Over the latter half of the nineteenth century, the quiet village of Williamsburgh transformed into the epicenter of sugar refining with as many as seven refineries operating on this one-mile stretch of Brooklyn's East River waterfront. In Merchants of Williamsburgh Harry W. Havemeyer tells the story of his forebears-William Dick, Frederick C. Havemeyer Jr., H. O. Havemeyer, and John Mollenhauer-who were the principal figures in the transformation of Williamsburgh and whose lives intersected in often surprising ways. First published in 1989, Merchants of Williamsburgh originally concluded with a neighborhood in decline and has been updated in this edition to reflect the current revitalization of Williamsburgh and repurposing of its industrial history into a bustling residential neighborhood.