Banished Bowne
In the mid-1600s, in the colony of Flushing, lived an Englishman named John Bowne, who opened his kitchen to Quakers left with no place of worship after all religion, except for the Dutch Reform religion, was banished. Bowne’s congregation was discovered, causing him to be exiled. After two years, he returned to Flushing, bringing with him religious freedom to all who lived in the colony. His house still stands at 37th Avenue and Bowne Street.
Gleason Gets the Axe
Never has there been quite as colorful a mayor in Long Island City as there was in 1886, when Patrick Jerome “Battle Axe” Gleason rose to power. This short-tempered man earned the nickname after he attacked the Long Island Railroad Company, by chopping down a fence it erected with an axe and destroying its ticket office. After various criminal acts, including having the most corrupt administration in the history of New York, Gleason was bankrupt and troubled until his death in 1901.
Striving for Civil Rights
A supreme Civil Rights leader marked the end of an era when he died in 1981, after serving as the executive secretary of the NAACP for 22 years. Roy Wilkins, who spent the last 30 years of his life in Queens, was deeply involved in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, making him part of the reshaping the this nation.
Captivating King
Rufus King, one of the greatest patriots of the 18th century, captivated Queens with his speeches opposing slavery. King, who served as a United States senator from New York twice, first in 1788 and again in 1803, denounced slavery openly and excited crowds with his impassioned orations. The meticulous note-taker and fervent speaker bought a long Island manor in 1805, now called King Manor, and died in Queens in 1827.
Park Party
The parks of Queens, which are loved and appreciated in the concrete forest that is New York City, are the creation of a visionary named Robert Moses, who in 1932 turned a garbage dump into Queens’ most beloved spot, Flushing Meadow Corona Park. Moses, who was appointed the Parks Commissioner, brought greenery and nature back into Queens. Among the projects Moses launched are Alley Pond and MacNeil Parks, LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports, Rochdale and Parkway Villages, the Throgs Neck Bridge, the Jackie Robinson Parkway and the Long Island Expressway.
Lewis for Liberty
After arriving from Wales in 1734, Francis Lewis, after whom a Fresh Meadows high school was named, became part of a major Revolution against Britain. The Whitestone resident was one of the first to join the Sons of Liberty and took part in the movement toward independence, signing the Declaration of Independence.
Hotel Heat
The Crocheron Hotel, located at what is now Crocheron Avenue by Little Neck Bay, had wealthy patrons. Among them was “Boss” Tweed of Tammany Hall fame, who fled there after breaking out of jail until he escaped to Cuba. As if paying for Tweed’s crime, the hotel burned down twice, in 1881 and 1907, leaving only a few reminders, including an oil painting of Tweed. The hotel was never rebuilt because the owner’s fire insurance had expired a month before the 1907 fire.
Eclectic Electchester
Affordable housing made its way into Queens after labor leader Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. saw its necessity. Van Arsdale, who incorporated a diversity of trades into the Local 3 Electric Workers Union, led the building of low cost housing in what is now Electchest and Pomonok in Flushing. To honor Van Arsdale, a portion of Jewel Avenue was named after him in September 1988.
