Famed poet Walt Whitman has an extensive history with Brooklyn – he spent much of his early life in the borough, and even completed his first draft of Leaves of Grass at a house in Wallabout.

The Fort Greene Park Conservancy and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership are hosting a Walt Whitman Walking Tour to highlight the history of the park and the poet’s contributions to Brooklyn. The tour will touch on Whitman’s role as an advocate and will feature poetry readings from Angelia Rasbury and Ardelle Stowe as well as music by Bernard Holscom.

fort greene park walt whitman
Photo by Mary Hautman

Whitman, once the editor of the Brooklyn Eagle, garnered public support for the founding of the park, writing it would be “a place of recreation” for Brooklynites “where, on hot summer evenings, and Sundays, they can spend a few grateful hours in the enjoyment of wholesome rest and fresh air.” The park was approved in 1847 and completed in 1850.

The tour will take place on Saturday, August 12 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., and will depart from Fort Greene Park’s Visitor Center. For more information or to reserve your place on this free tour, click here.

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