Thanksgiving is now a national holiday that evokes tables groaning with food, autumnal colors and the lore of the bountiful harvest of the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving. While a day of thanksgiving was often celebrated in the 19th century, it wasn’t until 1863 that it became an official holiday. How did Brooklynites celebrate the food-centered holiday over the years? Read a few tales of Brooklyn Thanksgivings below.

Newsboy's Home, Poplar Street, Brooklyn Heights. Photo: Brooklyn Public Library.
Newsboys’ Home, Poplar Street, Brooklyn Heights. Photo via Brooklyn Public Library.

Celebrating Thanksgiving
When it comes down to it, Thanksgiving in Brooklyn in the late 1800s really wasn’t very much different than it is today. Take away today’s technology, and both share a celebration where giving to others, family, food and sports still are the most important parts of the day. The Brooklyn Eagle said in their Thanksgiving editorial of 1897, “The day is crowded with religious, social and sporting events, open to everyone in addition to the family reunions that are the main features of a Thanksgiving.” Delve into some Brooklyn Thanksgivings of the 19th century.

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brooklyn history thanksgiving traditions
Late 19th century Thanksgiving greeting. Postcard via Brooklyn Life

How Victorian Brooklyn Celebrated Turkey Day
Modern American Thanksgiving, like many of our holiday traditions, was a mid-19th-century Victorian invention. Thanksgiving even then was all about the food. It wasn’t all gluttony, however. Thanksgiving in Brooklyn in the late-19th century was a time of great generosity by religious organizations, civic charities, businesses and individuals. Learn how late-19th-century Brooklyn celebrated with massive feasts and costumed Fantastics.

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brooklyn history thanksgiving traditions
St. John’s Orphan Asylum at St. Marks and Albany Avenue. Photo via Brooklyn Public Library

Giving Thanks in Brooklyn, 1881
Because there were few governmental or social provisions for the poor and less fortunate in the 19th century, it became the mission of religious and private institutions to take care of those who couldn’t do for themselves. These Brooklyn organizations took care of orphans, the elderly, the poor and sick and made sure that the less fortunate still had a bountiful Thanksgiving. Read further for a look at some of the celebrations, and the buildings in which they took place.

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brooklyn thanksgiving vintage photo
Photo via Brooklyn Public Library

Turkey Days Gone By: Brooklyn Celebrates Thanksgiving (Photos)
Photographs from the 1950s show Brooklynites continuing to celebrate Thanksgiving with food drives, charity dinners and costumed pageants. Check out a few black-and-white photos from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

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