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By Max Jaeger
Brooklyn Daily
Brooklyn’s oldest social group just celebrated a birthday.
The Society of Old Brooklynites recently turned 134 years old, and it threw down in grand style at the Bay Ridge Manor on June 22. While one doesn’t have to be old to join the group, it does look to keep the spirit of old Brooklyn alive.
“The Society of Old Brooklyn performs an important role in preservation and history of Brooklyn,” said Ted General, a Bay Ridge resident who has been a member for about 18 years.
It was founded by Brooklyn’s movers and shakers in 1880, and has come to include three former mayors, countless business magnates, and even poet Walt Whitman, General said.
One of the society’s major focuses now is preserving the memory of the more than 11,500 prison ship captives who died during the Revolutionary War and who are entombed beneath the monument in Fort Greene Park.
Former Borough President Marty Markowitz dropped by the fete on June 22 to wish the group his best and explain his new role as outer-borough tourism czar, and current Beep Eric Adams swore in the society’s newest officers, General said.
Kings County Supreme Court Justice and Brooklyn College alumnus Arthur M. Schack talked about the history of the Boy Scouts and contributions Brooklyn scouts have made to U.S. society.
The 300-strong society is looking for new members, and anyone can join so long as they have lived or worked in Brooklyn for 25 years General said. Membership is not only a great way to learn borough history, but it’s also a means for networking, he said.
Applicants can call (718) 833–4928.