# Bushwick Avenue Line

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{{Short description|Public transit line in Brooklyn, New York}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
The '''Bushwick Avenue Line''' or '''Bushwick Line''' was a [public transit](/source/public_transit) line in [Brooklyn](/source/Brooklyn), [New York City](/source/New_York_City), [United States](/source/United_States), running mostly along [Bushwick Avenue](/source/Bushwick_Avenue) and [Myrtle Avenue](/source/Myrtle_Avenue) between [Williamsburg](/source/Williamsburg%2C_Brooklyn) and [Ridgewood, Queens](/source/Ridgewood%2C_Queens).

==History==
The [Bushwick Railroad](/source/Bushwick_Railroad) opened the line from the [Grand Street Ferry](/source/Grand_Street_Ferry) east to their stables on Bushwick Avenue<!--and what?--> in late May or early June 1868. The line began at the company's office at the intersection of Grand Street and Kent Avenue, and proceeded south on Kent Avenue ([Brooklyn City Rail Road](/source/Brooklyn_City_Rail_Road)'s [Greenpoint Line](/source/Greenpoint_Line)), east on [Broadway](/source/Broadway_(Brooklyn)) ([Broadway Railroad](/source/Broadway_Railroad)'s [Broadway Line](/source/Broadway_Line_(Brooklyn_surface)) trackage), north on Bedford Avenue<!--Crosstown opened in 1869-->, east on South Fourth Street and Meserole Street, and southeast on Bushwick Avenue.<ref>{{cite news | work = [Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle) | location = [Brooklyn, NY](/source/Brooklyn) |title=New City Railroad|date = June 3, 1868|page=3}}</ref> The line was soon extended southeast on Bushwick Avenue and east on [Myrtle Avenue](/source/Myrtle_Avenue) to [Myrtle Avenue Park](/source/Myrtle_Avenue_Park) (near Cypress Avenue) in [Ridgewood, Queens](/source/Ridgewood%2C_Queens).{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}<!--or was that the original terminal?--> A branch to the [Greenpoint Ferry](/source/Greenpoint_Ferry), through which cars were operated between this ferry and Ridgewood, was opened on September 18, 1875. This branch split at Graham Avenue, turning north along the [Brooklyn City Rail Road](/source/Brooklyn_City_Rail_Road)'s [Graham Avenue Line](/source/Graham_Avenue_Line). At the end of that line, it turned west on several blocks of new trackage on Driggs Avenue before reaching the [Brooklyn Crosstown Railroad](/source/Brooklyn_Crosstown_Railroad)'s [Crosstown Line](/source/Crosstown_Line_(Brooklyn_surface)) in Manhattan Avenue. There it turned north through Manhattan Avenue to Greenpoint Avenue, turning west there onto new trackage to reach the ferry. An extension was planned south to the [Prospect Park and Coney Island Railroad](/source/Prospect_Park_and_Coney_Island_Railroad) depot via Graham Avenue, Tompkins Avenue, Brooklyn Avenue, Prospect Place, and Vanderbilt Avenue.<ref>{{cite news | work = [Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle) | location = [Brooklyn, NY](/source/Brooklyn) |title=A New Railroad|date = September 20, 1875|page=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | work = [Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle) | location = [Brooklyn, NY](/source/Brooklyn) |title=Street Cars|date = September 22, 1875|page=2}}</ref> This was built somewhat differently as the [Tompkins Avenue Line](/source/Tompkins_Avenue_Line) the next year.<ref>{{cite news | work = [Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle) | location = [Brooklyn, NY](/source/Brooklyn) |title=Enterprise|date = July 10, 1876|page=4}}</ref>

The [Brooklyn City Rail Road](/source/Brooklyn_City_Rail_Road) extended its [Myrtle Avenue Line](/source/Myrtle_Avenue_Line_(surface)) east from its former terminus at Broadway to Bushwick Avenue and thence over the Bushwick Railroad's line to Myrtle Avenue Park in August 1879.<ref>{{cite news | work = [Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle) | location = [Brooklyn, NY](/source/Brooklyn) |title=Myrtle Avenue Extension|date = August 18, 1879|page=4}}</ref> The BCRR leased the Bushwick Railroad on July 27, 1888.<ref>{{cite news | work = [Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle) | location = [Brooklyn, NY](/source/Brooklyn) |title=The Lease Ratified|date = July 27, 1888|page=4}}</ref> On October 18, 1888, the court ruled that the BCRR had no right to operate over the [Brooklyn Crosstown Railroad](/source/Brooklyn_Crosstown_Railroad) trackage on Manhattan Avenue, gained through an 1875 agreement between the Bushwick and Crosstown Railroads.<ref>{{cite news | work = [Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle) | location = [Brooklyn, NY](/source/Brooklyn) |title=Crosstown Against Brooklyn City|date = October 2, 1888|page=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | work = [Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle) | location = [Brooklyn, NY](/source/Brooklyn) |title=The Crosstown Road Wins|date = October 18, 1888|page=6}}</ref> The Crosstown owned the [Greenpoint and Calvary Cemetery Railroad](/source/Greenpoint_and_Calvary_Cemetery_Railroad), which included the [Calvary Cemetery Line](/source/Calvary_Cemetery_Line) from Greenpoint Ferry to [Calvary Cemetery](/source/Calvary_Cemetery%2C_Queens).<ref>{{cite news | work = [Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle) | location = [Brooklyn, NY](/source/Brooklyn) |title=General Slocum's New Purchase|date = April 22, 1887|page=6}}</ref> The BCRR leased the Crosstown in mid-1889,<ref>{{cite news | work = [Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle) | location = [Brooklyn, NY](/source/Brooklyn) |title=Five Car Lines|date = October 31, 1889|page=8}}</ref> but did not restore the Bushwick Avenue branch to the ferry.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

Eventually, the [Graham Avenue Line](/source/Graham_Avenue_Line) was extended over the trackage on Driggs Avenue, and the Greenpoint Avenue trackage to the [Greenpoint Ferry](/source/Greenpoint_Ferry) became part of several lines, including the [Lorimer Street Line](/source/Lorimer_Street_Line), [Union Avenue Line](/source/Union_Avenue_Line_(Brooklyn))<!--in April 1890-->, and [Calvary Cemetery Line](/source/Calvary_Cemetery_Line).{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

At some point, westbound traffic to the [Williamsburg Bridge](/source/Williamsburg_Bridge) was rerouted to use the [Wilson Avenue Line](/source/Wilson_Avenue_Line) (Johnson Avenue and [Broadway](/source/Broadway_(Brooklyn))) to the crossing of Johnson and Bushwick Avenues, and eastbound Wilson Avenue cars were moved to the Bushwick Avenue Line.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} Streetcars were discontinued on September 1, 1947.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1947 |title=Public Notice Bushwick Ave. Line |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/unionturnpike/53531952981/in/album-72157709433583407/ |access-date=February 15, 2024 |website=Flickr.com |publisher=New York City Board of Transportation}}</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{Brooklyn surface}}

Category:Streetcar lines in Brooklyn
Category:Streetcar lines in Queens, New York

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bushwick Avenue Line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushwick_Avenue_Line) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushwick_Avenue_Line?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.