The Bleecker Street Line was a public transit line in Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

, New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, running mostly along Bleecker Street, Crosby Street, and Lafayette Street

Lafayette Street (Manhattan)

Lafayette Street is a major north-south street in New York City's Lower Manhattan, which runs roughly parallel to Broadway to the west. Originally, the part of the street below Houston Street was called Elm Place....

 from the West 14th Street Ferry in Chelsea

Chelsea, Manhattan

Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...

 to the Fulton Ferry in the Financial District

Financial District, Manhattan

The Financial District of New York City is a neighborhood on the southernmost section of the borough of Manhattan which comprises the offices and headquarters of many of the city's major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York...

. It was the last horse car line in New York City, and was not replaced with a trolley

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

 line or bus route when it was abandoned in 1917.

History

The Bleecker Street and Fulton Ferry Railroad was chartered December 12, 1864 and began operations in April 1865. Eastbound cars ran along 14th Street

14th Street (Manhattan)

14th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street rivals the size of some of the well-known avenues of the city and is an important business location....

, Hudson Street

Hudson Street (Manhattan)

Hudson Street is a north/south oriented street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Running from TriBeCa to Greenwich Village and through Hudson Square, Hudson Street has two distinct one-way traffic patterns that meet at Abingdon Square, at the street's intersection with Eighth Avenue and...

, Bleecker Street, Crosby Street, Howard Street, Lafayette Street

Lafayette Street (Manhattan)

Lafayette Street is a major north-south street in New York City's Lower Manhattan, which runs roughly parallel to Broadway to the west. Originally, the part of the street below Houston Street was called Elm Place....

, Reade Street, Centre Street

Centre Street (Manhattan)

Centre Street runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Centre Street runs from Park Row and continues north to Delancey Street where it merges with Lafayette Street....

, Park Row

Park Row (Manhattan)

Park Row is a street located in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It was previously called Chatham Street and during the late 19th century it was nicknamed Newspaper Row, as most of New York City's newspapers located on the street to be close to the action at New...

, and Beekman Street. Westbound cars returned from the ferry on Fulton Street

Fulton Street (Manhattan)

Fulton Street is a busy street located in Lower Manhattan. It is in New York City's Financial District, a few blocks north of Wall Street. It runs from Church Street at the site of the World Trade Center to South Street, terminating in front of the South Street Seaport...

, Gold Street, and Ann Street

Ann Street (Manhattan)

Ann Street is a 3-block long street located in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan just south of City Hall.- History :-Early history:...

 to Park Row, and also used MacDougal Street, 8th Street, Greenwich Avenue

Greenwich Avenue (Manhattan)

Greenwich Avenue is a southeast-northwest avenue in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It extends from the intersection of 6th Avenue and 8th Street at its southeast end to its northwestern end at 8th Avenue between 14th Street and 13th Street...

, and 12th Street rather than part of Bleecker Street. The Twenty-Third Street Railway

Twenty-Third Street Railway

The Twenty-third Street Railway was a street railway in Manhattan, New York City, United States. It was originally operated as horse cars and later electric traction...

 leased the company on January 10, 1876, and was subleased to the Houston, West Street and Pavonia Ferry Railroad

Houston, West Street and Pavonia Ferry Railroad

The Houston, West Street and Pavonia Ferry Railroad was a street railway company in the U.S. state of New York. It owned and operated a system in Lower Manhattan, and became part of the Metropolitan Street Railway....

 on April 25, 1893 and to the Metropolitan Street Railway on November 29, 1893.

By 1907, the line had been abandoned east of the crossing of Broadway, and only ran west to 14th Street; the trackage on 14th Street was used by the 14th Street-Williamsburg Bridge Line. Service was terminated in July 1917.