Ever take a glimpse at the city's past through old timey classified ads in newspapers? Well there's no turning back now. The Virtual Dime Museum takes a look at some odd listings printed in the Lost and Found column of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle back in the 19th century, and they're kind of peculiar! The listings include a $25 reward for a "gray squirrel" (with its cage!), a white goat lost on Van Brunt Street, and some valuable mysterious papers that the owner does not want out there circulating! How much do you suppose $25 was in 1867... because that seems like an awful lot to pay for the return of a common gray squirrel. more ›

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg announced a project to commemorate abolitionist activity that occurred in Brooklyn in the 1800s. He named a panel made up of community leaders, academics, and historians to aid the city and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership in asking for and reviewing commemoration proposals. more ›

So, last week's weather featured intense rain that shut down the subway system, a tornado skipping through Staten Island and Brooklyn, an unbearably steamy afternoon, and a couple days of near-record low temperatures. This week's weather should feature, uh… uh… well, not much of anything other than warm, sunny days. more ›

There is a silver lining to all the talk of Coney Island redevelopment. With everyone worrying whether this may (or may not) be the last season of the Coney Island we all know and love, people are making sure to head there and enjoy it while it lasts! The Post reports that 11 of 12 businesses it surveyed have been doing great business. more ›

Students at all NYC schools have a day off today in what is officially noted on the Dept. of Education's calendar as a Chancellor's Conference Day for Staff Development. That dry description actually masks the fact that today's day off from school is a tradition that dates back to 1829 and used to be one of the most widely celebrated holidays in Brooklyn and Queens. Dating back 178 years, Anniversary Day was a school holiday to celebrate and commemorate the founding of the first Sunday School (a de facto Protestant institution at the time) on Long Island. [See our post on Anniversary Day 2006] more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a possible abduction on West 16th St. and Mermaid Ave. in Brooklyn, a shooting at Grenada Place in the Bronx, and a homicide in Manhattan on 2nd Ave. near 124th St.
• Lower East Side parents post an open letter to a political graffiti artist making a statement at the expense of children and teachers.
• Between the rock and a hard place of fines for allowing smoking and frequent noise complaints from neighbors, many bar staff are throwing up their hands and saying "smoke 'em if you got 'em".
• It's up in the air whether this will either impress or annoy you, but a short film about a NYC bike messenger should definitely entertain.
• The Post catches civilian users of NYPD placards and the cheaters' excuses are pretty lame.
• The Brooklyn Daily Eagle looks at the story of a home with possible ties to the Underground Railroad going on the market and a somewhat twisty chain of ownership.
• The 22nd Annual Stickball Championship is being contested this weekend in the Bronx.

In the 1830’s, Court Street was brought down to grade and until the early 1840’s, the Brooklyn Eagle states that one could not see more than thirty buildings south of Atlantic Avenue. This quickly changed. In 1848, J.S.T. Stranahan & Carmichael were contracted for what was known as the "Bergen Hill Improvement." The hill, which is said to have been a popular "resort for sport and mischief," was surrounded by woods and required a nearly 130-foot cut to bring it down to the level of Court Street. The land was then used to fill in sections of the Red Hook marshland from Harrison [Kane] Street south to Hamilton Avenue, including Columbia Street. more ›