In my last wallet card post, I showcased a 50-year-old bus route sign, and some commenters wondered how I even knew about it in the first place. There are a lot of great blogs and Flickr accounts that document the little hidden obscurities in the NYC area. That one I found on the Flickr site of Ben Hagen, who had probably the best eye for these things that I have seen.
I do keep my eyes open and occasionally find things on my own. While walking over to the sign in Rosedale, I noticed a manhole cover with BSBQ. I knew BQ stood for Brooklyn and Queens and it has been a very long time since there were government agencies specific to just those two boroughs. I did a little research and while I could find that it stoood for Bureau of Sewers of Brooklyn and Queens, I could not find any record of when this was incorporated into the NYC Bureau of Sewers. Best guess based on the history of consolidation in NYC would be before World War II, probably decades before.
That's very cool!
ReplyDeleteI just checked out Ben Hagen's Flickr - nice.
I'm actually staying in Westchester currently with my grandparents.
C'mon, admit it....You wanted to pop the top and take a dip. :) LOL.
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ReplyDeleteThis is the sort of thing that I would imagine most people in this day and age don't ever even notice. It's kind of a shame too, because this cover has all kinds of character.
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