This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.
Coney Island Creek is the sole remaining creek in the area. In the 17th and 18th centuries many other creeks cut through Brooklyn, but all others were filled in as Brooklyn developed. The Creek has undergone many topographical and name changes throughout its history.
In the 17th century, the creek did not extend so far eastward, ending instead around what is now Cropsey Avenue. A small portion of land in the now narrow section of the creek connected to the mainland, forming a peninsula. This peninsula was known as Coney Hook. In order to facilitate sea travel, Thomas Stillwell and his associates dug a canal from the eastern front of the creek, around Cropsey Avenue, eastward until they hit “the Cove,” now known as Sheepshead Bay. The developers hoped the canal, referred to as Gravesend Ship Canal, would transform the area into a thriving seaport. The canal was later filled with earth to what is now Shell Road, significantly shortening the creek.
