English

Amateur fisherman
Peter has lived in Coney Island for 25 years and is an amateur fisherman. He describes the kind of various kinds of fish he has caught and recalls once seeing seals washed up on the rocks. Generally, he is discouraged about the state of Coney...
Content type: Oral History Item
The King of Jones Walk
Wally Roberts has been operating amusements in Coney Island since the 1940’s. He rented space in the Feltman’s Building for storage and for a candy shop that sold salt water taffy, popcorn, and jelly apples. He remembers Feltman’s hotdogs, the first...
Content type: Oral History Item
Came from Puerto Rico to show Coney to her family
Rosa is 58 years old and has lived in Puerto Rico for 33 years. As a child, she lived in Manhattan and would visit her aunt in Coney Island. She observes how Coney Island has changed, mostly how small it is by comparison to back then, and has...
Content type: Oral History Item
Lived through the Great Depression in Coney Island
The History Project returned to an 85-year-old Goldie Durlester in July of 2010. In this interview, Goldie recalls more of the details of her daily life as a child during the Great Depression and as a teenager at the start of the World War II era....
Content type: Oral History Item
Life-long resident of Coney Island
Reginald, a life-long resident of Coney Island, revisits his childhood memories and shares his opinion on the current state of Coney Island's transition. He describes the racial tension that stemmed from fences and walls keeping people of color...
Content type: Oral History Item
Grandson of Coney Island Developer William J. Ward
Jack Ward recounts his family’s long history in Coney Island. He begins with his great grandfather John Ward's purchase of beachfront property at 12th Street and Surf Avenue in 1879 and continues through his grandfather William J. Ward's...
Content type: Oral History Item
Family owned Levy's Bar and Grill
Karen Levy Fogel was born in the mid-1940's to a family who owned and operated restaurants in New York City.  Her father's family were Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Turkey and her mother's family were Ashkenazi Jews who also lived...
Content type: Oral History Item
Nathan's son recounts his memories of growing up in the family business
As the son of the founder of Nathan's Famous, Sol Handwerker recounts some of the history of this iconic Coney Island fixture. Sol Handwerker passed away on September 24, 2016 at the age of 90.
Content type: Oral History Item
Relatives lived under the Thunderbolt
Harold Kramer's great aunt and uncle, Molly and George Moran, owned the Thunderbolt roller coaster and lived in the house under its tracks. Harold remembers Molly and George just laughing when the coaster shook their house since it was "...
Content type: Oral History Item
Coney Island concessionaire
Arthur Melnick grew up in Coney Island in the middle of the last century. Here, he recounts his experiences working concession stands in the amusement district during the 1960s, a difficult period for Coney Island. He speaks specifically about rides...
Content type: Oral History Item