Group of six items from 1949-1950 about Blackie, Holland America Line Hoboken piers' mascot dog from 1944 until her death in 1950.

Name/Title

Group of six items from 1949-1950 about "Blackie," Holland America Line Hoboken piers' mascot dog from 1944 until her death in 1950.

Entry/Object ID

2007.075.0100

Scope and Content

Group of six items about "Blackie," a mascot dog who was at the Holland America Line's Hoboken piers from 1944 until her death in 1950. Mostly a black Labrador breed, she had 43 pups in her years on the docks (which were sired by "O'Malley," a Hoboken Police mascot dog) and was the friend of the circa 300 people who worked at the company's dock. She had her evening meal with Harbormaster Marinus "Sparky" de Korne who was her primary caretaker who lived at 103 Fourth St., Hoboken, but from the articles it appears that many others oversaw her well-being. Item 1: Oct. 24, 1949 dateline article "Blackie Rules Pier with an Iron Paw. Mascot of Holland-America Dock in Hoboken is Rapidly Becoming a Canine Legend." Newsclipping from The New York Times, published October 25, 1949 (printed date on back.) Published with a photo of Blackie on a tugboat titled "A Watch Dog on the Job." Caption: "Blackie, mascot of the Holland America Line's Hoboken piers, "supervises" the docking of the flagship Nieuw Amsterdam from the prow of a tug." Item 2: page 5 from a Holland America Line mimeographed house organ, undated (probably 1949-early 1950; "Saturday, October 29" date mentioned) with article at lower right, "Blackie Has Her Day." Item 3: page [1] article "Blackie 'Supervises' Pier Operations" in Holland America Line N.A.S.M. News, No. 34, December 1949. (Newsletter is complete.) Photo of Blackie on tugboat is the same as the one that appeared in the New York Times. Article continues on page 4 plus another photo of her with four of her "friends" from Holland America: Tom Michich, head stevedore; Kenneth J. Higgins, cooper; Marinus de Korne, harbormaster; Milton G. Higgins, head cooper. Item 4: obituary, newsclipping (probably New York Times), no date, circa mid-June 1950: "Hoboken Pier Men Pay Last Tribute to Pet Dog Killed While in Swimming." Item 5: obituary, "'Blackie' Buried. Waterfront Favorite Drowned - Has 43 Offspring." Newsclipping from the Jersey Observer, June 20, 1950. (Reverse has only an 'e' before the day and year, but the partial article to the right about a grammar school graduation and on the reverse a photo of graduates in caps and gowns would indicate that it was June.) Item 6: obituary, "'Blackie's' Death Grieves Dockers." Clipping from unidentified newspaper, circa mid-June 1950.

Acquisition

Accession

2007.075

Source or Donor

Becker, Dorothy

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Dorothy Becker.

Archive Details

Date(s) of Creation

1949 - 1950

Archive Notes

Date(s) Created: 1949-1950 Date(s): 1949-1950

Condition

Overall Condition

Poor

General Notes

Note

Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2008-02-06