History of New York City (1784–1854) as the financial and mercantile capital of the western hemisphere. The Great New York City Fire of 1845 destroyed 345 wooden buildings in the Financial District. The Hudson River Railroad (which grew into the New York Central) opened October 3, 1851; it extended the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, the first railroad built in the state, south to New York City. The city and its nearby suburbs grew rapidly for several reasons. The natural harbor at the base of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the New Jersey ports at Newark and Elizabeth provided almost unlimited capacity for trading ships and protection from storms.
Titanic Memorial (New York City) Titanic Memorial (New York City) The "Titanic" Memorial is a lighthouse located at Fulton and Pearl streets in Manhattan, New York City. It was built, due in part to the instigation of Margaret Brown, to remember the people who died on the "RMS Titanic" on April 15, 1912. Its design incorporates the use of a time ball. The lighthouse was originally erected by public subscription in 1913. It stood above the East River on the roof of the old Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey at the corner of South Street and Coenties Slip. From 1913 to