Historic House Trust Festival, Queens Borough

The Bowne House is a fine example of mid-17th-century Anglo-Dutch architecture with an exceptional collection of furnishings, but its true magic is its story. The house was built by John Bowne, a prominent Quaker and advocate of religious freedom, who emigrated from England to Boston in 1649 and eventually settled in Flushing, Queens. The contributions of this family to New York City’s heritage began with the courageous actions of John Bowne (1627-1695), who used the house as the first indoor meeting place for the Society of Friends, at a time when religious diversity was forbidden by law.

The Bowne family prospered in America and became businessmen, educators, politicians, and horticulturists. Robert Bowne (1744-1818) founded Bowne & Co., a financial printing company that is still in existence today, and championed free education for all New Yorkers. Walter Bowne (1770-1846), founder of the Union Engine Company, served as mayor of New York City from 1829-1833. Samuel Parsons Jr. (1844 – 1923) was the head landscape architect for New York City and served as Superintendent of City Parks. During his career he partnered with Calvert Vaux to create Christopher Street Park, Abingdon Square, and the iconic Washington Memorial Arch in Washington Square Park.

In 2009, the Bowne House Historical Society donated the house to the City’s Parks Department and it became the 23rd member of the Historic House Trust. The three organizations are now partnering on a phased restoration of the house, construction of a visitor’s center, archeological investigation of the site, and redevelopment of the surrounding park to represent the rich horticultural history of Flushing.

Bowne House is owned by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, operated by the Bowne House Historical Society, and is a member of the Historic House Trust.

Bowne House
Weeping Beech Park
37-01 Bowne Street
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 359-0528
BowneHouse.org

Hours
Currently closed to the public for restoration.

Directions
Subway: #7 to Main Street, Flushing. Walk two blocks east on Roosevelt Avenue to Bowne Street, turn left and walk 2 blocks to 37th Avenue.

It was built circa 1785 for Charles Doughty, the son of Benjamin Doughty, a wealthy Quaker who purchased land on the old turnpike in Flushing. The two-and-a-half-story Homestead was built in a style once common in the area – the Long Island half-house. The name “Kingsland” derives from Doughty’s son-in-law, British sea captain Joseph King, who bought the house in 1801.

Captain King’s daughter Mary married Lindley Murray of Manhattan’s Murray Hill family. After her husband’s death, Mary King Murray moved back to Kingsland with her four children. Descendants of the original families continued to live in the house until the 1920s.

In 1968, the Kingsland Preservation Committee saved the house from demolition and moved it to its present location in Weeping Beech Park. The park had been the nursery of famed 19th-century horticulturalist Samuel Bowne Parsons, who, in 1847, planted the first weeping beech tree in America in the park. This landmark tree survived for 151 years, and today seven direct descendants continue to shade Kingsland Homestead and their namesake park.

The Queens Historical Society organizes local history exhibitions in the first floor rooms where a permanent exhibit on the Homestead and its people is also on display. An archive and library of primary and secondary source materials covering the 300-year history of Queens is available by appointment. Public programs offered by the Society include tours, talks, and concerts.

Kingsland Homestead is owned and operated by the Queens Historical Society and is a member of the Historic House Trust.

Kingsland Homestead
Weeping Beech Park
143-35 37th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 939-0647

Directions
Subway: #7 to Main Street, Flushing.
Walk two blocks east on Roosevelt Avenue to Bowne Street, turn left and walk to Margaret Carman Green, walk through the park to Kingsland Homestead on the left.
Bus: Q12, 14, 15, 17, 26, 27, 44, 48, 65, or 66 to Main St.; Q13 or 28 to Parsons Blvd. & Northern Blvd.

Hours
Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday, 2:30pm - 4:30pm, and by appointment.

Admission
Adults $3;
Students & Seniors $2.

Rental
This Museum is not available to rent

The Lewis H. Latimer House is a modest Queen Anne-style, wood-frame suburban residence constructed between 1887 and 1889 by the Sexton family. Lewis Howard Latimer, an African-American inventor and electrical pioneer and the son of fugitive slaves, lived in the house from 1903 until his death in 1928. The house remained in the Latimer family until 1963. Threatened with demolition, the house was moved from Holly Avenue to its present location in 1988.

Lewis H. Latimer, who was born in 1848, was determined to overcome his lack of formal education and taught himself mechanical drawing while in the Union Navy and became an expert draftsman. He worked with three of the greatest scientific inventors in American history, including Alexander Graham Bell, Hiram S. Maxim, and Thomas Alva Edison. He played a critical role in the development of the telephone and, as Edison's chief draftsman, he invented and patented the carbon filament, a significant improvement in the production of the incandescent light bulb. Over the course of his career, Latimer supervised the installation of street lighting and the construction of electric plants in many American cities, as well as London and Montreal.

Today, the New York City landmark's exhibitions and public programs call attention to Latimer’s and other African Americans’ contributions to science, technology and American life.

The Lewis H. Latimer House is owned by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, operated by the Lewis H. Latimer Fund, Inc., and is a member of the Historic House Trust.

Lewis H. Latimer House Museum
34-41 137th Street
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 961-8585

Hours
New hours: Tuesday-Thursday & Saturday, 11am-4pm.

Directions
Subway: Subway #7 to Main Street Roosevelt. Take Q25 to Linden Place and 35th Ave.

In 1820, he delivered two of the most radical speeches heard in the Senate before the Civil War. His opposition to the admission of Missouri as a slave state marked the apogee of his long antislavery career.

In 1805, Rufus King and his wife purchased 90 acres of land and this 18th-century farmhouse. They immediately expanded the House; the landscaped estate and working farm grew to 122 acres. After King's death in 1827, his eldest son, John Alsop King, continued to operate the farm and made further improvements to the House. John followed his father's footsteps into politics, serving as a congressman and governor of the State of New York. The House remained in the King family until 1896, and opened as a museum in 1900.

Today, the Museum’s programs focus on the roles of Rufus and John Alsop King in the early antislavery movement, and life and work at King Manor in the 19th-century.

King Manor Museum is owned by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, operated by the King Manor Association of L.I., Inc., and is a member of the Historic House Trust.

King Manor Museum
King Park
150-03 Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica, NY 11432
(718) 206-0545
kingmanor.org

Directions
Subway: E, J, or Z to Jamaica Center (exit Archer Ave. / 153rd St., walk 1 block north), or F to Parsons Blvd. (exit 153rd St., walk two blocks south to King Park)
Bus: Q24, Q42, Q43, Q44, Q54, Q56, or Q83 to downtown Jamaica.

Hours
Guided tours of King Manor Museum are offered February - December on Thursdays & Fridays, 12pm - 2pm, and Saturdays & Sundays, 1pm - 5pm.
In January open to school and group tours only.

Admission
Adults $5; Seniors & Students $3;
Children (4-13) $2;
Family (up to 2 adults & 3 children) $12.
Members free.

First established by the Adriance family in the 17th century, the Farm was operated by a succession of family farmers for nearly 300 years. The current farmhouse was built around 1772 by Jacob Adriance; much of the original building remains standing today.

Three centuries of private ownership came to an end in 1927 when the land, including the historic farmhouse and 19th-century barn complex, was purchased by the State of New York and incorporated into the adjacent Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. Patients from the Center's hospital maintained the Farm's barns and fields as therapy. As time passed Creedmoor’s formal farming program halted, but resident caretakers continued to work the land for their own love of farming.

In 1973 when the historic buildings were scheduled for demolition, area residents, with the support of State Senator Frank Padavan, encouraged the State to transfer the land and farm buildings to the City as a public park.

Today, in addition to planting, harvesting, and selling the crops, the Farm’s staff cares for cows, sheep, goats, chickens, and pigs. Hayrides and a petting zoo complement educational programs in the restored barns and house, including demonstrations of historic farming techniques, open hearth cooking, and animal care.

Queens County Farm Museum is owned by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, operated by the Colonial Farmhouse Restoration Society of Bellerose, Inc., and is a member of the Historic House Trust.

Queens County Farm Museum
73-50 Little Neck Parkway
Floral Park, NY 11004
(718) 347-FARM
queensfarm.org

Directions
Subway to Bus: E or F to Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike; then Q46 to Little Neck Parkway

Hours
Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm (grounds only); Saturday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm (house and grounds). School groups by reservation only: (718) 347-FARM, x14.

Admission
Free except on special event days.
Special event prices range from $2 to $8.