New York City is awash in historical anniversaries. In 2024, the Netherlands Consul General of New York established Future 400, commemorating the arrival of Dutch colonists in 1624, and imagining a more inclusive future.
New Visions of Old New York, created as part of a long-term collaboration with the New Amsterdam History Center’s Mapping Early New York project.
In 2025, New York commemorates the 400th anniversary of the founding of City government and the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal. And, next year, we will mark the country’s semi-quincentennial—the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States as well as the 25th anniversary of the deadly attacks on the World Trade Center.
Mayor Eric Adams announced a citywide commemoration, Founded by NYC, which showcases events and sites throughout New York that “explore the City’s ongoing tradition of making history.” In partnership with NYC Tourism + Conventions, FOUNDED BY NYC will celebrate how New York City has made history, and continues to do so—highlighting the achievements driven by the creativity and resilience of the five boroughs and its people, including the perspectives of marginalized audiences like those of the Indigenous community, women, and people of color.
Dutch vessel, 1660, in 3D, courtesy New Amsterdam History Center, Mapping Early New York.
As part of this exploration, the City’s Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) has opened a new exhibit: New Visions of Old New York. Created in collaboration with the New Amsterdam History Center, the exhibit features a touchscreen with an interactive 3-D map describing places and people in New Amsterdam and uses records from the Municipal Archives and Library to illustrate the presence of women, indigenous people and enslaved people. The exhibit is located in the gallery at 31 Chambers Street and will run throughout 2025 and is open to the public.
Broadway, 1660, in 3D, courtesy New Amsterdam History Center, Mapping Early New York.
The Municipal Archives and Library collections at DORIS are vast and document government decision-making and interactions with a diverse community. The earliest collections date to the 17th Century and include court cases, matrimonial banns, powers of attorney, indentures of apprentices, mortgages, deeds, conveyances, meeting minutes, and government edicts. The early records provide insight into the people of New Amsterdam.
In 1625, the City’s population consisted of a handful of European residents and a substantial number of Indigenous peoples. Native Americans long pre-dated the settlers and helped the new arrivals survive. From its earliest years, the colony was notable for its diverse population. The religious groups in New Amsterdam included Lutherans, Quakers, Anabaptists, Catholics, Muslims and Jews. The colony attracted immigrants from the Netherlands, Germany, England, Scandinavia, and France. Both free and enslaved Africans also resided in the population.
Stories of everyone here in the 17th century—women, Native Americans, Black people-both enslaved and free, Dutch, English, Jewish, and Quaker settlers—are important because they are part of a complicated history, one that emphasized tolerance and acting by conscience. But also one that relied on enslaved people to build the commercial center that now is the capital of the world. And one that did not understand or particularly value the complex culture of the Lenape.
Castello Plan, 1660, in 3D, courtesy New Amsterdam History Center, Mapping Early New York.
The New Visions of Old New York exhibit and programming planned for the next few years provide an opportunity to recognize every culture that contributed and continues to contribute to a fair and just City.
During 2025, the New Amsterdam Stories project will be revitalized. This online site uses records from the Stadsarchief Amsterdam and NYC Archives to document the experiences of colonial settlers.
An Indian Village of the Manhattans, D.T. Valentine’s Manual. NYC Municipal Library.
In recent years, the Archives began focusing on a collection of Dutch records that had previously been ignored—the Old Town records from the town governments in Queens, Brooklyn, and Westchester County. Included in the collection are records documenting a business transaction between the colonists and Indigenous Americans. Unlike many similar records, the document includes the names of seven Native Americans: Tenkirau, Ketamun, Arrikan, Awachkouw, Warinckekinck, Wappittawaekenis, and Ghettin.
During this 400th anniversary of the founding of a municipal government in New Amsterdam, we will use these colonial records to better tell the stories of a shared, complex history.