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Brete Murphy
About
Home
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Brete Murphy
About
Home
Blog
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Contact
The Ferry and the Forgotten Places
Transportation History Brete Murphy 9/9/26 Transportation History Brete Murphy 9/9/26

The Ferry and the Forgotten Places

Some transportation histories leave landmarks. Others leave only traces. This article recovers forgotten ferry routes and vanished connections that once shaped how Queens neighborhoods related to one another.

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Hunter’s Point to Rockaway
Transportation History Brete Murphy 9/9/26 Transportation History Brete Murphy 9/9/26

Hunter’s Point to Rockaway

From Hunter’s Point to the Rockaways, ferry service helps reveal where Queens is being redeveloped, revalued, and reconnected. The waterfront is no longer just an edge—it is increasingly treated as a front door.


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The Return of the Ferry
Transportation History Brete Murphy 9/9/26 Transportation History Brete Murphy 9/9/26

The Return of the Ferry


The ferry is back in Queens, but not in the same city it once served. This article looks at what modern ferry service reveals about growth, class, commuting, and waterfront redevelopment.

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When Bridges Killed Ferries
Transportation History Brete Murphy 9/9/26 Transportation History Brete Murphy 9/9/26

When Bridges Killed Ferries

Ferries once structured daily life along the Queens waterfront. Then bridges, tunnels, and rail transit arrived, changing land values, movement patterns, and the shape of the borough itself.


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The Water Was the First Street
Transportation History Brete Murphy 9/9/26 Transportation History Brete Murphy 9/9/26

The Water Was the First Street

Long before bridges and subways reorganized Queens, ferries and shore landings connected its early communities to trade, work, and city life. This article explores how water functioned as the borough’s first transportation network.


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Queens in Motion
Queens History Brete Murphy 9/9/26 Queens History Brete Murphy 9/9/26

Queens in Motion

A six-part Queens history series exploring how ferries, bridges, railroads, subways, and waterfront development shaped the borough from early settlement to the present.

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The Rockaways and the Politics of Partial Connection
Queens History Brete Murphy 9/9/26 Queens History Brete Murphy 9/9/26

The Rockaways and the Politics of Partial Connection

The Rockaways are often described as isolated, but their history is better understood as a pattern of repeated and incomplete reconnection. Ferries, railroads, bridges, subways, and storm recovery each changed how the peninsula related to the rest of New York.

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Queens and New York City History

Articles on neighborhoods, landmarks, institutions, local figures, and overlooked stories from Queens and the wider city.

Freemasonry in Queens

Research and writing on lodges, notable members, Masonic buildings, and the role of Freemasonry in local civic life.

Masonic Symbols and Education

Essays on symbolism, ritual meaning, historical context, and educational subjects within Freemasonry.

Fraternal Traditions

Separate writing on related orders, traditions, and practices approached through historical and educational interpretation.

Future Projects

Books, booklets, historical tour guides, image collections, and an interactive map of Queens are planned as this site continues to grow.

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Recent Writing

The blog is the center of this site — an ongoing space for original articles, research notes, historical essays, and commentary.

Topics include Queens history, New York City history, Masonic lodge history, symbolism, notable members, architecture, and fraternal traditions.

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About Brete Murphy

I am a writer and researcher focused on Queens history, New York City history, Freemasonry, symbolism, architecture, and fraternal traditions. This site brings together my writing, research, and long-term publishing projects in one place.

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A Growing Historical Resource

BreteMurphy.com is intended to grow into more than a blog. Over time, the site will include books, short publications, historical tour guides, curated image collections, and interactive tools that make history more accessible and engaging.

This is a long-term project, built one article, one place, and one story at a time.

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