Walt Whitman's Brooklyn Revisited

When one man's family history pointed towards an association with Walt Whitman, research efforts resulted in a new website archiving the poet's old stomping grounds. Whitman's Brooklyn looks at the borough, where Whitman moved at the age of 4, during the mid to late 1800s.

Along with each image on the site is an in-depth history of the area portrayed. In an 1847 engraving of what at the time was called Washington Park, it is noted that "Whitman was in the second and final year of his editorship of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle at this time, and had been instrumental in generating public support and legislative momentum for the park." It was Brooklyn's first park, now called Fort Greene Park.

Be sure to check out the Bird's Eye View and Map sections while you're geeking out on the history.