Five classified newspaper advertisements for steamer excursions from Lower Manhattan. Among those listed was one for “Daily Excursions—To Norwalk [Connecticut]… Landing at… Davids Island….” Published in The New York Times on August 9, 1858. Reproduced through the courtesy of ProQuest Historical Newspapers and The New York Times.

A letter to the editor describing the Plymouth Church excursion to Davids Island on June 16, 1859 in quite unflattering terms. Published in The New York Times on June 18, 1859. Reproduced through the courtesy of ProQuest Historical Newspapers and The New York Times.

A warm and favorable account of a picnic excursion of nearly 1,200 children and adults from Rev. Henry Ward Beecher’s Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, to Davids Island on June 16, 1859. Published in The New York Times on June 17, 1859. Reproduced through the courtesy of ProQuest Historical Newspapers and The New York Times.

An extended letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle recounting a visit to De Camp General Hospital on Davids Island in 1862 a few months after it opened.  Provides a detailed and complimentary account of the facilities and staff, the care and attention received by the convalescing soldiers, and the efforts of local women to reduce the suffering of the men by volunteer service.  Published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on September 23, 1862. Reproduced through the courtesy of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online website.

A glowing report from the second year of the Civil War describing De Camp General Hospital on Davids Island. Emphasizes the skill of the hospital’s staff, the quality of their care and the selfless contributions of several women’s volunteer associations. Published in The New York Times on September 11, 1862. Reproduced through the courtesy of ProQuest Historical Newspapers and The New York Times.