On her three year photo project
Karen Thumann is a photographer from Oklahoma who came to Coney Island on a recommendation from a workshop instructor. She was fascinated by what she found and quickly secured a grant to fund her return trips in the 2011 and 2012 seasons to take...
Content type: Oral History Item
Future elephant rider for the circus
Six year-old Sydney and her mother Stephanie Cozby visited the History Project before they went to the circus to celebrate her friends' birthdays. Among her favorite things in Coney Island are watching fireworks from the beach at night, eating...
Content type: Oral History Item
Photographing his Coney Island neighborhood for 50 years
Abe Feinstein moved with his wife and children to Luna Park Houses in 1962 and lived there for 31 years. Working at a camera store, he could get discounts on film and processing, which enabled him to take as many photos as he wished. He had a habit...
Content type: Oral History Item
Real estate broker and restaurant development consultant
Paul Fetscher grew up in Brooklyn in the 1950's and visited Coney Island with his family. Today, Paul works as a real estate broker and development consultant for the restaurant business. One of his clients is Thor Equities. Thor owns a sizable...
Content type: Oral History Item
Fan of the Cyclone and the Cyclones
Rob explains why the Cyclone is the best roller coaster he's ever ridden. A regular visitor to Coney Island, he talks about coming out from his home in Long Island to concerts, amusements and Cyclones baseball games.
Content type: Oral History Item
Arcade game repairman
Louis Beard grew up in Brooklyn and visited Coney Island with friends as a teenager in the 1980's. He joined the Army right out of high school and worked in immigration where he learned that new citizens had more questions about Coney Island...
Content type: Oral History Item
Volunteer at Amethyst Women's Project
Priscilla has lived in Coney Island since the late 1990's. She loves her 17th floor apartment that overlooks the ocean and considers Coney Island her home. Priscilla describes the good work Amethyst does for the community and talks about her...
Content type: Oral History Item