The Hatching Cat of Gotham

Samuel Smith, born in Huntington, Long Island, in 1788, purchased the easterly portion of the old Tunis G. Johnson farm on the Old Road (Fulton Street) in 1811 (14 acres), for $6,000. He added to this property in 1815 and 1818, and pursued a farming and milk business until about 1825. Little by little he sold of this land, making him one of Brooklyn’s wealthiest citizens. He was elected 10th mayor of Brooklyn in 1850. Today Samuel Smith’s farm is occupied in part Macy’s Downtown Brooklyn, shown here in Google Earth at the northwest corner of Hoyt and Livingston Street.