USA > New York > Queens County > Flushing > History of the town of Flushing, Long Island, New York > Part 10
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14 McMaster's People of the United States, II, 308-416.
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RECONSTRUCTION
Newtown declared against the laws, and called upon Flushing to cooperate with them in petitioning for the repeal of the laws. A meeting was called in Flushing. It was held some time in December, at the inn kept by John Bradwell. Lewis Cornwall was chosen chairman and David Gardner, clerk. Flushing declared for the Federalists and the black cockade. The meeting resolved that: "We place the utmost confidence in the wisdom, patriotism and integrity of the President of the United States and both houses of Congress, and cannot believe they would pass an act contrary to the Constitution or the interest of these States . . . We shall use our endeavors to assist the Govern- ment in the execution of these laws and all others. "15
15 Queens County in Olden Times, p. 89.
CHAPTER XVII
FLUSHING'S NEW LIFE
1800
Up to the beginning of the present century the road to New York ran through Jamaica to Brooklyn, where the river was crossed by means of a ferry. In 1800, a company was formed in Flushing, to build a bridge over the creek. William Prince was President of the company. The bridge, then erected, was washed away two years later; but it was soon rebuilt. Since then, several bridges have been erected at the same spot. Before the construction of this bridge, foot-passengers were taken across the creek in small row- boats. James Rantas and Thomas Smith, two colored men, acted as ferrymen for many years. The construction of the bridge was soon followed by the opening of a road from the bridge to Newtown. This was accomplished only after much opposition on the part of the farmers. William Prince and John Aspinwall were especially active in securing this improvement. A stage was now established by William
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Mott, to run between Flushing and Brooklyn, by way of Newtown and Bedford. 1
Union Hall, in Jamaica, does not appear to have satis- 1803 fied the educational needs of Flushing. St. George's parish, therefore, built, and for a short time maintained, an aca- demy in Flushing. It stood on the church property, at the corner of Main and Locust streets. After two years' ex- periment, the parish conveyed the academy to a board of trustees, for the term of nine hundred ninety-nine years, "at the annual rent of six cents when legally demanded." The trustees were: William Prince, Thomas Philips, David Gardner, Samuel H. Van Wyck, Daniel Bloodgood. 2 They called the academy Hamilton Hall. The prospectus of the school stated that it was "situated at the pleasant and healthy village of Flushing," with a Principal who had been "regularly educated in the University of Gottingen;" and describes the curriculum as embracing "Greek, Latin, French and English languages-German and Hebrew if required-also the various branches of Mathematics, Read-
1 Mott was on the road for seven years. He was suc- ceeded by Carman Smith, Greenwall, Kissam, John Boyd and others. Boyd drove for seventeen years. His was the first stage from Flushing that crossed the ferry to New York. His route was across the Grand street ferry, up Grand to the Bowery, and down the Bowery to Chatham square. Mandeville, p. 71.
2 History of St. George's Parish, p. 75.
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HISTORY OF FLUSHING
ing, Writing, Arithmetic, English Grammar, Bookkeep- ing." The patrons were assured that attention would be given to "the health and morals of young persons sent for education. "3
1810
Hamilton Hall was not successful. It was returned to the vestry of St. George's Church, in 1810, for $1,125. The vestry again attempted to maintain the school; but, after a few years' struggle, abandoned the undertaking and con- verted the building into a Sunday School. The building was subsequently removed to the southwest corner of Wash- ington and Garden streets, where it still stands.
1811
Up to this time, the Quaker meeting and St. George's Episcopal Church were the only religious organizations in the town. The next to appear was the African Macedonian Church. The Rev. Benjamin Griffin, a white preacher, officiated for this negro congregation in his circuit. There were at this time no Methodists among the white people of Flushing. 4
3 Queens County in Olden Times, p. 94.
4 The African Methodist Church was not built until Mandeville, p. 165. "
1837.
Following are the Pastors, with the dates of their com- ing to Flushing: Rev. Henry Hearden, 1821; Rev. Stephen Dutton, 1823; Rev. . William Quim, 1824; Rev. Jacob Mathias, 1826; Rev. Samuel Todd, 1826; Rev. Israel Scott, 1828; Rev. Jeremiah Miller, 1829; Rev. Israel Scott, 1831; Rev. Edward C. Africanus, 1850; Rev. Japheth P. Camp- bell, 1853; Rev. William H. Ross, 1854; Rev. J. R. V.
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FLUSHING'S NEW LIFE
To the "Flushing Female Association" is to be awarded the honor of having established the first free school in Flushing. This Association, organized Feb. 12, 1814, was composed of a number of public-spirited women, most if not all of whom were members of the Society of Friends, who banded together to further the interests of education. Each member paid $2.00 a year into the treasury. Contributions soon began to come in from the outside, to assist the Asso- ciation in its work. 5 The school was opened April 6, 1814, in a dwelling in Liberty street, near the site of the building now owned by the Association. For a few months the
1814
Thomas, 1855; Rev. George Wier, 1856; Rev. James M. Wil- liams, 1857; Rev. Leonard Paterson, 1858: Rev. William Moore, 1860; Rev. Geo. W. Johnson, 1862; Rev. D. Dorrell, 1864; Rev. William H. Ross; 1866: Rev. Edward B. Davis, 1867; Rev. Henderson Davis, 1868; Rev. Abraham C. Crippen, 1871: Rev. Benjamin Lynch, 1872; Rev. Chas. H. Green, 1874; Rev. Jas. M. Williams, D. D., 1875; Rer. E. T. Thomas, 1876; Rev. John Frisby, 1877; Rev. Edw. B. Davis, 1878; Rev. T. C. Franklin, 1879; Rev. J. G. Mobray, 1880; Rev. William F. Townsend, 1882; Rev. Chas. N. Gib- bons, 1885; Rev. T. B. Reed, 1888; Rev. Israel Derricks, 1890; Rev. Jas. J. Moore, 1891; Rev. William Heath, 1893; Rev. Peter E. Mills, 1894; Rev. Jas. W. Fishburne, 1897; Rev. William H. Bryant, 1898.
5 The following bequests were received : Thomas Tom, $250; Thomas Lawrence, $100; Matthew Franklin, £150, "the interest to be applied to the use of finding poor negro children books, and also toward paying their schooling, them that their parents did belong among the people called Quakers"; Nathaniel Smith, $500; James Byrd, $200. Charles and Scott Hicks furnished wood for the school for eleven years. Mandeville, p. 128.
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HISTORY OF FLUSHING
members of the Association served in turn as teachers. The pupils, white and black, were admitted free of charge, ex- cept in the cases of a few whose parents were able and wil- 1815 ling to pay. Mary McMannus was engaged as the first teacher, at a salary of $15 per quarter, and with an allow- ance of $26, per quarter, for her board. The income of the Association, for the first year, was 8570.51. 6
1817
This charitable work in behalf of the negro population of Flushing, was soon followed by a more comprehensive act in their behalf by the State of New York. On March 31, 1817, an act was passed, freeing all slaves who had been born after July 4, 1797, so soon as they should reach the age of twenty-eight, for males, and twenty-five for females. Every child born in slavery after the passage of the act, should be set free on reaching the age of twenty-one. The slaves in Flushing had always, as a rule, been kindly treated. The Quakers had been working for nearly a hundred years for the abolition of slavery. Their sympathy for the slaves and their interest in the negroes' education and general well-being were widely known. Flushing became the rendezvous of freedmen, who hoped to secure the bless- ings of freedom without its responsibilities. A very unde- sirable element was thus added to the population of the
6 Treasurer's Book of the Flushing Female Association.
/181
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FLUSHING'S NEW LIFE
village. These negroes became so numerous, so aggressive, so lawless, that the peace and quiet of the community were greatly disturbed. They filled the streets at night; they held out-of-door dances and barbecues, which generally degenerated into drunken brawls. Town ordinances and the mild influence of the Quakers were without avail. The 1825 apprentices and other young men of the village took matters into their own hands. They formed a sort of vigilance committee and attacked with volleys of rotten eggs, these noisy gatherings which made sleep impossible. A few at- tacks of this sort had the effect of breaking up the gather- ings, or at least of transferring the orgies from the public square to the shanties on Crow Hill and Liberty street. 7
Some ten years or more after the Rev. Mr. Griffin began his ministrations among African Methodists, a group of white people organized a Methodist Church. They wor- shipped for a time in a private house adjoining Garretson's seed store, in Liberty street. Their first Pastor was the Rev. Samuel Cockrance. Their church was built in 1822. It stood on the south side of Lincoln street, about midway between Main and Union streets. 8
1822
7 Mandeville, p. 67. History of Queens County, p. 91.
8 A new church was built, in 1843, on the east side of Main street, just north of Washington. In 1875, the church was removed to its present site in Amity street. In 1834 the
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HISTORY OF FLUSHING
The first post-office in the town was located at the Alley. It was in this year moved to the village. This change met with much opposition, even on the part of people living in the village. While the postoffice was at the Alley, they said, the mail was left at the Flushing hotel which was open at all hours. The post-office, they feared, would be open only at certain hours, and would not furnish the accommo- dation then enjoyed. 9
Methodist Church in Flushing was separated from the cir- cuit and became a station with a resident Pastor. Follow- ing are the names of the resident Pastors, with the dates of their coming to Flushing: Rev. Alexander Hulin, 1834; Rev. David Plumb, 1833; Rev. John L. Gilder, 1836; Rev. William Thatcher, 1837; Rev. Daniel Wright, 1839; Rev. George Brown, 1840: Rev. Elbert Osborn, 1841: Rev. John J. Matthias, 1842; Rev. Benjamin Griffin, 1843; Rev. David Osborn, 1845; Rev. John W. B. Wood, 1847; Rev. John B. Merwin, 1848; Rev. Samuel "V. Law, 1850; Rev. Abraham S. Francis, 1851; Rev. Ira Abbott, 1852: Rev. William F. Col- lins, 1854; Rev. Thomas H. Burch, 1856; Rev. J. L. Peck, 1858; Rev. R. H. Hatfield, 1860; Rev. Horace Cooke. 1864; Rev. G. R. Crooks, 1866; Rev. G. Taylor, 1869; Rev. W. H. Simonson, 1872; Rev. George Stillman, 1875; Rev. Levi P. Perry, 1877; Rev. Alvine C. Bowdish, 1879; Rev. Robert W. Jones, 1880; Rev. C. C. Lasby, 1883; Rev. Thomas S. Poul- son, 1886; Rev. Harvey E. Burnes, 1889: Rev. John W. May- nard, 1891; Rev. George L. Thompson, 1893; Rev. Theodore S. Henderson, 1896; Rev. A. U. Wyatt, 1898.
9 Mandeville, p. 73.
The first Postmaster was Curtis Peck, who kept the office in the Pavilion. Then followed in office: William Peck, Dr. Joseph Bloodgood, Dr. Asa Spalding, Francis Bloodgood, Charles W. Cox.
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FLUSHING'S NEW LIFE
The year that brought the post-office to the village was also marked by the experiment of running a small steam- boat between New York and Flushing. In the following year, a boat built expressly for the route began regular daily trips. She was the Linnaeus, commanded by Capt. Jona- than Peck. 10
1823
1826
St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church had its beginning in 1826. There were then but twelve members of that Church in Flushing. They invited the Rev. Father Farn- ham, of Brooklyn, to visit Flushing and minister to their spiritual needs. He came and celebrated the first Mass in October of this year, in a building in Main street. Some time after this, in 1835, a house in Liberty street was pur- chased, and fitted up for public worship. The Rev. Michael Curran and the Rev. Felix Larkin, of Astoria, held service here once a month. This building was twice enlarged, and answered the needs of the congregation for a number of years.
This year was also an important one for Flushing's edu- cational interests. In the fall of this year, the Rev. Wil- liam A. Muhlenberg became the Rector of St. George's
10 The Linnaeus ran for ten years. She was followed by the Flushing, Capt. Curtis Peck; the Statesman, Capt. Elijah Peck ; the Star, Capt. Elijah Peck; the Washington Irving, Capt. Stephen Leonard; the Island Star, Capt. Silas Reynolds ; the Enoch Dean, Capt. William Reynolds. Mandeville, p. 72.
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HISTORY OF FLUSHING
Church. 11 He took rooms in the Pavilion hotel. One day at dinner he overheard some gentlemen discussing the sub- ject of building a boys' school in Flushing. He joined in the conversation and quite without premeditation said that if they would put up a suitable building, he would undertake the management of the school. He thought little more about the subject, and was surprised to receive a visit from the gentlemen that evening. They came to accept his pro- position. The Flushing Institute was incorporated, the corner-stone was laid, Aug. 11, 1827, and the school began 1828 its first session in the spring of the following year. The Institute was a success from the start. Mr. Muhlenberg was unusually happy in his management of boys and had the faculty of soon winning their confidence and respect. 12
11 Some of our well-known hymns-such as "Like Noah's weary dove, " "Saviour who Thy flock art feeding, " and probably "Shout the glad tidings"-were written by Mr. Muhlenberg, during the first few months of his resi- dence in Flushing. Muhlenberg's Life, p. 83.
12 "In their griefs, who so tender and sympathizing as he! One of the younger boys, son of Francis S. Key, author of the 'Star Spangled Banner,' was under Mr. Muhlenberg's care when his father died. Tidings of the event came late in the day, with a request for the boy to be sent home the next morning. 'Never, if you can help it, tell bad news at night,' was a life-long maxim with Mr. Muhlenberg, and the little fellow was allowed to retire undisturbed with the rest, while the devoted school-father attended himself to the arrangements necessary for an early morning start."
"He could exercise a little muscular Christianity at need. One of the students attempted a practical joke upon
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FLUSHING'S NEW LIFE
He pursued the policy of trusting the boys and placing them on their honor. It is said that he always wore rather heavy and creaking boots, that he might not appear at any time to steal upon the boys unawares.
At this stage of our history we must refer to the split that occurred in the Friends' Meeting. It is not within the scope of this work to discuss the causes that led to it. Suffice it to say that at the yearly meeting, in 1829, certain members of the meeting separated themselves from the others and established the "Orthodox" Meeting. The old Meeting-house was retained by that portion of the society which was henceforth known as the "Hicksites." At a monthly meeting held in Flushing, 7th day, 3rd month, 1829, the committee that had been appointed to collect the names of all the members belonging to the meeting, i. e. the Hicksite meeting, reported that there were seven men, sixteen women, and eleven minors, in all thirty-four, "who have attached themselves to the society that separated
himself, by walking into his chamber at midnight, in the regulation, long, white bed gown, as a somnambulist. Mr. Muhlenberg instantly penetrated the disguise, and springing out of bed grappled the youth tightly and drew him to the wash-stand, where stood a large ewer full of water, the whole contents of which he discharged upon his head. The discomfited lad slank away as he could. He had anticipated great fun in telling his comrades the next morning how finely he had scared the Rector." Muhlen- berg's Life, pp 105. 122.
1829
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HISTORY OF FLUSHING
during the yearly meeting." Two men and one woman were undecided to which meeting they would attach themselves. Twenty-seven men, forty-two women, forty-two minors, in all one hundred and eleven remained "attached to this monthly meeting. "13 The Orthodox Quakers built a Meeting-house just east of the old Meeting-house. The Orthodox meeting is now extinct ; the Hicksite meeting is very small.
1835
The Institute continued to flourish, but Dr. Muhlenberg -he received his degree about this time-was of a restless disposition, and was always planning something new. He now entertained visions of a thoroughly equipped college. To realize these, he bought one hundred seventy-five acres 1836 of land at Strattonport and on Oct. 15, 1836, laid the corner-stone of what was designed to be an extensive struc- ture, to cost about $50,000. But the building never rose above the basement story. The panic of 1837 deprived him of the assistance of friends on whom he had relied. A wooden building was put up, in which the Grammar School was opened in 1837. Temporary buildings were erected for the College, and St. Paul's College was opened, with a full corps of professors, in 1838. The school at the Flushing In- stitute was now moved to College Point, as that locality was thereafter called.
1838
13 Records of the Monthly Meetings.
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FLUSHING'S NEW LIFE
The same home-like sympathy between Rector and pupils, that marked the school life of the Institute was maintained at St. Paul's College. The Doctor wrote hymns and carols, composed music for them and led the pupils in singing. The well-known Christmas carol, "Carol, brothers, carol," was composed at this time. 14
The college flourished until 1844, when Dr. Muhlenberg moved to New York to become Rector of the Church of the Holy Communion.
14 The following statistics of the college were reported, Jan. 13, 1840: "Number of students, 105; volumes in Libra- ries, 7,000; value of property, $70,000: annual cost of salaries of professors and instructors, 89,000."
Muhlenberg's Life, p. 141.
: 1
CHAPTER XVIII MODERN FLUSHING
We are now approaching the end of our story, and shall 1837 hereafter confine ourselves to the Village of Flushing. The Village was incorporated, April 15, 1837. The Gazetteer of the State of New York, published the year before, describes Flushing as a village of about one hundred and forty dwel- lings, "some of which are neat and several magnificent." There were then in Flushing: one Episcopal Church; two Methodist Churches, "one for white and the other for colored worshippers ;"' two Quaker Meetings; "the Flush- ing Institute ; a respectable Seminary for ladies1; six ex- tensive stores ; three hotels ; one tide grist-mill; the exten- sive and celebrated garden and nursery of Messrs. Prince, known as the Linnean Garden." Two sloops belonged to the village; a steamboat ran twice a day to New York; stages ran to Brooklyn. The Gazetteer adds: "The facility of conveyance, the attractiveness of the Linnean Garden,
1 Kept by Joshua Kimber, who had succeeded Lindley Murray Moore in 1827. Mr. Kimber's school occupied the house that still stands just west of the old Meeting-house.
1
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MODERN FLUSHING
the delightful voyage, whether by land or water, make this a favorite place of resort to citizens of New York. "2
The village boundary line began at the creek, just beyond the bridge on the College Point causeway, and ran east, crossing Whitestone avenue about three hundred feet beyond Bayside avenue-just including the Osgood property. At a point near the junction of Bayside avenue and Parsons avenue, the line turned south, and ran to the corner of San- ford avenue and Long Lane (now S. Parsons avenue). From this corner, which marked the farthest 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 Jaggar homestead (now Captain Hinman's). Sanford avenue was not open below Jamaica avenue. Bowne avenue was the street farthest east. Long · Lane began at the village limits, and ran south. Jaggar avenue was a private lane leading from Main street to the Jaggar house ; Lincoln street was then called Liberty street ; Amity street was not opened, neither was Locust street east of Main. 3 A tide mill, kept by William Hamilton, stood at
2 Gazetteer of the State of New York, p. 635.
3 North Prince street was not opened until 1841. It was first called Linnean street. Furman says: "In the month of July, 1841, eleven human skeletons were unearthed, in excavating the ground to run a road through the Linnean Garden. . . The place where they were found has been for
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HISTORY OF FLUSHING
.
the bridge on the College Point causeway. There were no houses northeast of the Park, except a few which stood in large country places, such as those of Walter Farrington and Samuel B. Parsons, on Broadway, and Silas Hicks, Henry Mitchell and Howard Osgood, on Whitestone avenue. On the west side of Main street, the Redwood property extended from the L. I. Railway Station to Amity street. On the east side, the Wright property was on the corner of Madison street ; next came the Institute; then the Leggett property and the Garretson property. 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 on 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;4 the school house was on the lot now occupied by the Empire Hose Company's building, in Lincoln street. The population of the village was less than two thousand.
fifty years used as a horticultural nursery. They were within a circle of thirty feet, their heads all lay to the east, and some nails and musket balls were found with them." Long Island Antiquities, p. 98.
4 The old Town Hall was removed to Bridge street after the erection of the new Town Hall, in 1864, and has since been used as a shop. It is now occupied by Joseph Crooker.
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MODERN FLUSHING
Soon after Dr. Muhlenberg had moved his school to College Point, a girls' school was established at the Flush- ing Institute, and the name of the building was changed to St. Ann's Hall. The Rev. Dr. Frederick Schroeder was the Principal of this new school. Among other attractions, St. Ann's Hall was provided with "a gymnasium, with a great variety of alluring calesthenic exercises, a hippodrome for horsemanship, nine hundred feet in circumference, and archery grounds extending the whole length of the garden and the hippodrome."
St. Thomas's Hall-a school for boys-was built this same year. It stood where St. Joseph's Academy now stands. The Rev. Francis L. Hawks, D. D., was the Prin- cipal and Proprietor. He was assisted by fourteen instruc- tors. The school had accommodations for one hundred and twenty pupils. The chapel was spoken of as "one of the most beautiful in the country."
Flushing was busy at this time not only with educa- tional matters ; religious affairs also claimed the attention of the people. A new Church, the Protestant Reformed Dutch Church was organized, with seven members. Services were held, after the organization, in the school house in Church street, the Rev. William R. Gordon, of Manhasset, officiating. Mr. Gordon was afterwards settled here as the
1839
1842
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HISTORY OF FLUSHING
first Pastor of the Church. Two years later, the congrega- tion built a very attractive stone church, on the corner of Washington and S. Prince streets, at a cost of $12,000.5
This year witnessed the beginning of Flushing journal- ism. To Charles R. Lincoln is due the credit of beginning this important work. The first periodical printed in Flush- ing was the Monthly Journal of the Institute, issued by the Institute during Dr. Muhlenberg's time, but this had no connection with subsequent journalism in Flushing. Mr. Lincoln came to Flushing, in 1840, to publish the Reposi- tory, edited by the students of St. Thomas's Hall, and The Church Record, edited by the Rev. Dr. Hawks in the in- terest of the Episcopal Church. The Repository was pub- lished about a year and a half.' The Church Record con- tinued about six months longer. Then Mr. Lincoln estab- lished the Flushing Journal. The first number appeared in October, 1842. This was a specimen number. Its regular weekly issue, did not appear until March of the fow-
5 The corner stone was laid, Aug. 16, 1843. There were present on this occasion and taking part in the service the Rev. Drs. De Witte and Brownlee, of New York, and the Rev. Dr. Garretson of Newtown. Mr. Gordon's successors in the Pastorate of the Church were: Rev. G. H. Mandeville, 1851 ; Rev. William W. Holloway, 1859: Rev. E. S. Fairchild, 1865; Rev. O. E. Cobb, D. D., 1872 : Rev. James Demarest, D.D., 1890; Rev. Rockwell H. Potter, 1898. The new Re- formed Church, at the corner of Amity street and Bowne avenue, was built in 1892.
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