Coney Island

Benny Harrison
Coney Island has lost one of its most creative and beloved souls. Our good friend and neighbor, Benny Harrison, passed away on the morning of March 11 at the age of 83. For more than 60 years Benny Harrison brought fun and smiles to visitors who...
Content type: News Article
Last year, Cynthia Nuara of Queens, New York, sent a query to the Coney Island History Project asking if we had photos or information about her great-grandfather John Polise’s bait and tackle store. John's Bait & Tackle operated from the 1940s...
Content type: News Article
Photo: Jimmy Prince, Charles Denson and John Dorman at Ruby's on the Coney Island Boardwalk in 2011. We're sad to hear that our friend John Dorman, 93, has passed away. John Dorman and Philips Candy were Coney Island landmarks. His smiling face...
Content type: News Article
As we near the end of 2023, the Coney Island History Project pays tribute to five Brooklynites that we lost this year who recorded their stories for our oral history archive: Eliot Wofse, Michael Onorato, Ralph Perfetto, Santos Torres, and Sofya...
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Coney Island New Years Day Polar Bear Plunge
The fun place to be on New Year’s Day is Coney Island and the best way to welcome 2024 is with a dip in the Atlantic! Join the Coney Island Polar Bear Club for their 121st Annual New Year’s Day Plunge on January 1st from 11 AM until 2 PM. The...
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October 28: Join Us to Celebrate Coney Island’s 200th Birthday!
The Coney Island History Project will celebrate Coney Island’s 200th birthday on October 28th by displaying and honoring Coney Island’s oldest surviving artifact: the 200-year-old Coney Island Toll House sign that dates to 1823. Please join us! Our...
Content type: News Article
Ralph Perfetto
Ralph Perfetto Ralph Perfetto was a towering figure in Coney Island. Community-minded, kind, funny, and caring, Ralph was instrumental in saving the Italian residential section of the neighborhood from urban renewal destruction in the 1960s. His...
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More than 450 oral histories are available for listening in the Coney Island History Project’s multilingual online archive. Among the additions in May are the following interviews recorded for us by Daniel Gomez and Tricia Vita. Ronald Kannatt,...
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On Saturday, June 3rd, the Coney Island History Project is pleased to present Ming Liang Lu, a Shanghai-born artist who creates 3-D paper portraits. From 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, visitors are invited to have their portrait cut and view portraits as...
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Immigrant Heritage Tour of Coney Island
Join us on Sunday, May 21st, to learn about the contributions of immigrants to the history and development of "The Playground of the World" on our Immigrant Heritage Walking Tour of Coney Island. The Coney Island History Project is once again...
Content type: News Article