Part I of this Old New York cat tale begins in 1825 at the old Hermitage Farm on the west side of Manhattan, where a large horse car depot was built in 1864.
Archive for the ‘Cat Mascots’ Category
1886: The 10 Lives of Hero, the New York City Fire Cat of Chelsea, Part I
Posted: 26th December 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat StoriesTags: Cat Stories, fire cat, Forty-second Street and Grand Street Ferry, Grand Street Ferry, John Leake Norton, New York History, The Hermitage Farm
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1910: Trent, the Famous Airship Cat That Wowed the New York Crowd at Gimbels
Posted: 4th November 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat Men, Cat StoriesTags: Airship America, Gimbel Brothers, Gimbels Department Store, Melvin Vaniman, New York History, Trent, W.G. McAdoo, Walt Wellman
Trent, the tabby cat made famous by an unsuccessful flight across the Atlantic in the airship America, wowed the crowds at Gimbels in New York City.
1913: Duffy MacNab, the Scottish Long-Distance Jumping Cat of New York’s Pier 64
Posted: 7th September 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat StoriesTags: Duffy MacNab, Famous ship cats, Francis Henry Wadsworth, New York History, Pier 64, TSS Caledonia
On March 25, 1905, Caledonia made her maiden voyage from Glasgow, Scotland, to New York and back. In addition to the passengers and crew, on board was a young black cat that the crew named Duffy MacNab — or The MacNab, for short.
1888: Union Square Jim, the Mascot Cat of New York’s Union Square Theatre, II
Posted: 21st August 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat StoriesTags: B.F. Keith, Cat Stories, James M. Hill, Michael Sweeney, Morton House, New York History, Old New York, Union Square Theatre
Union Square Jim was a large, blue-eyed, orange tabby mascot of the old Union Square Theatre in New York City. Jim was born in the theater sometime around 1886, a year after James Hill took over as manager of the theater.
1888: Union Square Jim, the Mascot Cat of New York’s Union Square Theatre, I
Posted: 13th August 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat Men, Cat StoriesTags: Cat Stories, Morton House Hotel, New York History, Old New York, Sheridan Shook, Union Place Hotel, Union Square Theatre
Like most cats that became the popular mascots of New York City police stations, fire stations, hotels, and theaters in the 1800s and 1900s, Jim began his life as a vagrant cat without friends or influence. It didn’t take him long, however, to win the hearts of the managers, actors, and patrons of the old Union Square Theatre.
