The Greenpoint & Williamsburgh Railroad was a streetcar line that operated in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Incorporation and first line

The G&WRR was chartered on 1864-04-23, under Chapter 323 of the Laws of 1864, by Mr. Archibald K. Meserole & Associates, as a general railroad. Capitalization was $100,000, and it had an unspecified authorized corporate life. The legislative grant awarded the following route:
From Newtown Creek

Newtown Creek

Newtown Creek is a estuary that forms part of the border between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, in New York City, New York, United States. It derives its name from New Town , which was the name for the Dutch and British settlement in what is now Elmhurst, Queens...

 via Manhattan Avenue

Manhattan Avenue

Manhattan Avenue is the name of two streets in New York City.-Brooklyn:Manhattan Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Williamsburg. It is the major shopping street in Greenpoint while it is mostly residential in Williamsburg...

, Driggs Avenue, South 8 Street, Kent Avenue, North 4 Street, Driggs Avenue & return, now the northern end of the B43 (New York City bus) line.

History

To cement the charter route, a franchise was applied for, which was granted by the City of Brooklyn on 1864-02-29.

Archibald Meserole was of a family of local luminaries in the Town of Bushwick

Bushwick, Brooklyn

Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood, formerly Brooklyn's 18th Ward, is now part of Brooklyn Community Board 4...

, and is remembered today by Meserole Street in Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...

 and Meserole Avenue in Greenpoint

Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...

, both relatively minor routes on a city-wide scale, but fairly important industrial and residential streets locally.
The Kent Avenue portion of the route required trackage rights from the Brooklyn City Railroad

Brooklyn City Railroad

The Brooklyn City Railroad was the oldest and one of the largest operators of streetcars in the City of Brooklyn, New York, continuing in that role when Brooklyn became a borough of New York City in 1898....

, which was grudgingly given, but a snag appeared when the residents on North 4 Street denied permission for the new line. The City averted disaster by amending the franchise on 1867-12-16, substituting Grand Street

Grand Street (Brooklyn)

Grand Street and Grand Avenue are the respective names of a street which runs through the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States...

 between Kent and Driggs Avenues, along the route of the Grand Street and Newtown Railroad, again requiring a Trackage Rights contract.

Operation

Operation of the railroad started shortly thereafter, so the franchise became secure. In the meantime, Prospect Park

Prospect Park (Brooklyn)

Prospect Park is a 585-acre public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden...

 became a focal point for the fledgling streetcar lines of Brooklyn City, as did the Village of Hunterspoint just across Newtown Creek in Queens County, and conflict erupted between this railroad and the Nassau Railroad

Nassau Railroad

Nassau Railroad Company was a streetcar company that ran in Queens and Kings Counties in the State of New York during the 1850's and 1860's. It should not be confused with the Nassau Electric Railroad.-History:...

 over identical wording of the Nassau road's franchise and this road's franchise. Settlement resulted in the consolidation Of this road and the Nassau Railroad as the Brooklyn City, Hunterspoint and Prospect Park Railroad on 1868-06-30.