Transit Walk: Lower Manhattan

Explore the rich history of New York City, past and present, one neighborhood at a time.  Through the lens of transportation, discover new places, share stories, and connect with communities. Join Senior Museum Educator Katherine Reeves in Lower Manhattan for a transit walk and explore the fascinating history of pre-subway New York. We will visit the former site of Thomas Edison’s power plant, and learn the story of Elizabeth Jennings Graham, whose landmark 1854 lawsuit led to the eventual desegregation of all New York City transit systems by 1865. From ferries and horsecars to pneumatic tubes and trolleys, we will discuss the inventions, mishaps, and activists that would eventually lead to the construction of the subway– which unified the people and places of New York and allowed for the development of our great city.