The folks at Forgotten NY have been studying the bible of Brooklyn streets, Brooklyn by Name, and unearthed the history of a tiny little slice of a street in Williamsburg called Dunham Place. It was one of the first named streets in the neighborhood, dedicated to a merchant named David Dunham who helped get the steam ferry zooming from Brooklyn to Manhattan. His fascination with water transportation ultimately failed him; he ended up falling overboard and drowning up near West Point. Update: The Waterfront Preservation Alliance has added a blog post of its own on the history of Dunham Place.
Dunham Deal: Alley With a View [Forgotten NY]