Former employee of Astella Development Corporation
Akosva Albritton shares her experiences in Coney Island when she was an employee at Astella Development Corporation in the mid to late 1980s. In this candid interview, Akosva describes Coney's three distinct, racially divided neighborhoods of...
Content type: Oral History Item
Got stuck on the Parachute Jump
David was born in Sea Gate in 1935 and, except for his time at Brooklyn College and in the army, has lived in Coney Island or Sea Gate all his life. One of his strongest memories is getting stuck on top of the Parachute Jump for 15 minutes and using...
Content type: Oral History Item
Grew up a daredevil in New York City
Corinne describes visiting Coney Island in the 1940's as a girl with her family and even taking the train with other children to spend the day. She rode the Steeplechase horses and even the Parachute Jump, which she first tried out at the 1939...
Content type: Oral History Item
Lifelong Coney and Sea Gate resident
Anne has lived in Coney Island or Sea Gate all her life, except for six years in Sheepshead Bay. She remembers many details from the past, including the social clubs, the Mardi Gras parade, the baby parade, Mermaid Avenue, the Yiddish theater, Coney...
Content type: Oral History Item
Sand Sculpting Contestant
Joanna Randall took a break from the hot sun where she was working with boyfriend Aaron Sand and their friends Lauren Roberts and Jacob Roberts to complete their entry in the 20th Annual Sand Sculpting Contest. The contest is hosted on the Coney...
Content type: Oral History Item
Summer resident of Sea Gate
Namomi Gorin and her family spent many Sundays in Coney Island as a getaway and an opportunity to spend time with extended family on the beach. She tells stories of her memories of Sea Gate, the beach and rides of Coney Island.
Content type: Oral History Item
Fisherman performs his Tahitian-inspired song "This Place, Coney Island"
Musician Brian "Fisherman" Lease visited the Coney Island History Project and performs a Tahitian inspired song he wrote called "This Place, Coney Island."
Content type: Oral History Item
On a date with Coney Island
Lauren had a big day in Coney Island, riding the Cyclone for the first time and eating her first Nathan's hot dog since the trauma of witnessing a hot dog eating contest a few years ago. She recalls winning the sand sculpture contest in 2007...
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
Beth Allen recounts her origins as an "incubator baby" in Dr. Martin Couney's sideshow
Beth Allen was born 3 months premature in 1941, weighing 1lb 10 oz. Desperate to save her and with few other options - hospitals of the day had no facilities for premature infants - her parents placed her in the care of Dr. Martin Couney, a neonatal...
Content type: Oral History Item