View Stapleton Tour in a larger map
Stapleton is a neighborhood located in northeastern Staten Island and along the waterfront of the Upper New York Bay. Due to its close proximity to the navigable waters, the area began as a business enterprise in the early 1830s. Soon after the area was divided into lots and roads were built, and then an excellent port and steam ferry service was soon founded to bring in settlers. This allowed for the development of Stapleton to flourish greatly. It’s location soon brought in many businesses and the population grew, and for the next 20 years, due to its excellent ports and ferry system, Stapleton grew quickly and became an important part of Staten Island’s east shore.
On March 17th, 2012 as a group we traveled to Stapleton and conducted fieldwork within the area. The map above details our fieldwork route. We first met at the Trinity Lutheran Church then we walked to Tappen Park, which is located right in the center of Stapleton. We then passed by the Staten Island Railroad in order to explore closer to the waterfront. The Staten Island Railroad is the one and only working railroad within Staten Island. Once we reached the Stapleton Waterfront we were able to walk right up towards the water and look into the harbor. From the Stapleton Waterfront we were also able to see the FDNY Pier. On our way back towards the center of Stapleton we saw the Paramount Theatre, which is an old closed down movie theatre located right on Bay Street. After we conducted our fieldwork we discussed everything we observed and learned about Stapleton. We then began to conducted research by visiting archives, such as the Staten Island Historical Society. We also learned more about Staten Island by searching databases online and by reading several books written about Stapleton. We complied our information and created four profiles to share all that we have learned about Stapleton, Staten Island.
