Join In! The Cobble Hill History Project Is Interactive

Do you know a thing or two about the history of the mysterious house on the corner? If you do, put it on the wiki!

 (A wiki, like Wikipedia, is a website written by users, and not a professional or expert.)

The Cobble Hill History Project has been in the making for some time, and it was announced last night that the site is live. has been working with the Cobble Hill Association on the wiki for some time, and it is still being fleshed out with new information and sections.

But the time has come for the community to get involved.

"We appeal to all of you to help us create this project and to help us populate this wiki," said History Project co-chair Paul Murphy at the Cobble Hill Association monthly meeting Monday night. "[Tell us] the history you've heard on the block."

Anyone with information about a property in Cobble Hill is invited to use the site and add information about the building. And indeed, a homeowner knows their building because they are the ones maintaining it, renovating it and replacing old boilers and plumbing.

"I know more about my building than anybody!" said History Project Co-Chair Jeff Grossman.

Grossman and Murphy are also looking for volunteers to collect "oral histories" from long-time residents of the neighborhood.

"The time is now to collect the oral history," said Grossman, adding that people in their twenties when the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the neighborhood as historic in 1969 are now in their seventies. "We need to collect it before it's too late."

The Cobble Hill History Project site also includes a section on historic collections, featuring photographs and coins, as well as a how to research the history of your own home section, written by architectural historian Francis Morrone.

At the meeting, Morrone discussed with the nearly 60 people in attendance how to do this, and soon the tips will be on the site.

Morrone noted that because Cobble Hill was one of the first historic districts designated, the report produced on the neighborhood at the time is far from extensive. This makes the need for the History Project even greater, he said.

For more information or to get involved, visit the Cobble Hill Association History Project page.