In 17th century Queens, real estate was easier to come by than real freedom.

Having carefully surveyed the topography and the geology of the land, in 1661 a Flushing man chose the site on which he would later lay the foundation for the Bill of Rights. He also built a house.

Over 300 years later, the freedom is taken for granted, and the man is nearly forgotten.

What survives is the Bowne House, the oldest standing structure in Queens. But in the eyes of many local historians, the wooden house that once symbolized the triumphant struggle for religious freedom, now symbolizes the thankless struggle of historic preservation.

John Bowne’s battle with Peter Stuyvesant for the rights of following generations to worship as they pleased is an important chapter in our nation’s history. Bowne defied Stuyvesant’s edict prohibiting any religious observances other than those sanctioned by the Dutch Reformed Church. Two Quakers preaching in the street were arrested and exiled to Rhode Island, according to one historical account. Other Quakers were arrested on similar charges.

Bowne, though not a Quaker, allowed a group of Quakers to worship in his house in support of the Flushing Remonstrance, a document signed in 1657 by the people of Flushing recognizing people’s rights to freedom of religion.

As a result, he was arrested and deported.

Fortunately, the Dutch government was sympathetic to his cause and upheld the Flushing Remonstrance. It is, to this day, considered the precursor to America’s Declaration of Independence.

After John, nine subsequent generations of Bownes lived at the house. Stocked with original furnishings, the house provides a tour through the Bowne family’s presence in Queens - and on its streets. As you walk from room to room, you can see how the house took shape and changed over the years. In some ways more welcoming than an ordinary museum, the house seems to invite the visitor to sit down for a colonial feast.

But what remains a vibrant presence in our history books, is barely even a footnote in the collective consciousness of the community.

Some historians fear that the borough’s most important historic site, a "shrine to religious freedom in America," has lost its relevance to the people.

Much of the blame is placed on the management of the house, the Bowne House Historical Society. Last year, the board’s inability to raise the necessary funds to maintain and promote the house, as well as their inability to agree on the financial direction which to take the landmark site, prompted Borough Pres. Claire Shulman to intervene.

Four board members resigned, and the conflicts were said to have been resolved. But for Queens historian Jeffrey Kroessler the problems facing the house come less out of mismanagement of finances than they do from mismanagement of philosophy.

"In 1957, hundreds of people came to the Bowne House from all over the country to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Flushing Remonstrance," said Kroessler. "Now it is hardly ever open."

Currently the house is open for two hours, three days a week, offering guided tours which concentrate more on everyday life in the 17th century than on the dramatic events which unfolded in the 17th century living room.

"For too long the focus has been on quaint old colonial New York, instead of the much greater message that this house has to symbolize," said Kroessler. "The integrity of the collection of artifacts may have been compromised, but none of that matters unless we connect it to the story of religious freedom."

The Bowne House, perhaps the most important stop along the "Flushing Freedom Mile," is in much poorer condition than its counterparts. Jo Ann Jones, who was in large part responsible for transforming the dilapidated Flushing Town Hall into the neighborhood’s premiere cultural and community meeting place, says that proper management makes all of the difference.

"The Bowne House needs better leadership," she said. "In order to be successful, there has to be a concerted effort on the part of the director and the board."

In a borough of "best kept secrets" the members of the Bowne House Board invoke the phrase like a mantra. And while secrecy maintains the house’s integrity and protects the house from commercial ventures, it can potentially become the downfall of historic preservation. According to Queens historian Dan Donahue, this is the principal problem facing all historic preservation.

"Any non-profit organization has to determine what makes it relevant," said Donahue. "Without making it relevant to the modern day, they are in danger of losing their constituency. [The current tour of the Bowne House] is like visiting Gettysburg and not learning about the battle."

Donahue contends that there are many private organizations that would be interested in investing in a shrine to religious freedom. "Perhaps Quaker Oats would be interested in supporting the Bowne House," joked Donahue.

Byron Saunders, executive director of the Queens Historical Society, contends that one shouldn’t be too quick to laugh at suggestions like the "Quaker Oats Bowne House."