Liberty Island states. The oyster beds would remain a major source of food for nearly three centuries. Landfilling, started by the 1870s, particularly by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey, eventually obliterated the beds, engulfed one island and brought the shoreline much closer to the others. After the surrender of Fort Amsterdam by the Dutch to the British in 1664, the English governor Richard Nicolls granted the island to Captain Robert Needham. It was sold to Isaac Bedloe on December 23, 1667. The island was retained by his estate until 1732 when it was sold for five shillings
John S. Richards renamed the Public Library Association) from 1949 to 1950. Richards served as president of the American Library Association from 1955 to 1956. Richards spent much time representing ALA in congressional committee meetings; during his term, the Library Services Act was passed into law, funding public libraries in rural areas. John S. Richards John S. Richards (February 16, 1892-December 3, 1979) was a librarian who served as the president of the American Library Association from 1955 to 1956. John Stewart Richards was born February 16, 1892 in Chicago, Illinois. His family moved to the Pacific Northwest when he was four years