One of the oldest houses in New York City, Bowne House was built more than 100 years before the Revolution (ca. 1661) by English emigrant John Bowne. As Quakers, Bowne and his family faced religious persecution in the English colonies and chose to settle in Flushing, then part of New Netherland. Nevertheless, Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant had Bowne arrested and briefly deported to stand trial in Holland for allowing Quaker meetings on his property and refusing to pay the resulting fines. Citing the terms of the Flushing Remonstrance, a 1657 document that guaranteed freedom of religion in the Dutch colonies, Bowne was exonerated and returned to Flushing. Three generations later, Bowne’s great-grandsons John IV and Robert occupied the house as the American Revolution broke out. Following the Quaker doctrine of pacifism, the Bownes refused to aid either side in the conflict, but when Long Island (including what is now Queens) came under British martial law in August 1776, many Quaker residences were occupied by English troops and fined if they refused to lend assistance. In addition, Quaker families were often robbed and harassed by individual British and Patriot soldiers seeking food and shelter. It’s uncertain if the Bowne House itself was occupied during the Revolution, but John Bowne was a member of the Meeting for Sufferings, a Quaker organization that assisted local Quakers who faced persecution and violence. Robert and his young family fled Flushing in 1776 to stay with his wife’s family in New Jersey until the end of the war, at which point he returned to New York and built his printing company, Bowne & Co., into a thriving business. After the fighting was over, Robert participated enthusiastically in the building of the new nation, joining with such figures as Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and George Clinton to form the Manumission Society of New York in 1785. The organization established and funded the New York African Free School in 1787 and pressed for the 1799 legislation that required the gradual emancipation of enslaved persons in New York. Members of the Bowne family continued to pursue the ideals of abolition, and decades later, the house and its current residents were vital participants in the Underground Railroad. Sources: Bowne House “The New York Manumission Society,” New York Historical Society.

Situated in Weeping Beech Park only footsteps away from the Bowne House, Kingsland Homestead is one of Flushing’s most well-known historic sites. The two-story farmhouse is considered an outstanding example of Dutch Colonial architecture and is the second oldest house in Queens (only the Bowne House is older). Owned and maintained by the Queens Historical Society, the structure is a New York City landmark and a member of the Historic House Trust, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house was built between 1774 and 1785 by Charles Doughty (1741-1816), who inherited the land owned by his father, Benjamin Doughty. Like many Quaker farmers, the Doughtys were subject to looting by British troops during the Revolutionary War, but their farm remained solvent and returned to prosperity when the conflict ended. Charles’ daughter Mary married Joseph King, a British sea captain, and they became the next owners of the house, which they renovated and named “Kingsland.” Their descendants lived in and owned the home until the 1930s. A lesser-known fact about Kinsgland is that it is thought to be the site of the first manumission, or freeing, of enslaved individuals in Flushing. While the cause of abolition was gaining support in New York following the war, slavery remained legal in the state until a policy of gradual manumission was adopted in 1799, with full emancipation in 1827. Flushing’s significant Quaker community was especially vocal on the topic, but it should be noted that in the first U.S. Census of 1790, the town of Flushing was recorded as having a population of 1,607 people, of which 340, or 21% of the total population, were enslaved. Although it is not known how many enslaved individuals he held, records indicate that Charles Doughty freed them in 1799. Captain King was opposed to slavery and employed only hired help – including some fugitive slaves – during his ownership of the house. Incredibly, Kingsland has been moved twice in its long life. In 1926, the Murray family moved the building several hundred feet south on their property in order to accommodate a proposed subway extension; the house was moved again from that location (40-25 155th Street) to its present home in the park in 1968, to protect it from vandalism and encroaching development. The house is now operated as a museum and the headquarters of the Queens Historical Society. Sources: Abdale, Jason R. “Slavery in Flushing, New York,” Dinosaurs and Barbarians (November 12, 2023). “Kingsland Homestead,” Queens Historical Society. "Margaret I. Carman Green - Weeping Beech Park," New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Stephen S. Lash (September 1971). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Kingsland Homestead. National Archives and Records Administration.

The Old Quaker Meeting House, also known as the Flushing Friends Meeting House, is considered the oldest house of worship in New York State and the second oldest Quaker meeting house in the nation. Built in 1694 on land purchased by Quakers John Bowne and John Rodman, it is regarded as architecturally significant for its steeply pitched roof and hand-hewn timber frame, reminiscent of medieval Dutch structures. It has been in continual use for worship up to the present day by generations of Quakers. As the Revolutionary War broke out, the Flushing Quakers attempted to remain neutral, following their doctrine of pacifism, and refused aid to either side. But when Long Island (including what is now Queens) came under British martial law in August 1776, the Meeting House was seized by the British army and used as a hospital, stable and storage facility. Though the building remained intact, its original benches and fencing are thought to have been burned for firewood. Following the war, the Meeting House was restored to its use as a house of worship. New York City was, at this time, the first capital of the new nation, and President George Washington visited the Meeting House twice, on his tours of Long Island in 1789 and 1790. Adjacent to the Meeting House is its historic graveyard, established in 1676 on land donated by John Bowne. The Quakers did not use headstones prior to 1820, but it is thought that many early prominent Quakers, including Bowne and his family, are buried in the cemetery. It was used for Quaker burials until the late 19th century, when the Meeting bought a plot at Flushing Cemetery for its members’ use. Sources: “A History of Flushing Meeting,” Flushing Meeting Religious Society of Friends. “Flushing Friends Meeting House,” The New York Landmarks Conservancy. “Historic Graveyard,” Flushing Meeting Religious Society of Friends. “Historic Meetinghouse,” Flushing Meeting Religious Society of Friends.

In contrast to its contemporary bustling downtown, Flushing was an important center of horticulture in the Colonial Era and early United States. The Prince Family Nursery, later known as the Linnaean Botanic Garden, is generally considered the nation’s first commercial nursery and most prominent source of fruit trees in the 18th century. The nursery was founded by Robert Prince and his son William on 8 acres of land purchased in 1737 along what is now Northern Boulevard. It quickly became the leading producer of fruit trees, especially apple, pear and cherry, in the Colonies. By 1767, William Prince had expanded the nursery to 24 acres and advertised trees including apple, plum, peach, nectarine, cherry, apricot and pear, which could be shipped even to Europe for replanting. The nursery’s 1771 catalog listed 230 offerings, adding evergreens, shrubs, lilacs and other ornamentals to the many fruit trees. The outbreak of the Revolutionary War and subsequent occupation of Queens by the British limited the nursery’s ability to ship its specimens, but the orchards themselves were protected by the British Army under the direct orders of General Lord William Howe. The British recognized the value of the plantings – indeed, many of the cherry trees were seized by the miliary and used for wood – but it is also likely that the Princes were Loyalists. After the war, the nursery began to recover and in 1789 was visited by President George Washington, who was famously underwhelmed by what he saw, recording in his diary on October 10: “These Gardens except in the number of young fruit Trees did not answer my expectations—The shrubs were trifling and the flowers not numerous.” But he did have a more favorable impression when he returned in 1791, and was said to have ordered fruit for his table from the Princes often. In 1791, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison also toured the nursery, and Jefferson ordered many trees for his home in Monticello, including maples, cranberries and pears, along with roses and other ornamental shrubs. The family nursery prospered well into the 19th century, reaching 113 acres at its largest, and diversifying into many other horticultural efforts, especially grape cultivation. It faced increasing competition from newer nurseries in Queens, such as the Parsons Nursery. The Linnaean Botanic Garden, as it was then called, closed in 1869, but its influence on American horticulture, as well as the descendants of its plantings, live on to this day. Sources: The Arnold Arboretum, “The Prince Family: Pioneers of American Horticulture.” Cornett, Peggy, “Encounters with America’s Premier Nursery and Botanic Garden: The Prince Nursery of New York City,” Monticello: Twinleaf Journal Articles Archive, 2004. National Archives: Founders Online, George Washington Diary Entry, 10 October 1789. Totemeier, Carl, “Gardening: Some Roots Are Found Right Here,” The New York Times, February 20, 1977.

For Queens residents today, the name Francis Lewis is most often associated with the 10-mile-long, north-south roadway that snakes its way across the borough, Francis Lewis Boulevard. But that road, like this 16-acre community park, honors a Whitestone man who played a significant role in the founding of the nation. Francis Lewis was born in Wales in 1713 and came to the Colonies in 1738, establishing himself as a successful merchant. At first he was a loyal British subject, and his company did much business supplying British troops during the French and Indian War. Lewis himself was captured by French troops in 1756 and held prisoner until the war ended in 1763. To reward him for his service, the British government gave Lewis 5,000 acres of waterfront land in Whitestone; he built a home there for himself, his wife Elizabeth and their children, and retired from his business. Like many colonists, Lewis was dissatisfied with the policy of “taxation without representation” and became active in politics. He was a New York delegate to the Provincial Convention and served in the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1779. In 1776, he signed the Declaration of Independence. Revenge came quickly to Lewis and his family. Shortly after winning the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, British troops destroyed Lewis’ home and abducted his wife, holding her as a political prisoner and subjecting her to harsh treatment. General George Washington brokered her release by arresting the wives of two British officers and demanding an exchange, but Elizabeth died soon after, in June 1779, as a result of her weakened state. Lewis remained committed to the cause of the Revolution and served on the Secret Committee (tasked with importing munitions) and the Marine Committee (administering naval affairs) throughout the war. In 1779, he was made a commissioner of the Board of Admiralty. Though he retired from public service following the end of hostilities, he spent several years as a vestryman at Manhattan’s Trinity Church. He died in 1802 and is buried in Trinity’s churchyard. Francis and Elizabeth’s son Morgan Lewis (1754-1844) served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War as chief of staff to General Horatio Gates, and was later elected the fourth governor of New York, from 1804 to 1807. Visitors to Francis Lewis Park today can take in the spectacular water views that the Lewis family once enjoyed, with the addition of the Whitestone Bridge. A historical marker at the base of the park’s flagpole honors Lewis and his service. Sources: “Francis Lewis,” Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence “Francis Lewis,” National Constitution Center "Francis Lewis Park," New York City Department of Parks & Recreation “Lewis, Francis,” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress “Morgan Lewis,” NY.gov

Tucked between neat suburban houses, and bearing little resemblance to its original function, lies one of the oldest Colonial-era graveyards in Queens – the Brinckerhoff Cemetery. A vestige of the robust agricultural community that once dominated this area, the site holds the remains of some of the borough’s earliest Dutch settlers. Records show that the Brinckerhoff Family owned the land on which the cemetery was located by 1698. The area came to be known as Black Stump, and the families who owned the large farms often intermarried and passed the land down through generations. A survey of the cemetery undertaken in 1919 listed 77 surviving gravestones dating from 1730 to 1872, bearing the names of many of these families, including Adriance, Brinckerhoff, Montfort, Rapelye, Ryerson and Snedeker. In 1748, Samuel Skidmore of Jamaica bought a large portion of the Brinckerhoff farm, including the burial ground, and it remained in the Skidmore family for more than 100 years. Not much is known of how the farms fared during the years of the Revolutionary War, although Samuel Skidmore himself, despite being a Loyalist, was shot and killed through the window of his house in 1782, presumably by British and Hessian troops that were in the area at the time. The area continued as a farming community until the turn of the 20th century, when residential development began in earnest. Though all the surrounding farmland was eventually sold and developed, a “burial ground exception” was honored through many property transfers and the small cemetery survived untouched. Nevertheless, it has been subject to neglect and vandalism for more than a century, and remains a focal point of intermittent community concern and activism. In 2012, the Brinckerhoff Cemetery was declared a New York City Landmark, and in 2023 the site was purchased by the city and is now under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Recreation. The site is currently fenced off, but signage explains its history and significance. It is unknown whether any of the original gravestones are extant. Sources: French, Mary, “Brinckerhoff Cemetery,” New York City Cemetery Project (April 30, 2012). Krichevsky, Sophie, “Brinckerhoff still in bad shape, but there’s hope,” Queens Chronicle (July 6, 2023). Minor, Matt, “For Lo, These Many Years: Forgotten Cemeteries of Queens,” NYC Department of Records & Information Services (July 20, 2018). Shockley, Jay (2012, August 14). “Brinckerhoff Cemetery.” New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Although it is privately owned and not open for public visitation, the Cornelius Van Wyck House is one of the best-known properties in Douglaston’s Douglas Manor historic district. The house, which has a commanding view of Little Neck Bay, is considered one of the finest existing examples of Dutch Colonial architecture, featuring a salt-box roof and wooden shingles. It was designated a New York City landmark in 1966 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The Van Wyck family first purchased 125 acres of waterfront property here in the early 1700s, but the house itself was constructed in 1735, when Cornelius Van Wyck inherited the land after his father’s death. Cornelius lived with his family in the home until his death in 1769; his son Stephen became the next owner and expanded the house in 1770. During the Revolutionary period, Stephen and his brother Cornelius II were members of the Continental Congress, although their half-brother, Gilbert, was a Loyalist. The home remained in the Van Wyck family until 1819, when it was sold to Wynant Van Zandt, a wealthy merchant who expanded the property by 120 acres. It later was owned by the Douglas family and at one point was used as a guest house to the larger mansion that became the Douglaston Club. A series of other owners returned the structure to its residential function, and generally maintained the integrity of the original architecture. In 2017 the Cornelius Van Wyck house was sold for just under $3 million, and the new owners found the home needed significant repairs. They engaged Zaskorski & Associates Architects to conduct an extensive project to carefully address structural and other issues while restoring the house to its historic beauty. Sources: Brady, Ryan, “Van Wyck house in Douglaston is for sale,” Queens Chronicle (April 6, 2017). “Cornelius Van Wyck House.” New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (1966, April 19). Hallum, Mark, “Van Wyck house in Douglas Manor hits market for first time in a century,” QNS.com (April 10, 2017). “Historic Cornelius Van Wyck House Restoration,” The Holland Society of New York (video presentation, September 24, 2025). Paonessa, Laurie, “Cornelius Van Wyck House,” Clio: Your Guide to History (June 30, 2022).

For more than 300 years, the land now known as the Queens County Farm has been working farmland, providing a uniquely experiential link to Queens’ agricultural past. Situated on 47 acres along Little Neck Parkway just west of the Nassau County border, the property is both a historic landmark and a working demonstration of sustainable agriculture for its urban visitors. Elbert Adriance, a Dutch farmer, bought the land in 1697 and it remained in the Adriance family for more than 100 years. Like their neighbors, the Adriances were sustenance farmers, growing crops primarily for their families. In 1772, Jacob and Catherine Adriance built a three-room, Dutch Colonial-style farmhouse that is now the earliest portion of the property’s landmarked Adriance Farmhouse, previously known as the Cornell and Creedmoor Farmhouse. Records indicate that over the course of the Adriance family’s ownership of the farm, at least 14 enslaved individuals lived and worked on the farm. Slavery was fully abolished in New York in 1827. From 1808 to 1892, the farm was owned by a series of families that expanded the farmhouse and began growing crops for sale, especially wheat, corn and potatoes. Daniel Stattel, a prominent figure in the age of “truck farming,” bought the property in 1892 and turned it into the second largest farm in Queens. Truck farmers, mostly of German heritage, transported their crops to sell at markets such as the Wallabout Market in Brooklyn. In 1926 the farm was sold to New York State and used by nearby Creedmoor State Hospital. Patients worked the farm for therapy and grew fruit, vegetables and ornamental plants for use at the hospital. In 1975, the farm was transferred to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and the farmhouse was granted landmark status; it is also a member of the Historic House Trust. Visitors today can tour the house and working farm; interact with the goats, sheep, hens, alpaca and other livestock; attend educational lectures and demonstrations; and purchase more than 200 varieties of seasonal produce that are grown on site. Sources: “About,” Queens County Farm Museum. “Creedmoor (Cornell) Farmhouse" aka the "Creedmoor Farmhouse Complex" aka the "Adriance Farmhouse" (Designated November 9, 1976). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. “Queens County Farm Museum,” Historic House Trust New York City. “Queens Farm Park: Queens County Farm Museum,” New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. “Timeline,” Queens County Farm Museum.

This last stop on our tour of Flushing is not so much a historic site, but a small tribute and recognition of those who lived on and tended this land long before the Dutch and English settlers arrived – the Matinecock people. The Matinecock are one of 13 Algonquin tribes that inhabited Long Island, including Queens and Brooklyn, prior to European colonization. The Matinecock lived along the north shore of the island they called Paumanauke, with settlements in what is now Flushing, Bayside and Little Neck/Douglaston. The rich waters of Little Neck Bay and the Long Island Sound provided the shellfish and other seafood that made up a large part of their diet. As the Dutch and English settlers began to arrive in the 17th century, many sought to purchase tracts of land from the indigenous residents, and records of such contracts survive, but it is unlikely that the concept of “property ownership” was understood by the two groups in the same way. The Matinecock considered themselves stewards of their land, and many historians believe they viewed the contracts with the Europeans as agreements for hunting or fishing rights. The new arrivals began to build homesteads and farms, and most of the Matinecock were pushed off their native lands by 1656, when Dutch settler Thomas Hicks forcibly drove off the last Matinecock community from the area. That conflict, recorded as the “Battle of Madnan’s Neck,” took place at approximately this location. Nearly 300 years later, a further indignity was visited upon the Matinecock when, during a project to widen Northern Boulevard in 1931, a Matinecock burial ground was discovered and disturbed. Ignoring objections of many descendants of the indigenous community, workers removed the remains of about 30 individuals, which were reinterred in the cemetery of Zion Episcopal Church in Douglaston. The boulder marking these burials, along with several additional memorials that have been added through the years, still stands at Zion Church today. In 2015, the New York City Council voted to honor this area’s first residents with the street sign bearing their name. Despite the words engraved on the cemetery marker – “Here Rest the Last of the Matinecoc” – the Matinecock people survive, and many attended the street co-naming ceremony to witness this belated acknowledgement. Sources: Antos, Jason D. “Remains of Little Neck Matinecock Returns Home,” Queens Gazette, December 12, 2018. Douglas, Hannah. “Matinecock Way: Is It the Way to Go?,” Queens Chronicle, October 8, 2015. Hilton, Alexandra, “Stumbled Upon in the Archives,” NYC Department of Records & Information Services (August 3, 2017). Lennon, Kelly, “We Gather on Native Land,” Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Shelter Rock (March 23, 2024). Swaak, Taylor. “LI’s First Inhabitants’ Lasting Legacy,” Newsday, December 1, 2017. “The Algonquin Indians of Long Island,” Matinecock Tribal Nation. Walsh, Kevin, “Honoring Past Residents: Northeast Queens' Matinecock Indians,” Brownstoner (November 14, 2014).