Queens Tribune

Community members are rallying to preserve borough relics that reside right beneath their feet.

The millstones – two large masses of grooved rock dating back to the 1650s that served as the colonial mechanism to grind grain into flour – are widely considered the oldest European artifacts in Queens. The two stones, housed in the pavement in Queens Plaza, are being unearthed from their current dwelling and relocated, leaving many local historians with a long list of concerns.

The two historical artifacts have been on a long journey in the past few centuries moving from a Dutch Kills gristmill to refuge in front of the home of a family that fought to preserve them and then, finally, to the spot they have inhabited since the early 1900s, entrenched in the traffic islands at the always-bustling Queens Plaza among a sea of cars, trucks and traffic.

Bob Singleton, a trustee of the Greater Astoria Historical Society, spoke highly of spot, saying it serves as a unique junction of cutting-edge enterprise past and present –the millstones mark the merger of industry in the 1600s and 1700s with the emerging railroads of the 19th century, the rise of commercial growth in Queens and the industrial age that ensued into the 20th century.

“I don’t know of any other place where you can stand in one spot and look around you and see 350 years of what made our city great,” Singleton said.

Until recently, the stones remained in this unlikely spot, undisturbed and mostly unnoticed, but an expansive remodeling of Queens Plaza by the city’s Economic Development Corp. means another move for the approximately 350-year-old stone relics.

Already, one of the millstones has been dislodged from the ground and is in a storage crate on the construction site. The other, which is supposedly badly damaged, is still cemented into the ground but will soon be removed as construction continues.

Singleton said preservationists across the borough are concerned about the millstones’ safety on a construction site and their possible deterioration if not cared for properly.

The GAHS is attempting to take advantage of the millstones’ displacement and suggests providing the millstones a temporary indoor home. Until the stones are placed in a new location, the GAHS is proposing an educational exhibit open to the public and having the stones examined by specialists to learn more about their origins.

Lastly, the GAHS is fighting to ensure that when the millstones are relocated again, they are installed in a way that will maintain their historical integrity and be placed in a location that will protect the colonial artifacts from vandalism and the elements. The GAHS is seeking public input in determining the best site for the millstones to be placed.

Economic Development Corp. spokeswoman Janel Patterson said the EDC is completely aware of the millstones’ historic significance. “They are secured at the site and we are exploring longer-term storage,” she said.

Patterson said the plan to permanently install the millstones into the public open space is a major feature of the Queens Plaza renovation.

Singleton said the overwhelming consensus remains that the stones should stay in the community and be relocated somewhere in or around Queens Plaza but there are many “open questions” concerning placement and security.

Also, the society is in the application process to make the millstones an official New York City Designated Landmark.

Singleton said the millstones are a tangible reminder of New York City’s rise to greatness and he is pleased so many have taken a keen interest in protecting them.

“I feel very, very gratified that there is such passion and interest in our community’s history,” he said. “The worst thing is to have apathy and indifference, and you can’t say that about the Astoria/Long Island City community.”

To make suggestions about the fate of the millstones, email astorialic@gmail.com. Reach Reporter Kaitlyn Kilmetis at kkilmetis@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.