Bayside shopping, history, things to do, history of bayside queens

Early Bayside
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The history of early Bayside is closely identifed with that of Flushing. The earliest known inhabitants of Northeast Queens — Bayside, Flushing, Douglaston and Little Neck — were the Matinecock Indians, one of the thirteen tribes on Long Island. They were a numerous and prosperous tribe who engaged in hunting and fishing Their prime industry, however, was the manufacture of wampum, which is a type of small cylindrical bead made from white or purple seashells. The shells were found in the bays and inlets of the north shore of Long Island, and were of superior quality. They were highly prized by the Indians who lived in interior areas. They used the beads to make necklaces, or wove them into belts of considerable beauty. The Indians attached a mystical power to the beads. They were used not only to decorate clothing, but also for other purposes — to honor a noble deed, to seal a contract, to pay tribute, and for other symbolic reasons. It is generally believed that wampum was used as monetary exchange, but the Indians did not use it as such until the practice was introduced by the Dutch sometime later.

1639
The Dutch Governor, William Kieft, purchased all the land that today encompasses Queens County from the Indians.

1645
The town of Flushing was founded on October 10, 1645. The Governor signed a charterwhich conveyed tracts of land to eighteen settlers, most of them English, who had requested the protection of Governor Kieft. The "certain quantity or parcel of land" extended from Flushing Creek to the western shore of Matagarison's (Little Neck) Bay. Thus, Bayside, then an un-named locality, became the eastern boundary of Flushing - - "Vlissingen", as it was called by the Dutch. Two of the patentees were brothers, John and William Lawrence, who had emigrated from England in 1635. William was only twenty-two years old. He received the largest grant. It encompassed a large portion of what is today Bayside, in addition to a section of Tue's Neck (College Point) and an unknown amount of land in the town of Flushing. The land acquired by the new settlers was still wilderness, so it was probably for protection that they clustered together on their "home-lots" in the village. In the early eighteenth century, the first Lawrence homestead was built in Bayside. Joseph, son of the deceased William, received an extensive tract of land along Little Neck Bay as a legacy from his mother. Thirteen generations of Lawrences were to live on that tract of land overlooking the bay.

The Lawrence famiIy was a dominating force in colonial history. WilIiam, one of the wealthiest men in the colonies, served as a magistrate under Dutch and English rules. His brother John was Mayor of the City under both rules, and served as Justice of the Supreme Court from 1693 until his death in 1699. An eighteenth century descendant, John Lawrence, was appointed Judge-Advocate for the trial of the British spy Major John Andre. Another descendant was the famous naval hero, Captain James Lawrence, who lost his life in the conflict of 1813. During the fierce battle between his ship, the Chesapeake, and the British ship, the Shannon, he was mortally wounded. As he lay dying, he gave his last command, "Don't give up the ship!"

Bayside's last tangible link with colonial history is the Lawrence Cemetery. located at 216th Street and 42nd Avenue. The land is part of the original grant received by William from Governor Kieft in 1645. Among those buried there are Cornelius VanWyck Lawrence, Mayor of New York City (1834-37), Judge Effingham Lawrence and eleven of his twelve children, one of whom was Joseph, an editor of the San Francisco newspaper, the "Golden Era". Joseph was credited with discovering the authors Bret Harte and Mark Twain.

The Alley
Until 1824 there were no bridges over the Flushing River or at the head of Little Neck Bay, where Northern Boulevard is today. For those who travelled from New York City to eastern Long Island, it was necessary to go around the water on a street called Alley Road.The road ran through the area known as "The Alley", between the water and the hill to the south. Today, the Long Island Expressway Service Road is there.

1821
A small settlement, known as the Alley Pond Trading Post was located at the roadside close to the pond. It provided for the needs of local farmers with a general store, grist-mill, and blacksmith shop. It was also the site of Flushing's first post office, which was officially called "The Alley Post Office". From 1821 until 1826, Postmaster Samuel Barnum presided over his mail in a corner of Benjamin Loweree's store. Then, the post office moved to Flushing.

When the railroad came to Long Island, the commercial development of Bayside, Little Neck and Douglaston began. The importance of the Alley settlement waned. By the time the Cross Island Parkway and Long Island Expressway were built, the buildings were in disrepair. They were finalIy demolished. Today, the land and its history are incorporated into Alley Pond Park.

1776-1783
By the middle of the eighteenth century, early settlers left their home-lots in Flushing proper, and ventured forth to develop a thriving farming community, Bay Side. The Revolutionary War brought an end to the peaceful era. The opinions of the citizens were divided, and the Quakers were opposed to any participation. The loss of the Long Island campaign brought many British troops to the area. Officers were billeted in many private homes of reluctant owners. The Bayside-Little Neck area suffered from raids by whaleboatmen from the Connecticut shores. On one of the raids, the Talman house was attacked and the miller was killed. The winter of 1780/81 was extremely severe. To meet the emergency, Queens County was ordered to furnish 4,500 cords of wood for the British garrison in New York City. A heavy penalty was imposed if the supply came up short.

1789
The house of Jeremiah Vanderbilt, the town clerk, was set on fire by a disgruntled servant and burned to the ground. The servant vas later hung for the deed. The town records were lost (with the exception of those kept in Albany).

1824
Whitehead Hicks lived in a small eventeenth century house, located on the hore of the Little Neck Bay. He was the last of he English Mayors of New York City, having erved eleven one-year terms from 1766 to 1776. Abraham Bell, a wealthy shipping mer:hant purchased almost 300 acres of Bayside land from him and used the house as his residence for several years until a larger home could be built. In 1849, he erected a grand lome on Bell Avenue, where Hatton's Funeral 'arlor is today. For more than one hundred years, the Bell family was well known in the community. Eliza, wife of Thomas Bell, was one of the founders of Swarthmore College, in Pennsylvania.

1842
The first public school in town was a one-room building located near 48th Avenue and 21 6th Street. Itwas on farm property owned by James O'Donnell. With the increase in the farming population, the school was outgrown. In 1859, a larger two room school was built a short distance north of the original school, on land leased by William Titus. In 1895, the school was enlarged and modernized. The old two-room schoolhouse was then used as an auditorium. In 1898, with the consolidation of the five boroughs, the old union free school became PS 31.

1857
The property known as Willets Point was acquired by the government in 1857. Construction of Fort Totten began in 1862. Fortifications were built for protection against possible raids by Confederate ships during the Civil War. Two years later, work on the fortifications was discontinued. In 1870, Fort Totten became the first Engineers Depot in the United States. Today, it serves as our country's largest reserve center, the 77th RCS. On the grounds of Fort Totten is the Officers' Club, headquarters of the Bayside Historical Society.

1864
In memory of Captain William Dermody, an abolitionist Civil War veteran, a boulder with the inscription "For a better U nion, 1861-1865", has been placed in a triangular park, located at 21 6th Street and 48th Avenue. To commemorate Dermody's patriotic concerns, the Bayside Historial Society holds a service each Memorial Day at the Park.
1866
After the Civil War, farmlands continued to flourish. Bayside remained an agricultural community. During the next decade, the Titus farm was sold to the Bayside Land Association for development. The railroad replaced the stagecoach in the 1880's.

1870
Two Bayside residents, John Straiton and Congressman Frederick Storm owned a small cigarfactory, which was the town's only industry. The building still stands at the northeast corner of Bell Boulevard and 43 Avenue.

1890
The Bayside Volunteer Fire Department was organized. Its model was a group called "The Prowlers", which dated back to 1648. At the time, Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of NE Netherland was concerned for the safety of wooden chimneys, and instructed the Prowlers to patrol the streets each night to guard against fire. Bayside's first fire alarm was a simple large steel hoop which was struck by a sledge hammer. The sound alerted the men in the fields. In 1924, as the population increased, the Fire Department was taken over by the City. The volunteers served their community for more than thirty years.

1898
The five boroughs of New York were consolidated.

Crocheron Park
Developed in 1935, and located at 214th Lane and 35th Avenue, it is considered one of the prettiest parks in the City. The location of the park is famous in the annals of New York City as the site of the Crocheron Hotel. A hotel was purchased in 1868 by Joseph Crocheron, well known at the time as a horse racer. The old site, located at the base of Bay Road (Crocheron Avenue) was famous for its clambakes. Visitors from the city were more than willing to travel here by coach for the feasts. When William Marcy (Boss) Tweed escaped from jail, the it was rumored that the Crocheron Hotel was his hideout. In 1907, the hotel was destroyed by fire. The City acquired the property in 1924.

John Golden Park
Located at 21 5th Place and 32nd Avenue, the last owner of this once beautiful estate was john Golden, a noted theatrical producer. "Three Wise Fools", "Seventh Heaven", and "Lightnin"' were among his productions. "Lightnin' " starred Frank Bacon, who also resided in Bayside. The show was Golden's great success. The property was originally part of the land grant received by William Lawrence. The estate was owned by many well-known persons including Clay Greene and Pearl White, queen of the movie serials, notably "Perils of Pauline". After her divorce, Pearl White sold the property to John Golden. Golden hosted on a yearly basis, an extravaganza titled "Bayside is a Harmonious Town". All of Bayside would be invited to the estate for an outdoor celebration. Mr. Golden bequeathed the property to the City, stipulating that it should become a park, especially for the use of young children.

214-50 33rd Avenue
Owners of this charming turn-of-the-century house said that it was at one time a general store on the grounds of what is today, Crocheron Park. The ceilings of the house are extremely low, characteristic of an earlier age. There is a fireplace in both the dining room and living room.

32-02 214th Place
This former coach-house was part of the Weeks homestead. In 1917, it was converted into a residence by Miss Grace Weeks. Her father, Henry Clay Weeks, was the Secretary of the American Society for the Extermination of Mosquitoes, which later merged with the American Society of History. He was associated with the construction of some of the largest buildings in New York City.

33-16 214th Place
This interesting U-shaped house is believed to be the first prefabricated house in Bayside. It is a product of the Hodgson Company.

214-33 33rd Road
Long known as the Cornell-Appleton house, Archibald Cornell's wife inherited the onehundred acre farm from her father more than 160 years ago. This twelve-room house is thought to be one of the oldest in Bayside. With past and continuing research, it has been traced back to 1852. In 1905, the house was sold to Edward Dale Appleton, of the Appleton Publishing Company. An interesting note: Mrs. Appleton and her sister were passengers aboard the Titanic when it hit an iceberg and sank. Both women were rescued by the ship Carpathia.

29-26 216th Street:
This house, built in 1906, is located in the area known as Bayside Park, the former site of the George Bradish farm. There have been at least 10 owners through the years, perhaps most glamorous of all was Ned Wayburn, the man who staged the final editions of "The Ziegfield Follies". Mr. Wayburn also staged over five hundred reviews, musical comedies and vaudeville attractions. The architectural style is Colonial Revival, which was in fashion at the turn of the century.

In the early 1900's Bayside experienced an influx of famous Broadway and movie stars, who had discovered that the pretty village was a place to call home while they worked at the Astoria or Beechurst Studios or performed on Broadway.

42-34 209th Street
Long before she became known as "the dowager queen of the American screen and stage", actress May Robson lived here. Her career was at its height during the 1 920's. Later, she was recognized for her portrayal of Aunt Polly in the 1938 version of "Tom Sawyer". Miss Robson and her second husband, Dr. Augustus Brown, a police surgeon, lived on Montauk (40th) Avenue. After his death in 1920, she returned to HolIywood .

42-36 209th Street
Alan Dale (born Alfred Cohen), a prominent highly controversial Broadway drama critic, designed this house. He was a regular contributor to "Cosmopolitan" and other magazines; he also authored more than a dozen books and a play, which was forced to close by the police. Built in 1911, the two-story rotunda once housed an ornate fountain and life-sized statue of a young nymph. During the mid-nineteen twenties, the family of Dr. Albert Schweitzer stayed here. Harry von Zell, M.C. for the "Burn

Schools
Fran Berger of Berger Real Estate points out that Bayside is also a great find because it is a safe area and is in the best community school district not only in Queens and in all of New York City, District 26 (grades K-9), the highest performing school district in New York City. According the district's website, its 20 elementary schools and 5 middle/junior high schools serve a total of 17,063 students, of which about 9% are English Language Learners (ELL). Bayside's Benjamin N. Cardozo High School is the top neighborhood high school in New York City. Betsy Pilling of Pilling Real Estate, who grew up in the neighborhood and still lives there, says, "I never thought I'd put my kids in public school. All three are there."
Also in Bayside is CUNY's Queensborough Community College, which has an exceptional art gallery. Read about Queensborough's Art Gallery housed in the historic Oakland Building.

Shopping/Dining/Nightlife
The shops and restaurants are mainly concentrated on the main thoroughfares of Bell Boulevard, Francis Lewis Boulevard, and Northern Boulevard. Many of the shops along Bell have been in the same families for generations, which is one reason that Pilling says Bayside is a great Queens community where people actually know one another. In northern Bayside on Bell Boulevard is the Bay Terrace Shopping Center with a great Waldbaums and popular stores like Gap and Barnes and Noble. There are many bars on and near Bell Boulevard that draw crowds from neighboring towns.

Famous Residents
In the heyday of nearby Astoria Studios (1920s and 1930s), Bayside lured such stars as W. C. Fields (Sally of the Sawdust was filmed in Bayside), Buster Keaton, John Barrymore, Irving Berlin, Norma Talmadge, and Rudolph Valentino. "Gentleman" Jim Corbett, the world heavyweight champ from 1892 to 1897, retired in Bayside. Later, Paul Newman and all-star pitcher Tom Seaver called Bayside home. Perry Farrell, lead singer of Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros, was from the neighborhood as well.

Historical Bits
Originally inhabited by the Matinecock Indians, Bayside was settled by the English in the late 17th century, soon after Flushing was established. Its name comes from its location on Little Neck Bay. Francis Lewis Boulevard is named after a signer of the Declaration of Independence who lived in Bayside.