fishermen but only one other oysterman, Simon B. Lott, the son of Johannes H. and Gashe Lott. Oystering occurred during this period, and Thomas Garritson listed his occupation as Reef Inspector. By the 1892 New York State census, several oystermen and baymen existed throughout Flatlands.

John Bennett Lott and his brother-in-law, Andrew Hodges Suydam, were among those who obtained permits to plant oysters. They specifically sought to plant oysters within Gerritsen's Creek, which bordered the Lott property. It is possible they were members of the Flatlands Oyster Planters Association. Andrew listed his occupation as "oyster planter" in the 1900 census. A neighboring Lott cousin, John R. Lott, son of Simon B., also listed his occupation as "oyster planter."

In the early 20th century, several men from Gloucester, Virginia, an area noted for oystering, came to work on the Lott farm. The men are listed as laborers in the 1910 census records; they likely worked on the oyster beds as well.

Fishing and oystering were an integral part of the Flatlands community. John B. Lott and Andrew Suydam occasionally listed themselves as oystermen and farmers. Others in the area were the Paupau and Moore families, who resided along Mill Lane. William Paupau and Anthony Moore, Black men who may have been enslaved, purchased their land from John B. Lott's grandfather, Johannes H. Lott, in 1827. The location of the plots they purchased led to the waters of Flatlands Creek, opposite Bergen Island.

Oyster farming essentially ceased in 1921. For decades after, oysters and other shellfish were absent from the waters of Jamaica Bay and New York City. With changes in perspective toward the environment and Environmental Protection regulations, many of New York City's waterways have been dramatically cleaned up, and marine life has returned along with many other species. Since 2014, the Billion Oyster Project has been actively bringing oysters back to New York City's waters.

• Oysters have been around for approximately 15 million years.
• Local Native American tribes were harvesting oysters for centuries before European contact.
• Oysters were a staple food for early New Yorkers. They were eaten raw, roasted, and in stews.
• An oyster becomes an adult when it turns one year old and can live as long as 20 years.
• Baby oysters are called a spat.
• Oysters can change their sex.
• Oysters eat algae by filtering it out of the water. They are vegetarians.
• Adult oysters can filter up to 50 gallons of water daily.
• As generations of oysters settle on one another and grow, they form reefs. These reefs provide shelter for other sea creatures and act as wave breaks, preventing erosion.

Billion Oyster Project https://www.billionoysterproject.org/

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 31, 1891

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nov 11, 1896 ·Page 5 

Massachusetts Oyster Project https://massoyster.org/oyster-information/anatomy

 New York State Census Records 1865 – 1905

Nigro, Carmen 2011    History on the Half-Shell: The Story of New York City and Its Oysters. https:// www.nypl.org/blog/2011/06/01/history-half-shell-intertwined-story-new-york-city-and-its-oysters 

United States Federal Census 1850 - 1920

Van Hooreweghe, Kristen L. 2012    The Creeks, Beaches, and Bay of the Jamaica Bay Estuary: The Importance of Place in Cultivating Relationships to Nature.