Swing Snack no. 25 – Harlem, Netherlands

Written by Ilya. Posted in Swing Snacks

Harlem neighborhood, the cradle of Lindy Hop, home to the Savoy ballroom, and persons such as Frankie Manning, Louis Armstrong and Count Basie – what connection does it have to a Dutch city established before the 10th century B.C.?

As many of you know, the New-York area in the 17th century was populated by Dutch colonists, developing the North American fur trade for the Dutch West India Company. Nieuw Haarlem was founded as a northern outpost for Nieuw Amsterdam, which took up the southern side of the Manhattan Island. It was named so after an old Dutch city, the capital of the northern province of Netherlands.

In 1664 the British took over the area, renaming it for the Duke of York. They also tried to rename Harlem into Lancaster, but the older name stuck. Nieuw Amsterdam became New York, and Nieuw Haarlem turned into New Harlem, and then simply, Harlem.

And the rest is history.

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