The Coney Island History Project, founded in 2004, is a not-for-profit organization that aims to increase awareness of Coney Island's legendary and colorful past and to encourage appreciation of the Coney Island neighborhood of today. Our mission is to create an oral history of the area; organize exhibitions, lectures and performances; and honor community leaders and amusement pioneers through the Coney Island Hall of Fame. Emphasizing community involvement, the Coney Island History Project teaches young people the techniques of oral history and develops programs in conjunction with local schools, museums, and other organizations.
Our award-winning website includes a searchable online archive containing more than 1,000 items from our collection, an interactive development map illustrating the changing fortunes of the central amusement district, an oral history archive, and a feature called Ask Mr. Coney Island, where site visitors can ask questions about the area's past, present, and future.
Our public programs began in 2005 with the opening of the Coney Island Hall of Fame, an exhibit that honors influential figures in history, and Coney Island Voices, an oral history archive that preserves the stories and memories of people who visited or lived and worked in Brooklyn's famous playground. In 2006 we sponsored a major Coney Island photography exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza. We also continued our local history learning programs with students at Mark Twain Junior High School, the Global Studies School, Brooklyn College, and the South Brooklyn Youth Consortium.
On May 31, 2007, the History Project inaugurated its new exhibition center, located in a former souvenir store below the world-famous Cyclone roller coaster on Surf Avenue near West 10th Street. The center presents a series of exhibits, events and performances and displays historic artifacts from Coney Island's colorful past. The centerpiece is an authentic Steeplechase horse, part of the legendary ride that gave Steeplechase Park its name.
The 2007 season's major exhibit was a three-part display: Aerial Photography: A Century of Coney Island from Above, images documenting the development of Coney Island during the past century; Souvenir Photographs from Sidewalk Photo Galleries, studio portraits of visitors from the 1870s to the present; and The Queen of Coney Island, photographs of Antonetta DelCore, who performed a joyful and unique celebration of the Feast of the Assumption on the beach from the 1940s to the 1970s.
Throughout the 2007 season, performers told stories that illustrated Coney Island's fascinating and diverse heritage. The series opened in June with Africasso, also known as Brother Daniel Blake, a Coney Island native and a visual artist who talked about his experiences as the champion break dancer on the Bowery during the 1980s. The program continued with a special July 4 performance by Gary Lapow, storyteller and folksinger, whose father, photographer Harry Lapow, documented Coney Island in the 1950s and 1960s.
The exhibition center also houses our interactive Video Interview Booth, which allows visitors to record their memories and impressions of Coney Island. Selected video interviews are made available online as part of our Coney Island Voices exhibit, a record of Coney Island visitors and their stories.
The History Project’s executive director and co-founder Charles Denson is a Coney Island native, a noted historian, and the author of the award-winning book Coney Island: Lost and Found. The project has received grants from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, the State of New York and Con Edison, and the support of History Project co-founders Carol and Jerry Albert, owners and operators of Astroland Park and the Cyclone roller coaster. Historians and members of the amusement community and the local neighborhood serve on our advisory board.
For more information and to become a member visit www.coneyislandhistory.org
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