A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 82

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188

USA > New York > A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 82

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HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

united in calling a rector, leaving Jamaica to its own course, and in 1809 Flushing-and New- town separated, and the Rev. Brazella Buckley became first sole rector of Flushing.

From then until now St. George's has held a long list of earnest, devoted rectors, but the name that stands out in boldest relief is that of the Rev. William A. Muhlenberg, who presided over it from 1826 to 1829. This famous preacher and practical philanthropist founded the once famous Flushing Institute for the education of boys, and out of its success grew St. Paul's College, of which he contin- ued to act as principal until 1844, when he accepted a call to New York.

Until 1811 St. George's Church and the meeting-house of the Society of Friends con- tained the only two organized religious bodies · in Flushing. In 1811 a congregation of col- ored Methodists was organized, although it did not possess a church edifice until 1837. The white Methodist brethren built a church in 1822, the Roman Catholic Church had its be- ginning with twelve adherents in 1826, when the Rev. Father Farnham celebrated mass for the first time in Flushing, and in 1835 the first place of worship was fitted up. In 1854 a second Episcopalian Church, St. Michael's, was erected, and St. George's Church was re- built for the third time, the second building having been erected in 1812. The Baptists also erected their first Flushing church in 1854.

The most prominent of the early industries of Flushing, next to agriculture-farming- was that of fruit and tree growing. The Hu- guenot settlers introduced many of the fruits of their native land, and their product won quite a measure of fame and brought them con- siderable profit. In the early years of the eighteenth century a number of English gar- deners settled in Flushing, attracted by stories of the varied nature of its soil and its adapta- bility to fruit raising, and established market gardens. Its fame, however, in horticultural circles was really won by a native, William

Prince, who was born in Flushing in 1766, and died there in 1842. His father, William Prince, in 1750 laid out a tract of land in Flushing for the propagation of trees, such as apple, plum, peach, cherry, nectarine and pear. This venture proved quite a success, and the area of ground was steadily enlarged and the varieties grown extended to almost every va- riety possible in the climate, almond and fig trees, flowering trees and shrubs, berry bushes. So famous did the place become that General Howe, when manosuvring in Flushing on Au- gust 29, 1776, ordered it to be guarded so as to prevent any depredations on the part of his soldiery. The nursery, however, did suffer considerably during the British occupation, and for the time its business was paralyzed. In 1789 the place was visited by General Washington, who had long heard of its beau- ties, but what he saw did not answer his "expectations," for at that time the business was just beginning to recover. By 1792 Mr. Prince had twenty-four acres under his opera- tions. His son brought the nursery up to the fullest measure of its usefulness. In 1793 he entered into business relations with his father and extended the area under cultivation until it exceeded sixty acres. He sent far and near for trees, fruits and plants for experimental purposes, successfully acclimatized several hundred, systematized the nomenclature of the best known fruits, such as the Bartlett pear and the Isabella grape, and wrote a "Treatise on Horticulture," the first work of the kind issued in the United States. The London Horticultural Society named the William Prince apple in his honor, and he enjoyed the personal friendship of all the celebrated bot- anists and naturalists of his time. The Morus multicaulis, long so well known in the manu- facture of silk, was first grown here in 1826 by Mr. Prince from trees imported from France a year after they had been received there from the Philippine Islands. Perhaps this should entitle him to be regarded as the pioneer in the great American Philippine trade

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which is so certain to come as the result of more recent events !

Flushing had many other famous nurseries, such as that of Samuel Parsons, a man noted for his benevolence, his enterprise, his public spirit and his steadfast adherence to the So- ciety of Friends, before which body he fre- quently preached. His love of trees led him to plant many along the streets of Flushing at his own cost, and he went into the business of tree raising simply for the good he might accomplish rather than as a commercial specu- lation.

With the upward progress which attended so many of the Long Island towns after the Revolutionary War Flushing had but little share. Its business had been sadly shattered by that armed conflict, and its geographical position was such that it was by no means easy of access. In the closing years of the eighteenth century communication with New York was had twice a week-Tuesdays and Fridays-by passenger boats, and that service sufficed until the advent of the nineteenth cen- tury. In 1801 a daily coach service was estab- lished, running from Flushing through New- town to Brooklyn, and such coach service, with slight changes as to route, continued until 1854, when the opening of the Flushing & North Shore Railroad forced its cessation. But long after the railroad was an assured fact the carrying trade in merchandise continued to be done by packets. The first steamboat from Flushing to New York was run in 1822. It was a small concern, but proved so success- ful that in the following year "The Linnaeus," a much more substantial and roomy vessel, was put on the route.

In 1837 Flushing began to feel that she really was becoming prosperous, and in that year it applied for and received its charter as a village. The population was then about 2,000, the number of real estate owners was 103, and the assessed valuation $465,360. Robert B. Van Zandt was elected the first President un- der the charter.

The Rev. H. D. Waller, to whose interest- ing "History of Flushing" this sketch has been much indebted, says: "The village boundary line began at the creek just beyond the bridge on the College Point causeway and ran east, crossing Whitestone avenue about 300 feet beyond Bayside avenue, just including the Os- good property. At a point near the junction of Bayside avenue and Parsons avenue the line turned south and ran to the corner of Sanford avenue and Long lane (now South Parsons avenue). From this corner, which marked the furthest limits of the village in that direction, the line ran west to the creek, forming an acute angle with Sanford avenue and crossing Jamaica avenue just south of the Jagger homestead (now Captain Hin- man's). Sanford avenue was not open below Jamaica avenue. Bowne avenue was the street furthest east. Long lane began at the village limits and ran south. Jagger avenue was a private lane leading from Main street to the Jagger house; Lincoln street was then called Liberty street; Amity street was not then opened; neither was Locust street east of Main. A tide mil!, kept by William Hamil- ton, stood at the bridge on the College Point causeway. There were no houses northeast of the park except a few which stood in large country places. * * * The lower part of Main street was more thickly settled, but even there the houses stood apart from each other with gardens between. The Pavilion, once a famous hotel, stood at the corner of Bridge street and Lawrence avenue, where the old electric power house now stands. The Town Hall stood where the fountain now stands, facing on Main street, the school-house being on the lot now occupied by the Empire Hose Company's building in Lincoln street."

From the time of her incorporation as a vllage until the closing scene in her history, when she became part and parcel of the Great- er New York, the story of Flushing was one of great progress. It was regarded as a resi- dential quarter, sufficiently retired to be the

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HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

scene of several county fairs, where abundant educational facilities were provided, and church, social and professional circles were all of the most desirable qualities. The Board of Education commenced work in 1848 in ac- cordance with an act of the Legislature passed that year, and under its direction the educa- tional system of the village was steadily ex- tended ; in 1874 the Douglass Pond water sup- ply was introduced and made the occasion of a grand demonstration and parade, with the ustial oratorical accompaniments. In 1883 the old area of the village was considerably ex- tended by a new act of the Legislature, and in the following year the Flushing Hospital and Dispensary was incorporated, a building being rented for its purpose until 1887, when the hospital was crected on ground presented for the purpose by the late John Henderson. "The village of Flushing." writes Mr. Waller, "has always been a place of residence. Those institutions have been fostered that would ren- der the village attractive to persons seeking homes ; manufacture has not been encouraged. The village streets are macadamized, well shaded with fine trees of many varieties, light- ed by gas and electricity and swept and sprin- kled at public expense. The sidewalks are paved with stone flagging. A complete system of sewers extends throughout the village. The steam and electric cars make frequent trips be- tween Flushing and the city. These conven- iences and improvements have made Flushing an attractive home for business and profes -. sional men of New York. Here they find pleasant homes and rural surroundings within easy reach of their places of business."

Such are the salient points in the history of Flushing township in general, and espe- cially of Flushing village, the center of its life. There are several settlements or villages throughout the township which are deserving of some mention, however brief.

College Point (formerly Lawrence's Neck ) on Flushing Bay was first settled by immi- grants from Germany. It was the scene of

the operations of Dr. Muhlenberg's St. Paul College and from that got its modern name. It has some manufactories and a population of some 6,000. Within recent years it has be- come quite a suburban residential village, boasting all modern improvements in the way of gas, electricity, etc., and many remarkably fine residences have been added to its attrac- tions during the past year or two. It is con- fidently expected that it will continue to grow in favor.

Whitestone is regarded as being, next to Flushing village, the oldest settlement in the township. It derived its name from a large white piece of rock in front of it in the East River, and although several efforts have been made to change the name the efforts have failed. Even De Witt Clinton's popularity, which inspired a meeting of citizens to give it the name of Clintonville, failed to make the change any more than a passing whim. Another name once given to it "Cookie Hill," did not find many admirers at any time, so Whitestone has clung to it throughout its modern history. That history really amounts to very little. In 1800 it had less than twelve houses. It was not until 1853, when J. D. Locke & Company established a tin and cop- per ware factory, that it began to attract set- tlers, and a year later it had advanced suffi- ciently to induce Uncle Sam to establish a postoffice within the village. Some of its clay soil has been found eminently suited for mak- ing tobacco pipes, flower pots, flower vases and the like, and in connection therewith several establishments have arisen, and the village now boasts a population of about 3,400. Whitestone is the terminus of the North Shore branch of the Long Island Railroad. It is one of the stations of the New York Yacht Club, and already before consolidation con- tained a considerable colony of New York business and professional men. The village has a new athletic club, and a school-house costing $200,000 has recently been completed A tract of land fronting nearly a mile on the

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water is held jointly by the Realty Trust and the Cedar Cliff Park Association, part of which is under development by Edwin P. Roe.

Francis Lewis, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, whose seat in Whitestone was one of the centers of Revo- tionary activity, was born at Llandaff, Wales, in March, 1713, and was educated at West- minster School, London. In that city he also obtained his mercantile training. He sold all his property in England in 1735, and came to this country, where he at once engaged in business as a merchant, establishing houses in New York and Philadelphia. He met with remarkable success, and probably was the leading shipper in New York at that time. His enterprise was unbounded, and he paid fre- qnent visits to Europe on business ventures, going as far as Russia, and was twice ship- wrecked. As a supply agent for the British army he was taken prisoner at Fort Oswego when it was surprised by Montcalm, was car- ried to Montreal, and from there to France. After his liberation he returned to New York to find the conflict between the Colonies and the mother country already practically com- menced; and, joining heartily in Revolutionary movements, he was in 1775 unanimously elected a delegate to the Continental Congress, where his business experience, executive talent and knowledge of commerce made him a val- uable member. At the next session he with his fellow patriots signed the paper to the maintenance of which they pledged "their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor." Having some time previous purchased a coun- try seat at Whitestone, he removed his family to it in 1776, and then entered actively upon the performance of duties of importance with which he had been entrusted by Congress, one detail of which was the importation of military stores, in which lie expended the bulk of his large fortune, and for which he was never repaid. Hardly had his family been settled at their home in Whitestone before they were visited, in the fall of 1776, by a body of

British light horse, who plundered his house, wantonly destroyed his extensive and valuable library, and, taking Mrs. Lewis a prisoner, re- tained her several months, without a change of clothing or a bed to rest on! Through the influence of Washington she was released, but with her health so broken by the abuses she had suffered that she drooped and died- another victim to English chivalry in the eight- eenth century. Mr. Lewis resided here until 1796, when he disposed of his property and retired to New York, where he died Decem- ber 30, 1803, in his ninetieth year.

The second son of this patriot, Morgan Lewis, afterward Governor of New York, also lived at Whitestone for many years. He served in the War of the Revolution as a captain, and afterward as major, retiring with the rank of colonel, to resume his legal studies and qual- ify for the bar. He soon acquired distinction in that profession, and in 1792 became Chief Justice of New York's Supreme Court. In 1804 he was elected Governor. In the War of 1812 he became a major general and served on the Niagara frontier. But the details of his career are too interesting to be condensed and we must refer the reader to the sketch of India Delafield, containing a sketch of his life and that of his father. Governor Lewis died in 1844. A portrait of him is given on page 277 of this volume.

Bayside, on Little Neck Bay, although in many respects a modern settlement, has really a history of almost equal antiquity with Flush- ing village, but its story is nninteresting, al- though it contained a building which, like so many hundreds of others, bore the designa- tion of Washington's Headquarters. It was really simply a scattered group of rural resi- dences until within a comparatively few years, and its progress has been slow. It has a pop- nlation of 700, but is steadily rising into favor as a residential village, as it presents many advantages in the refined society already to be found there and the many beautiful villas which adorn its streets.

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HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

As much might be said of Little Neck, a similar community on the other side of Little Neck Bay and close to the Nassau county boundary line. The property was in the hands of the Hicks family from the time Thomas Hicks drove the Indian owners off the lands by force until a recent date; indeed, some of that redoubtable land grabber's descendants are still to be found in and near the village. Douglass Point, however, as it is now called, one of the most beautiful "bits" of landscape on the sound, passed from their hands early in the last century. Little Neck is slowly but surely rising in popular favor, and its popu- lation of 600 are doing all that is possible to add to its attractiveness. Willets Point, Doug- laston and several small settlements are also gradually finding their way into public favor and are certain to increase as the years roll on.

In fact, there seems little doubt that the whole of the old township of Flushing is des- tined to be the "home land," as it were, of a great population of home owners,-the best possible class of citizens. A recent article in one of our daily papers, speaking on this point evidently with the knowledge of an ex- pert, says: "Flushing, with a population of 9.700, on the ridge overlooking Flushing Bay, is a village of Dutch Colonial antiquity, of historic associations and substantial growth. Originally an agricultural community, its chief characteristics have come to be those of a suburban home settlement. It has good roads, schools and churches, libraries, banks, stores, shops and a complete system of public works. Fine old mansions, set in spacious grounds, break the uniformity of development present in more distinctly modern places, and the water affords variety to the enjoyment of nature and outdoor life. In the outskirts · of the village are important suburban ad- ditions, developed by private enterprise, as Ingleside and Bowne Park. Both are located on high ground, abutting on fine residential streets, which are continued through them.

At Ingleside the Realty Trust has sold some hundred detached frame dwellings at $3,500 to $6,750, besides a number running as high as $10,000. Building sites are sold to investors at $260 to $1,000 a lot. At Bowne Park, where Jolın Dayton & Company have built extensive- ly, similar conditions as to prices of houses and lots prevail, this place, like the former, having maintained a high grade of suburban con- struction. Among smaller groups of houses in the market are eight dwellings at the Broad- way station that are quoted at $3,000 and upward. These are offered by John N. Fal- kinburg, who is also improving a tract at Bayside, a station just east of Flushing, with houses selling at $3,500 to $6,000. Land in the various additions under development at Flushing has been carefully restricted against uses objectionable in a residential community, the aim having been to keep in harmony with the social and natural features which have made the village attractive to quite a colony of artistic and professional men.

"Corona, with a population of 2,700, is an- other center of suburban development in the section overlooking the Sound. Until re- cently houses were for the most part built by intending occupants with assistance from co-operative building and loan associations. Construction work is now largely carried for- ward on extensive tracts, as Luona Park and Hamilton's Homes. At Luona Park, laid out by the Realty Trust, several hundred houses have been built. The prices prevail- ing have been between $2,400 and $3,500. At Hamilton's Homes, developed by William J. Hamilton, quotations range from $2,000 to $3,000.

"Elmhurst, near by, with a population of 3,000, is composed of two principal elements, an old village of Dutch origin and a modern suburban settlement. The newer Elmhurst comprises a tract of 1,800 lots controlled by Cord Meyer & Company. Houses are sold to intending occupants at $3.500 to $10,000.

FLUSHING.

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About two hundred and fifty families have been drawn to the neighborhood since the tract was opened in 1896. Provisions are contained in all the deeds reserving the land for private residences, and property is thus guarded against construction which might tend to de- preciate values. The management refuses to sell lots unless assurance is given that no house

is to be erected without the plans having been approved by the company. This makes speculative building impossible. On the other hand, the village elsewhere offers attractive opportunities for building operations, and a group of new houses by Warren & Combes were for the most part readily disposed of last season at $3,800 to $4.300."

ERECTED

JOHN WELLS.

CHAPTER XLV.

NEWTOWN.

THE STEP-CHILD OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA-MESPATII AND MR. DOUGHTY- MIDDLEBURG-DEWITT CLINTON-MIDDLE VILLAGE AND OTHER SETTLEMENTS.

N the old Gazetteers the township of Newtown was described as bounded on the north by the East River (including in its limits Riker's, the two Broth- er and Berrian Islands), on the south by Ja- maica, Flatbush and Bushwick, and west by Bushwick and the East River. It was held to contain 10,683 acres. These rather vague boundaries are now of little use, except in an antiquarian sense, for the town is described very differently nowadays, when it is appor- tioned beween the First and Second Wards of the borough of Queens and has its bounda- ries indicated by named streets or avenues.

For a long time Newtown was the step- child of the metropolitan area, its backyard, so to speak. Whatever was too offensive for the rest of the area found lodgment there, and the odors from some of its works often aroused indignant protests even from dwellers on Manhattan, while Newtown Creek, once one of the sweetest bits of water stretching into Long Island from the river, became a syno- nym for all that is vile. Much of its territory was used as a dumping ground, its manufac- tories were those which could not be carried on close to any large city, the making of glue, the rendering of fat, the distillation of oil and the like, and the establishment of each of these made the surrounding territory only the more barren and bleak. Back from the coast line

the land was flat and the landscape uninterest- ing, and as agriculture decayed the old farms, many of them, began to be cut up into market gardens, while discolored and deserted barns became mute evidences of the glories of the past. In the entire district pools lay stag- nant, helping by their exhalations to make the territory uninviting even to the land boom- ers, who found "Newtown lots" invariably the hardest sort of proposition to tackle when the lots were away from within sight of the river. The place had gradually lost caste and settlers were few. Astoria had flourished, the beat- ties of Ravenswood had invited a colony of home builders of the better class, Hunter's Point was boomed for many years as a suita- ble site for the homes of Manhattan working- men, but the lots failed to command anything like attractive prices outside of Astoria, and Ravenswood was somewhat exclusive. Within the last ten or twelve years a change for the better has taken place and many thriving com- munities have sprung up, thanks to the in- crease in the metropolitan population, the fa- cilities of transportation and the more respon- sible efforts of the land speculators, and such places as Winfield, Elmhurst, Woodside, Lou- ona Park, Corona, are not only beautiful and attractive settlements, but are an illustration of the effect of business principles, capital and thoughtful, well-planned enterprise being ap-

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NEWTOWN.

plied to the once wild and irresponsible busi- ness of land booming. But even in spite of the number of these settlements, and their sur- rounding evidences of prosperity, there are not more dreary and uninteresting trolley rides in the area of the Greater New York than those across old Newtown township, say from Greenpoint Ferry to North Beach.

Tt used to be a standing joke,-a somewhat grim one,-to say that Newtown's greatest industry was that of funerals, that it was the great burying ground of New York and Brooklyn. Certainly it is plentifully dotted over with cemeteries, the cheapness of the land and its apparent unpopularity with the living having induced churches and corporations to buy up large lots or "parcels" and developing them for burial purposes. Except such as the extensive holdings of the Roman Catholic Church and some smaller places owned by other religious bodies, these cemeteries are all ruled by corporations, pay dividends or are expected to pay dividends on the money in- vested in them, and are managed on business principles and with a view to the profits just the same as any other piece of property would be. The largest of these cemeteries is Cal- vary, now inclosing some 300 acres, and the smallest the little Quaker resting place in Mid- dle Village, which is hardly one acre in extent, while the Methodist cemetery, near the latter, only encloses two acres, but it has a history of its own which antedates the Revolution, for it was laid aside for its present purpose in 1770. The Lutheran cemetery and St. John's, also at Middle Village, Machpelah, St. Mi- chael's, Mount Olivet, Mount Nebo, Union Field and parts of Evergreens and Cypress Hills are among the best known of the other silent cities which so long were Newtown's most potent attractions for throngs of visitors from the neighboring centers of population.

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A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 82

Author: Ross, Peter. cn Publication date: 1902 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1188

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188