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With over 500 miles of shoreline, the fireboats of the FDNY have protected the city of New York for the last century and a half. Utilizing historic images, David Rocco showcases their fascinating evolution from wooden-hull tugboats to modern-day specialized watercraft.

The Fire Department of the City of York (FDNY), first utilized the New York Police Department’s steam powered vessel, Seneca in 1862. In 1875, the FDNY purchased their first fireboat, the Havemeyer, a wooden-hulled steam powered vessel retrofitted with basic firefighting equipment. By the beginning of the 20th century, the FDNY averaged ten fireboats in their fleet.

David Rocco has been involved as a volunteer for many cultural and environmental initiatives in the Hudson Valley and NYC. He played a seminal role in the successful development of the Walkway Over the Hudson project. David is also the co-author of The Indestructible Man, a book about Navy legend Dixie Kiefer. 

With over 500 miles of shoreline, the fireboats of the FDNY have protected the city of New York for the last century and a half. Utilizing historic images, David Rocco showcases their fascinating evolution from wooden-hull tugboats to modern-day specialized watercraft.

The Fire Department of the City of York (FDNY), first utilized the New York Police Department’s steam powered vessel, Seneca in 1862. In 1875, the FDNY purchased their first fireboat, the Havemeyer, a wooden-hulled steam powered vessel retrofitted with basic firefighting equipment. By the beginning of the 20th century, the FDNY averaged ten fireboats in their fleet.

David Rocco has been involved as a volunteer for many cultural and environmental initiatives in the Hudson Valley and NYC. He played a seminal role in the successful development of the Walkway Over the Hudson project. David is also the co-author of The Indestructible Man, a book about Navy legend Dixie Kiefer. 

"An effort of genius." -George Washington to Thomas Jefferson, 1785

The world's first submarine was used during the American Revolution. While other men his age supported the country with muskets, Yale graduate David Bushnell sought the answer to one important question: how to defend America against the British Royal Navy. His answer was the American Turtle. Focusing on the vessel's most important mission, sinking Britain's flagship in New York harbor, this concise history follows the development of the invention from drawing table to open water and onwards.

Explore the Rich History of the Hudson Valley

The Hudson Valley is more than just scenic vistas—it is the birthplace of American history. Go beyond the traditional guidebook to counties nestled along the east and west banks of the majestic Hudson River. From Native American settlements and Dutch colonial roots to the rise of the English, history unfolds at every turn in the river.

 Discover Newburgh, where Washington had his longest headquarters of the Revolution. Explore the quaint town of Kingston, home of the state’s first capital. Learn how the pivotal Battle of Saratoga turned the tide of the American Revolution. Admire the artistic heritage of Frederic Church’s Olana, the vast Gilded Age estates, and the nation’s first presidential library in Hyde Park. Enjoy a day exploring Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate, in Tarrytown or the railroad depot in Peekskill where President-elect Lincoln stopped to speak on the way to his inauguration.

 Join local historian A.J. Schenkman as he traces the forgotten histories and vibrant heritage of one of America’s most historic regions.

The College of Staten Island’s history is rooted in service to the borough of Staten Island. The only tax-funded college in this New York City borough, the school serves over 10,000 students annually. 

The college is one of 26 City University of New York campuses and one of the university’s 11 upper-division colleges. A 1932 petition campaign for public higher education on Staten Island was followed by decades of activism before Staten Island Community College opened to offer associate degrees in 1956. Later, demand for bachelor degree programs led to the 1967 opening of upper-division Richmond College. In 1976, during a fiscal crisis, the schools consolidated into the College of Staten Island. In 1993, the college moved to a historic campus, the former site of Halloran General Hospital and Willowbrook State School. The college has a distinctive tradition of serving first-generation college students with diverse ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, and immigration identities as well as nontraditional students and people with developmental, learning, and physical disabilities.

James A. Kaser has been the archivist at the College of Staten Island since 2002 and a full professor since 2009. This is his sixth book. Dr. Kaser is a bibliographer and cultural historian with a doctorate in American culture studies. He has selected images from archival collections documenting the College of Staten Island and its predecessor institutions to illustrate this book, which traces the history of public higher education on Staten Island.