Manhattan 1880 Typographic Map Georeferenced on Modern Subway Map ( Well, Almost)

Using ARCGIS, I took a 1880 historic typographic map of Manhattan, available at the map center at the University of Texas at Austin, and georeferenced it onto my available shapefile maps of the subway system and subway stops and current street names.  I also included open space data as well.  I could not georeference perfectly and my maps are off by about a block.  This may be due to using a 1880 map or because may reference projects were not consistent or due to other errors. At any rate, the map shows that much of the lower East Side was formerly a marsh area prior to 1880?  My mistake may have been that I used the southern boundry of City Hall Park in 1880 which may not have been the same as it is now. The map is still interesting to look at.

In the map below, I focused on the Harlem area.  I brought in the shoreline and I made it red.  Notice that the area around the 148th Street - Lenox Terminal was marshland and the river bank was in a different location according to the 1880 map.

Another map of lower Manhattan.  Notice that in 1880, at least shown on the map, that the shoreline was more inland than today.  It is hard to tell if this 1880 map is showing the typology of 1880 or what was before.  Notice the marsh land near Fulton Street.

In the map below of Harlem, see the yellow pencil line that I added that is near East 107th Street.  Is this a stream that followed East 107th Street and emptied into the East River?  Notice that it crosses 110th Street and runs further north diagonally.  Is this a stream or a depression?

In the map below, which I got off the web, is an ancient British invasion map of Manhattan Island.  I circled that mysterious water flow in Harlem near East 107th Street in Green.  Is this an accurate deduction?

Area Around 125 th Street - Broadway Subway Station Manhattan

125th Street - Broadway station in Manhattan is indicated by a red square.  The station is elevated while the other stations in the area are underground.  The "Manhattan Valley" viaduct was contructed by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) due to the great change of elevations near 125 th Street.  You can see this in the above map by the change of colors and the contour lines.  You can clearly see that "Manhattan Valley" runs diagonally across Broadway with 125th Street inside it. Only street grid for the CD shown.  In the map below, contour lines are shown.  The purple underlined numbers is the elevation in feet.  Notice that east of Broadway, West 125th Street is located in a relatively flat valley with few contour lines.

Willis Avenue Line (Bronx) 1934-1941

Source:  B. Linder, New York Division Bulletin, Vol. 39, No. 3, March, 1996, Pages 2- 7.

The information below comes from the above mentioned article by B. Linder.

The Willis Avenue Line as shown for the period of 1934-1941 was a long one at its' peak around the year 1920.  Cars ran from Webster and McLean Avenues in the north Bronx and under the 3rd Avenue El for the most part, on Webster Avenue and 3rd Avenue to Willis Avenue..  The line crossed the Harlem River by way of the Willis Avenue Bridge and turned onto East 125th Street.  Like most Bronx streetcar lines, the line got its' power from overhead trolley.  On 125rh Street between First and Second Avenues, there was a PLOW PIT that allowed the streetcar to change its' motive power from overhead trolley to underground conduit.  More about this later.  The line traveled west on 125th Street using conduit to 125th Street and 12th Avenue at St. Clair Place which was also known at the Fort Lee Ferry Loop.  Important dates are as follows:

1. Line started on July 6, 1895 from 133rd Street via Willis Avenue to Melrose Avenue and 161st Street.
2. In 1901 a different route was followed from 129th Street and 3rd Avenue to Willis Avenue and 149th Street.
3. On April 5, 1916 the long route was established between the Fort Lee Ferry Loop via 125th Street, Willis Avenue Bridge, Willis Avenue, 3rd Avenue, Fordham Road and Webster Avenue to McLean Avenue.
4. After 1916, the terminals were changed frequently.
5. On March 5, 1920, the service between the Fort Lee Ferry Loop and McLean Avenue was discontinued and the line was cut back from Fort Lee Ferry to Fordham Road only.  Shuttles ran between Fordham Road and 3rd Avenue to McLean Avenue.
6. On August 18, 1935 buses replaced streetcars north of Fordham Road.
7. On August 5, 1941, buses replaced streetcars south of Fordham Road.

From the above review by B. Linder, it seems that Willis Avenue streetcars ran on 125th Street until August 5, 1941, sharing the service with the other lines that ran on 125th Street.  When a Willis Avenue car entered Manhattan from the Bronx under trolley wire after crossing the Willis Avenue Bridge, the streetcar would stop at a white line on the street above a plow pit.  According to B. Linder, the plow pit was worked by two men.  One man in the chamber below and another man on the surface.  The westbound Willis Avenue car would have a plow attached in the underground chamber while another man would lower the trolley pole and flip a double-throw switch located in the car.  If the switch was at the motorman's end of the car, the motorman would throw it.  This work was done very rapidily the the streetcar proceeded  west on 125th Street.  For Bronx bound cars, the reverse was done where the plow was detached and the trolley pole was raised and the appropriate switches were thrown.  This must have been very interesting to see.  In the early 1970's, I remember being in an express bus crossing the Willis Avenue Bridge and I remember that some of the tracks were still visible.  I am not sure, but I may have seen the shadow of the conduit track even though that portion of the route was under trolley wire.  The trackway near the bridge may have been equipped with conduit rail but may have never been used.

125th Street Crosstown (Manhattan) 1933-1947

Source:  B. Linder, New York Division Bulletin, Vol. 44, No. 2, February, 2001, Pages 2-4.
The trackage shown above, for the 125th Street Crosstown Line was shared by several other streetcar lines such as the Amsterdam and 3rd Avenue Line and the Broadway-Amsterdam Avenue Line and the Willis Avenue Line at one time.  I am thankful to Bernard Linder who is not only a map designer, but who has written extensively on the history of the streetcar companies, equipment roosters and so many other aspects of rapid transit history.  Here I am focusing on several aspects of the 125th Street Crosstown Line and the related Willis Avenue Line that interests myself and perhaps our readers:  (All material from B. Linder, op.cit)

1. Horsecars started running on 125th Street on October 15, 1870.
2. Cable cars started to run between First and Twelfth Avenues on December 1, 1886.
3. Electric cars using electric conduits started running on September 28, 1899.
4. An experiment using compressed air  car was tested on 125th Street during the summer of 1896.
5. An experiment using a gasoline-electric car from November 1909 to September 1910 and this car had only one breakdown (B. Linder, page 2, op.cit).  This car had a high acceleration that was not needed on a crosstown line and the cost was twice that of battery cars.  It was decided not to use this technology because a seperate shop would be required.
6. A battery car using Exide batteries was tested using automobile type motors in 1910 for a period of time.
7. By March 25, 1936, the beginning of the end started by cutting back the line to  3rd Avenue and 125th Street.
8. Buses replaced street cars on June 29, 1947.
9. The 125th Street Crosstown and the Broadway-Amsterdam-125th Street were the last Manhattan streetcar lines whose power came entirely from underground conduit.  The 149th Street Crosstown, a line that used both overhead and underground conduit stopped running on August 17, 1947
10. Notice the PLOW PIT on 125th Street between First and Second Avenues.