Created: | Author: kpeters | Memory Date: September 22, 1951
What do a ship disaster and the Orlando Public Library have in common?
The steamship General Slocum burned on 15 June 1904 off North Brother Island, New York. Newspaper articles about the tragedy which took the lives of over 1000 persons identify police department employee Inspector Albertson as being on the scene on Brother Island.
Inspector Albertson, later became a Captain in the police department, retiring to the Orlando area. He later donated all his genealogy books to the city of Orlando with the stipulation that they be housed in a library bearing his name.
The Albertson Public Library was the result. And as Paul Harvey would say: “Now you know the rest of the story!”
The original photos are part of the Genealogy Collection at the Orange County Library System.
Article from Brooklyn Daily Eagle from the 26th of June 1904 states that Inspector Albertson was on scene "yesterday afternoon." This dates many of the photos attached to this topic as being from 25 June 1904.
The article was transcribed by Mimi Stevens.