Coney Island sees over 5 million people a year. The iconic Brooklyn attraction has much to offer. Whether it’s amusement park rides or boardwalk fun, Coney Island has something for everyone. Let’s look back at the history of Coney Island to truly appreciate everything about the “Playground of the World” and what makes it so special.

History of Coney Island

The Native American tribe that inhabited the area, the Lenape, referred to the modern-day Coney Island as Narrioch. This loosely translates to “land without shadows” or “always in light”, which is a reference to the beaches that get an abundance of sunlight. It translates to “corner of land” or “point”, which also carries meaning given that it is located at the bottom corner of Brooklyn. 

In the early 1600s, Dutch settlers founded New Amsterdam, which is today known as the great New York City. They expanded their reach far and wide in the Northeast of the present-day United States. To provide people with a reason to move there, the Dutch gave out land grants to those who were willing to live there.

Origin of Name

While not technically an island, it is a collection of islands. Each island was provided a name by the original Dutch settlers, which leads to some controversy. The literal name Coney Island has many potential origins. The Dutch settlers claim to have provided the name, Conyne Eylandt, starting with a 1639 Manatus Map. A Native American tribe, The Konoh, claim the island is named after them. Henry Hudson, sea explorer, is rumored to have named the island after his second mate, John Colman, who was killed in 1609 when they tried to settle there. A less gory rumor is that the name is after the family that settled there with the surname Conyn. The most common story is that due to the number of rabbits in the area that was reminiscent of Coney Island in County Sligo, Ireland. Coincidentally, the Dutch word for rabbit is konijn, so there may be some credence to the rabbit theory.

The land that would later become Coney Island, was initially divided into individual islands. These city lines would change frequently, to the point that the westernmost island was referred to as Coney Island. In a journal that chronicled the time, Jasper Danchkaerts and Peter Sluyter noted that Coney Island was completely separate from the rest of Brooklyn. The island could only be accessed during low tide. It wasn’t until the end of the 18th Century that the sand along the barrier islands closed up the inlets so that residents could start filling them in and joining them on to create one singular island. The island would mainly comprise of cattle, horses, oxen, hogs, and other animals.

The resort development was always an afterthought due to a number of factors including land disputes, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812.

Attractions of Coney Island

In 1824, Gravesend and Coney Island Road and Bridge Company built the first bridge that would allow travelers from the mainland to the island. 5 years later, the first hotel was built on the island. The Coney Island House was opened near where Sea Gate is today. 

In the 1830s and 1840s, mainlanders from Manhattan and Brooklyn would go to Coney Island for a quick vacation. To get there, people would take carriage road and a steamship service. The middle class started to vacation on Coney Island when a ferry line to Norton’s Point at the western point of the peninsula. In 1864, the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad became the first railroad to reach Coney Island. Over the next decade, there was a national trend towards trolley park developments. With these new attractions building in Coney Island, so did crime. 

In 1868, William A. Engeman saw an opportunity to build a full on resort in the area and decided to call it Brighton Beach. This is an homage to the English resort city of “Brighton” and cost Engeman $20,000 for the 39 lots. This resort had enough room for five thousand people and could accommodate up to 20,000 people daily. Upper middle class residents were the main clientele. This was the beginning of the era of Coney Island becoming an iconic attraction.

Amusement Park Era

From the 1880s until World War 2, the largest amusement park in the United States was Coney Island. The amusement park would see several million visitors a year. There was a cultural shift from amusement as a passive activity to an active lifestyle choice. The three areas of the park were Luna Park, Dreamland, and Steeplechase Park. Not only was this the top attraction in the country, it was the floor of innovation in events and technology. This includes the introduction of electric lights, roller coasters, and baby incubators. 

Coney Island used to be for long vacations, but as more trains and transportation services evolved, many New Yorkers would take day trips as a quicker getaway. This was crucial for those hot summer days for those people living in tenements. Charles Looff built it at Lucy Vandeveer’s bath-house complex at West 6th Street and Surf Avenue. Looff personally hand-carved the designs into the carousel. In addition to the carousel, the Seaside Aquarium was build and build at the Centennial Observatory’s site. The first roller coaster was the Switchback Railway, which was built by LaMarcus Adna Thompson at West 10th Street.  Right next door was the Elephantine Colossus, a building in the shape of a elephant. This elephant, until it was torn down in 1896, was the first thing that immigrants would see when they would come to the country. 

20th Century to Present

In 1909, New York state outlawed horse racing, which led to resorts seeing less patronage, but the amusement parks remained the main attraction. Some milestones include the opening of the Wonder Wheel in 1920, the Riegelmann Boardwalk in 1923; the Shore Theater in 1925; several roller coasters in the 1920s including the Tornado, Thunderbolt, and Coney Island Cyclone; and the Parachute Jump in 1941.

After World War 2, Coney Island saw a decline in attendance and an increase in crime. Poeple weren’t coming to the once main attraction. It wasn’t until Michael Bloomberg took office that interest in revitalizing Coney Island really took off. After failing to win the Olympic bid in 2012, The Coney Island Development Corporation made modifications to a plan to redevelop the area. 

Don’t be shy and visit Coney Island and feel the history for yourself!