<P> On July 4, 1827, the end of slavery in New York state was celebrated at Swan Hotel, West Brighton . Rooms at the hotel were reserved months in advance as local abolitionists and prominent free blacks prepared for the festivities . Speeches, pageants, picnics, and fireworks marked the celebration, which lasted for two days . </P> <P> In 1860, parts of Castleton and Southfield were made into a new town, Middletown . The Village of New Brighton in the town of Castleton was incorporated in 1866, and in 1872 the Village of New Brighton annexed all the remainder of the Town of Castleton and became coterminous with the town . </P> <P> The towns of Staten Island were dissolved in 1898 with the consolidation of the City of Greater New York, as Richmond County became one of the five boroughs of the expanded city . Although consolidated into the City of Greater New York in 1898, the county sheriff of Staten Island maintained control of the jail system, unlike the other boroughs who had gradually transferred control of the jails to the Department of Correction . The jail system was not transferred until January 1, 1942 . Today, Staten Island is the only borough without a New York City Department of Correction major detention center . </P> <P> The construction of the Verrazano - Narrows Bridge, along with the other three major Staten Island bridges, created a new way for commuters and tourists to travel from New Jersey to Brooklyn, Manhattan, and areas farther east on Long Island . The network of highways running between the bridges has effectively carved up many of Staten Island's old neighborhoods . The bridge opened many areas of the borough to residential and commercial development, especially in the central and southern parts of the borough, which had been largely undeveloped . Staten Island's population doubled from about 221,000 in 1960 to about 443,000 in 2000 . </P>

When did staten island became part of nyc