Union Square

Trolleys roll through Union Square at the turn of the last century in this view looking north from 14th Street in New York. The county’s first trolley, pulled by horse, ran along the Bowery as early as 1832. Electric trolleys replaced horse cars in the late 1800s in New York and were a common sight for five decades.

Passengers would hop on and off the trolleys, which averaged about 6 to 10 mph. With an increase in the number of automobiles, trolleys operations started to get phased out in the 1930s, but one final trolley line remained in service until 1957 on Roosevelt Island (formerly Welfare Island).