This, my third book about Staten Island, takes a look into our islands rich and diverse past in a series of short stories. Be they myth, folklore, legend or tales, they have been past down from generation to generation. Some are proven true, some are believed to be false but the one thing they all have in common, they have been repeated time after time and they are fascinating stories. I am sure that some of these stories will bring up fond memories of Staten Islands past. Some of what you will discover in this book are, tales of a Mad Monk in St. Augustine Monastery, Lost Treasure off Staten Island shores, a story about a colorful character called The Indian Lady from Shooters Island, find out why a Nazi prisoner returned after his escape from the armys Halloran General Hospital (Willowbroow State School), discover the connection that Ichabod Crane, the Lindbergh baby, Willie Sutton and the Queen of England had to Staten Island, sit back and enjoy stories of stills and moonshine, gangsters, buried treasures, local ghosts and much more.

Take the ferry to this New York City borough and discover its colorful secrets, in a quirky history packed with facts and photos. Staten Island has a rich and fascinating cultural legacy that few people outside New York City's greenest borough know about. Chewing gum was invented on the island with the help of Mexican general Antonio López de Santa Anna. Country music legend Roy Clark got his start as a virtuoso guitar player on the Staten Island Ferry. Anna Leonowens, who worked with the king's children in the Court of Siam and was the basis for The King and I, came back to Staten Island to write about her experiences and run a school for children. Join native Staten Islanders Theresa Anarumo and Maureen Seaberg as they document the hidden history of the borough with these stories, and many more

Emerging from the Revolutionary War and the formation of a new nation, Staten Island was poised to enter the nineteenth century ripe for growth and prosperity. Fueled by waves of immigration, Richmond County became a boomtown of industry and transportation. Piloting his first ferry with just two small masts and eighteen-cent fares, Cornelius Vanderbilt built a transit empire from his native shores of Staten Island. When the Civil War erupted, Richmond played a key role in housing and training Union troops as 125 naval guns protected New York Harbor at the Narrows. At the close of the century, Staten Island was swept up in the politics of consolidation, with 84 percent of locals voting to join Greater New York, yet the promised benefits of a new mega-city never materialized. Author Joe Borelli charts the trials and triumphs of Staten Island in the nineteenth century.

Lying at the entrance to one of the world's greatest natural harbors, Staten Island has been a most alluring destination ever since Giovanni da Verrazano set eyes upon it in 1524. Even before Colonial times the borough played a significant role in our nation's development economically, culturally, and historically. From Revolutionary battles to Civil War draft riots, while hosting iconic businesses or creating inspiration for the likes of Olmsted and Thoreau, the island has cultivated a prolific and distinguished past that reflects the passion of the American spirit.