City of Water Day 2023

SEBAGO CANOE CLUB

On July 15th, 2023, Billion Oyster Project celebrated City of Water Day. City of Water Day celebrated its 16th year of advocating for a “climate-resilient” New York and New Jersey Harbor. Billion Oyster Project held six events across 3 of the 5 boroughs located at Fresh Kills, Domino Park, Sebago Canoe Club, SUNY Maritime, Kaiser Park, and Nolan Park, Governors Island. Activities varied from kayaking and canoeing to interactive art. 

At the Nolan Park Exhibit House on display are numerous quilts  and artwork provided by the Sandy Ground Historical Society’s President Moody Lewis as well as a mural created by artist, Erin Turner, an interactive mural to honor the African-American oystermen history. Sandy Ground is the oldest recorded community in New York that African-Americans owned land. It is still inhabited by descendants of its original settlers, thus the creation of the historical society which hosts various programs. 

Participants painting the interactive mural

Sandy Ground, initially named Harrisville, Africa, and Little Africa, stands as the nation's oldest continuously inhabited free Black settlement, with present-day residents still tracing their lineage to its original founders. The inception of Sandy Ground is attributed to brothers Mose and Silas Harris, educated and independent Black farmers, who secured land on Staten Island's southwest shore. Amidst New York State's thriving farming era, Harrisville emerged as a hub for crops like cabbage, potatoes, and their signature crop – strawberries, with the Harris brothers pioneering direct market access, boosting their profits. Beyond economic success, the Harrises established Harrisville as a haven for freedom-seeking Black individuals, fostering a community that empowered fellow Black farmers to thrive.

Meanwhile, oystering played a pivotal role in Staten Island's industry, and between 1820 and 1830, a technique to rejuvenate dwindling oyster beds was developed, involving the relocation of young oysters from Maryland's Chesapeake Bay to Staten Island's nutrient-rich waters. Over the ensuing decades, Black oystermen migrated seasonally to Staten Island staying in Harrisville, yet the enactment of the Maryland Act of 1831 jeopardized their freedoms. Many families, facing this threat, migrated to Harrisville from Maryland and Virginia. Over the subsequent 80 years, oystering and farming remained cornerstones of the Sandy Ground Community's economy.

ARTWORK BY: ERIN TURNER

Poniatowski was inspired by the quilting programs that the society runs and wanted to be able to make a similar hands-on learning experience contracting Erin Turner to create the piece. The mural depicts Lewis’ great grandfather, Evan Bishop, who was an oyster fisherman in the community and an image of a Delaware oyster shucking house, taken by Alice Austin. The image of the Delaware oyster shucking house was included to show what a shucking house probably looked like in New York. The work is a paint-by-number canvas that was added to by patrons who visited the exhibit on City of Water Day. 

We would like to thank Erin Turner for creating this work in a very fast timeline and for her amazing artistic ability. The completed piece is available to see Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m to 4 p.m.