The Gateway to the 19th Century: the William Steinway Diary, 1861-1896 March 23, 2011

Over 36 years, nine volumes, and more than 2,500 pages, William Steinway's diary records a newlywed's exuberance, his observations of a country at war, and his emergence as a leader in the cultural, economic, political, and physical development of New York City. The exhibition follows Steinway's growth from witness to participant in history through select diary passages, Steinway family photographs, maps, and advertisements that bring alive the fear and chaos of the 1863 Civil War Draft Riots and his hands-on role in the creation of the New York City subway and the company town of Steinway in modern-day Astoria, Queens.