Peck Slip

Peck Slip. . Prior to its maritime prominence, the Peck Slip area accommodated New York’s first brick built market. Constructed by wealthy residents, Peck Slip market was the trading center of a thriving community at Peck Slip and Pearl Street between 1763 and 1793., After being filled in 1800, Peck Slip became a hub of maritime industry. Local businessman, Jasper Ward, realized its potential and purchased this reclaimed land. He built three warehouses between 41 and 45 Peck Slip – prime locations for harbor related industry. Number 45 survives at the intersection with South Street, preserved by the South Street Seaport historic district. (sic), The seaport thrived on the fishing and ferry trade. Schooners, magnificent ships with multiple masts and sails, filled the harbor. The schooners proved so enduring that many remained in use even after steamboat development. A New York schooner ‘C S Allison” survived 106 years – one of history’s longest serving vessels. The inaugural America’s Cup was won by a schooner, the ‘Magic’, in New York bay on August 8, 1970 (sic)., Often moored at the Slip (sic) were mighty Blackball Packets. These huge ships were part of a successful shipping line launched in 1817, offering the first regularly scheduled service from New York to Liverpool, England., Piers 25-27, once located on this waterfront, were used by the Steamboat (sic) lines that regularly served the east coast U.S. ports., On December 26, 1853, the “Great Republic’, the largest clipper ship ever built, caught fire while moored at Dover Street. This was one of the East River’s biggest maritime disasters and the ship was scuttled., Today, Peck Slip remains only in name but in the early morning, at Fulton Fish market just to the south, one can still sample the flavor of the former working seaport.