DON’T KNOCK THE ROCK MOVIE POSTER, STARRING ALAN DALE, 1956

During the 1940s, male “crooners” dominated the music scene with their emphatically sentimental love songs. Alan Dale (1925-2002) emerged as a solo act in 1948 and was soon dubbed the “Prince of Baritones.” In 1956, Dale starred as a Rock and Roll singer in the film “Don’t Knock the Rock” alongside famed musicians Little Richard and Bill Haley and His Comets.

More on Green-Wood’s Brooklyn Theatre Fire Monument

There is always more to know. On the night of December 5, 1876, the Brooklyn Theatre in downtown Brooklyn was packed with one thousand patrons. Then the fire began–and soon the building collapsed. But, still, it was thought that few lives had been lost. But, the next morning, when firemen began to sift through the … Read more

ELIAS HOWE SEWING MACHINE EXHIBITION CATALOG, Late 19th Century

Elias Howe Jr. (1819-1867) is credited with the invention of the sewing machine, one of the most important innovations of the Nineteenth Century. Though Howe was not the first person to develop a sewing machine, he introduced the first efficient and practical version. In 1846 Howe received the first United States patent for a sewing machine using a lockstitch design. The lockstitch remains the most common mechanical stitch made by sewing machines. This particular model also introduced critical improvements that form the basis for the sewing machine design employed today, including a needle with the eye at the point and an automatic feed. The transition from hand stitching to mechanical stitching made possible by the sewing machine revolutionized the garment industry.

PRESS PHOTO OF AN ARMY AIR RAID DETECTION STATION AT GREEN-WOOD, January 21, 1941

The above image depicts an Army air raid detection station set up in Green-Wood Cemetery in January 1941. In the years leading up to World War II, as there was an increased fear of air attacks, the United States developed and employed a system to monitor the sky for enemy aircrafts. Stations were set up that incorporated the use of searchlights and sound and heat locators. This view in Green-Wood shows a group of soldiers monitoring sound locators for the noise of airplane engines. Green-Wood’s high-elevation and proximity to urban centers made it an ideal location for the station.