Join Kevin Walsh of Forgotten New York and Mitch Waxman of the Newtown Pentacle as they take us along the border of Brooklyn and Queens through Bushwick and Ridgewood. We'll make stops at English Kills and an historic colonial Dutch home as well as other fun and quirky locations. End with an optional dinner on Myrtle Ave before heading back to the Myrtle-Wyckoff subway station. Tix are only $5, so reserve your space today!
Join NHS' Christina Wilkinson and Kevin Walsh, author of "Forgotten-NY" on a walk through the town of Maspeth, the oldest European settlement on Long Island. Learn about the history of the area from pre-colonial times to the present. Optional group lunch at end of tour not included in cost. Rain date is September 23rd at 10am. $5 on day of tour or pay by credit card in advance on Eventbrite. Please RSVP to [email protected].
All Faiths Hawk Watch and Bird Walk postponed -
new date is 11/11
new date is 11/11
Ridgewood Reservoir photo exhibit
and Forest Park greenhouse tour
Newtown Historical Society's collection of historic images of the Ridgewood Reservoir is currently housed at Oak Ridge inside Forest Park. We will host an opening reception with light refreshments on Saturday, April 29th at 10am. Park by the golf course or at the main lot by the bandshell. This will be followed by a tour of the Queens Greenhouse.
FREE Earth Day Bird Walk April 22, 2023
Stockholm Street block party July 30th
Stockholm Street in Ridgewood, where we have our HQ, is having a block party today. Stop by for all the fun events, a free historic postcard from us and to sign up for the Ridgewood Community Garden.
Phil Rizzuto street co-naming June 26th
Come join us in a street co-naming ceremony to name 78th Ave and 64th Street in Liberty Park, Glendale after Yankees legend Phil Rizzuto. We'll have lots of food, fun and nostalgia.
FREE nature and history tour May 21st!
NHS presents the "History of Jazz" Concert
& Brunch at Neir's Tavern
Join us at Neir's Tavern as Carl Bartlett, Jr. Quartet presents the history of jazz in music form. The concert is free but please support Neir's by buying brunch. We guarantee that you will be thrilled with both the music and the food! Reservations strongly suggested.
Ridgewood Community Garden soon to open!
Ridgewood will soon have a new Community Garden, located at the corner of Willoughby and Onderdonk Avenues, on the property of the Grover Cleveland Athletic Field. NHS has advocated for many years to have this project included in the list of those funded by the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant settlement.
Input is being sought from Ridgewood residents. Please fill this survey out if you are interested in learning more about the project or would like to volunteer.
Survey in English
https://forms.gle/wxDuS9YUyf6h94oZ7
Survey in Spanish
https://forms.gle/h3BULS5aAfWi4VVo8
Survey in Polish
https://forms.gle/14pNcNiKLbmUDn1f7
Input is being sought from Ridgewood residents. Please fill this survey out if you are interested in learning more about the project or would like to volunteer.
Survey in English
https://forms.gle/wxDuS9YUyf6h94oZ7
Survey in Spanish
https://forms.gle/h3BULS5aAfWi4VVo8
Survey in Polish
https://forms.gle/14pNcNiKLbmUDn1f7
Mount Olivet Nature Tour October 9th
Annual Fallen Officers Memorial Saturday, September 18
Procession and Memorial Service for fallen NYPD officers
Historic Film at historic Neir's Tavern
Free Music & Dance Performance
Free Jazz Concert at historic Neir's Tavern
Ridgewood Reservoir Tour 8/11
On Sunday, August 11th, Newtown Historical Society will be offering a special nature and history tour of the Ridgewood Reservoir starting at 10am in the main parking lot on Vermont Place at Highland Park. We will view the historic structures in the recently renovated park, observe the natural world and discuss its future.
You can take public transportation to Highland Park. The B13 bus stops along Cypress Hills Street and the Q56 stops along Jamaica Avenue. The Cleveland Street stop on the J train is 3 blocks from the park. Or, you can drive or bike.
This tour will be led by special guest Rob Jett, author of The City Birder.
This tour is 100% FREE and will be a great experience for children and adults alike. For more info or to RSVP, write to [email protected] or call 718-366-3715.
You may wish to bring binoculars and cameras.
You can take public transportation to Highland Park. The B13 bus stops along Cypress Hills Street and the Q56 stops along Jamaica Avenue. The Cleveland Street stop on the J train is 3 blocks from the park. Or, you can drive or bike.
This tour will be led by special guest Rob Jett, author of The City Birder.
This tour is 100% FREE and will be a great experience for children and adults alike. For more info or to RSVP, write to [email protected] or call 718-366-3715.
You may wish to bring binoculars and cameras.
All Faiths Cemetery History & Nature Tour 5/11
Tour Forest Park and its historic greenhouse
Mount Olivet Cemetery Walking Tour 10/6/2018
Maspeth Walking Tour 9/22/2018
Bushwick-Ridgewood border tour 4/29/18
Mount Olivet Cemetery Nature & History Tours
May 27 & June 10, 2017
Join naturalist Rob Jett and Christina Wilkinson of the Newtown Historical Society on a walk through Mount Olivet Cemetery. We will observe the natural environment, including birds, butterflies, plants and trees and discuss the history of the cemetery, it's role in the development of Maspeth and visit the graves of noteworthy people who are buried there.
Meet up in front of the cemetery office at 9am. Bring binoculars and wear comfortable shoes. Terrain is hilly.
These events are part of the 375th anniversary celebration of Maspeth and are free.
Meet up in front of the cemetery office at 9am. Bring binoculars and wear comfortable shoes. Terrain is hilly.
These events are part of the 375th anniversary celebration of Maspeth and are free.
Happy Birthday, Maspeth!
Polish Music Festival on April 9
The Juniper Park Civic Association, Maspeth Federal Savings, Newtown Historical Society and the Knockdown Center are pleased to present a Polish Music Festival on Sunday April 9th. Doors will open at 2pm and the performance starts at 3pm. We will not only be entertained by Polka King Jimmy Sturr, but will also enjoy a performance by the Wianek Polish Folk Dancers from St. Margaret's Church.
This event is free, but we will be offering raffle tickets and a cash bar.
This event is free, but we will be offering raffle tickets and a cash bar.
Middle Village Bicentennial tours
Middle Village turns 200 in 2016 and we will be touring the town! All events are free.
September 25: Middle Village Walking Tour. Meet at the large flagpole in Juniper Valley Park at 12 noon.
October 8: All Faiths Nature and History Tour. Meet at the All Faiths Cemetery Office at 9am. Co-led by Rob Jett, author of the City Birder blog.
November 19: We will tour the Fresh Pond Crematory, built in 1884 starting at 3:30pm. Refreshments will be provided. This event is free. Address: 61-40 Mount Olivet Crescent. Please reserve by calling (718) 366-3715 or writing to [email protected].
More details to come.
September 25: Middle Village Walking Tour. Meet at the large flagpole in Juniper Valley Park at 12 noon.
October 8: All Faiths Nature and History Tour. Meet at the All Faiths Cemetery Office at 9am. Co-led by Rob Jett, author of the City Birder blog.
November 19: We will tour the Fresh Pond Crematory, built in 1884 starting at 3:30pm. Refreshments will be provided. This event is free. Address: 61-40 Mount Olivet Crescent. Please reserve by calling (718) 366-3715 or writing to [email protected].
More details to come.
NHS funds restoration of Captain Malcolm A. Rafferty monument in LIC
Our first tour of the year is happening Saturday, April 27, 2019. We will tour the historic sites within Forest Park and then end with a self-guided tour of the Forest Park Greenhouse. This is the ONLY day of the year that the greenhouse will be open to the public. Details below.
In October, Newtown Historical Society, Juniper Park Civic Association and Nyc Parks & Recreation worked together to install a Little Free Library at Juniper Valley Park at the flagpole near 74th Street and Juniper Blvd South. Based on a request by Matt LeBris and funded by Council Member Robert F. Holden. It was unveiled November 1. All ages book donations welcome. It is fully stocked so come check it out!
NHS cosponsors three street co-namings this fall 2023
Capt. Thomas Abbey co-naming ceremony September 17, 2022
Our annual memorial ceremony this year will take place at St. John Cemetery, followed by a co-naming ceremony at the corner of 82nd Place and 64th Road in Middle Village.
The Newtown Historical Society and NYC Parks Department are proud to announce the restoration of the Captain Malcolm A. Rafferty Monument at the Rafferty Triangle in Long Island City. The collaborative effort has restored the medals that had been removed from the stone in years past.
Captain Malcolm A. Rafferty, of Long Island City, was a decorated hero of the Spanish-American War and specifically, the Battle of San Juan Hill. After the war, he returned to LIC to work for the Barber Asphalt Company. Trouble soon broke out in Trinidad between the asphalt company, a rival company and the Venezuelan government, and Rafferty and a group of LIC men that he had recruited were sent to protect the interests of their employer. He contracted malaria in Trinidad and passed away in 1903. He is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery.
The Rafferty Triangle was dedicated in 1932 at the intersection of 44th Drive and Hunter Street and the monument was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1937. Over the years, the monument became the victim of vandalism, and two bronze Spanish-American War Crosses were removed from its front and back. The Newtown Historical Society funded the purchase of the replacement medals and the Parks Department installed them on the monument on December 5, 2014.
“The Newtown Historical Society is happy to have worked with the NYC Parks Department to restore the Rafferty Monument,” said Christina Wilkinson, President of the Newtown Historical Society. “We are working on identifying other historic restoration projects that we may team up on in the future in other areas of Queens.”
This project is the second restoration effort undertaken by NHS in 2014; the first being the Ridgewood Plateau arches in Maspeth.
Captain Rafferty's service is detailed here. (click to download PDF)
Captain Malcolm A. Rafferty, of Long Island City, was a decorated hero of the Spanish-American War and specifically, the Battle of San Juan Hill. After the war, he returned to LIC to work for the Barber Asphalt Company. Trouble soon broke out in Trinidad between the asphalt company, a rival company and the Venezuelan government, and Rafferty and a group of LIC men that he had recruited were sent to protect the interests of their employer. He contracted malaria in Trinidad and passed away in 1903. He is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery.
The Rafferty Triangle was dedicated in 1932 at the intersection of 44th Drive and Hunter Street and the monument was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1937. Over the years, the monument became the victim of vandalism, and two bronze Spanish-American War Crosses were removed from its front and back. The Newtown Historical Society funded the purchase of the replacement medals and the Parks Department installed them on the monument on December 5, 2014.
“The Newtown Historical Society is happy to have worked with the NYC Parks Department to restore the Rafferty Monument,” said Christina Wilkinson, President of the Newtown Historical Society. “We are working on identifying other historic restoration projects that we may team up on in the future in other areas of Queens.”
This project is the second restoration effort undertaken by NHS in 2014; the first being the Ridgewood Plateau arches in Maspeth.
Captain Rafferty's service is detailed here. (click to download PDF)
Maxine Fisher has arranged a free nature tour of Mount Olivet Cemetery on Saturday, October 6th at 9am. Expert birder Rob Jett will lead the tour. It should be a great day to see all kinds of nature in action from birds to trees to insects. RSVP not required. Meet outside the main cemetery office at 65-40 Grand Avenue.
Rain date: Saturday, October 13th at 9am.
Rain date: Saturday, October 13th at 9am.
Save Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
Newtown Historical Society is a member of "Save Flushing Meadows-Corona Park," a coalition of groups opposed to the commercial encroachment of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Current plans call for development of a shopping mall within the confines of the park. Learn more by visiting savefmcp.org and watching the video below.
Newtown Historical Society calls on Queens elected officials to fund acquisition of Brinckerhoff Cemetery
NHS President Christina Wilkinson speaks at
Brinckerhoff Cemetery rally 5/6/12.
Brinckerhoff Cemetery rally 5/6/12.
The Newtown Historical Society stands with the Fresh Meadows Homeowners Civic Association and other civic and preservation organizations across the borough in opposition of the proposed de-calendaring of the Brinckerhoff Cemetery by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The cemetery holds the remains of some of the earliest settlers of Queens and, as an important historical reminder of our borough’s past, has been designated an official NYC landmark. However, designation is not enough to ensure preservation.
Therefore, NHS calls on the elected officials representing the Fresh Meadows area, the Queens Borough President and Queens delegation of the City Council, to allocate funding toward purchase of the property and return ownership to the City. The property cost $100,000 to purchase in 2000, but that opportunity was unfortunately not capitalized upon. Over the course of the following 10 years, no funding was allocated for this purpose, although elected officials went on record during that time to claim that they supported public ownership of the land as a park or historic site.
The property was sold in 2010 for $105,000 – an increase in price of only $5,000 after 10 years. Surely, most - if not all - of this funding can be raised during the City’s upcoming June budget cycle to purchase the property from the current owner and assure that this land is forever saved from the threat of development. The Queens delegation recently allocated a lump sum of $3M toward purchase of a schoolyard in Jackson Heights for part-time use as a park. It is time for Queens’ elected officials to step up to the plate and put their money where their mouths are so we will not need any more hearings or rallies to push for a solution which should have come to pass decades ago.
Brinckerhoff Cemetery was also once known as "Black Stump Cemetery" and is located at 69-65 182nd Street in Fresh Meadows, Queens (not to be confused with the Black Stump Cemetery that became St. Mary's Cemetery).
Therefore, NHS calls on the elected officials representing the Fresh Meadows area, the Queens Borough President and Queens delegation of the City Council, to allocate funding toward purchase of the property and return ownership to the City. The property cost $100,000 to purchase in 2000, but that opportunity was unfortunately not capitalized upon. Over the course of the following 10 years, no funding was allocated for this purpose, although elected officials went on record during that time to claim that they supported public ownership of the land as a park or historic site.
The property was sold in 2010 for $105,000 – an increase in price of only $5,000 after 10 years. Surely, most - if not all - of this funding can be raised during the City’s upcoming June budget cycle to purchase the property from the current owner and assure that this land is forever saved from the threat of development. The Queens delegation recently allocated a lump sum of $3M toward purchase of a schoolyard in Jackson Heights for part-time use as a park. It is time for Queens’ elected officials to step up to the plate and put their money where their mouths are so we will not need any more hearings or rallies to push for a solution which should have come to pass decades ago.
Brinckerhoff Cemetery was also once known as "Black Stump Cemetery" and is located at 69-65 182nd Street in Fresh Meadows, Queens (not to be confused with the Black Stump Cemetery that became St. Mary's Cemetery).
NHS cosponsors street co-naming for Maspeth WWII hero
On Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 12 noon we will gather at 69th Lane and 60th Ave in honor of WWII hero Joseph Schmidt, who was a long time DSNY worker in civilian life. Please join us for the street co-naming ceremony as well as refreshments afterward. Co-sponsored by Council Member Robert Holden, Newtown Historical Society, JPCA and Haspel-Staab VFW.
NHS presents history and nature tour of All Faiths Cemetery May 25, 2024
NHS president honored by Lieutenants Benevolent Society
NHS President Christina Wilkinson was honored by the NYPD Lieutenants Benevolent Society for her work honoring fallen NYPD officers with graveside ceremonies and street co-namings since 2020.
On March 20, 2024 a ceremony was held at Villa Barone Manor in the Bronx for the LBA's Leaders of the Finest.
Honorees received these replicas of the Police Memorial Statue.
On March 20, 2024 a ceremony was held at Villa Barone Manor in the Bronx for the LBA's Leaders of the Finest.
Honorees received these replicas of the Police Memorial Statue.
Past events:
October 3rd, 2009 - Forgotten-NY walking tour of Ridgewood
October 5th, 2009 - all day - planting historic Newtown Pippin trees throughout the area
October 26th, 2009 @ 6pm - Queensborough Bridge Centennial Lecture at the Middle Village Library
November 18, 2009 - Meeting about the preservation of the Payntar millstones on Wednesday, November 18th at the Quinn Building, located at 35-20 Broadway, 4th Floor in Astoria.
December 2, 2009 - Ridgewood Reservoir lecture at the Queens County Farm Museum's annual meeting
Sunday, February 21, 2010 @ 12:30pm - Lecture about the Newtown Pippin Project by project founder Erik Baard at First Presbyterian Church of Newtown.
March 4, 2010 - Mathews Flats lecture at Greater Ridgewood Property Owners and Residents Association (IS 93 in Ridgewood) at 7pm
April 18, 2010 at 2:00pm - Walking tour of Elmhurst led by Forgotten-NY's Kevin Walsh.
June 6, 2010: Forgotten-NY tour of Woodside, meet at mezzanine of Woodside LIRR station at 2pm.
July 25, 2010 @ 10:30am - Part 2 of our walking tour of Woodside, which will take us into Sunnyside and Astoria. Click here for more info.
September 2010 - Photo exhibit, "Maspeth in the 1940s" at Maspeth Federal Savings
January 30, 2011 at 12 noon - short Forgotten NY tour of Corona & visit to Louis Armstrong Museum. Cost: $15, $11 for members. Meet at 103rd Street/Corona Plaza 7 line station.
February 23, 2011 at 7pm - Forgotten NY slideshow: Maspeth, Yesterday & Today at Connolly's Corner
March 23, 2011 at 7pm - Forgotten NY slideshow: Maspeth, Yesterday & Today at Connolly's Corner
April 17, 2011 - Newtown Pippin plantings
May 22, 2011 - Forgotten NY tour of Glendale.
July 17, 2011, 1pm - Annual Membership Meeting/Ridgewood Reservoir lecture. Ridgewood Democratic Club.
July 31, 2011, 10:30am - Forgotten NY tour of Maspeth.
September 18th, 2011, 6:30 pm - Exploring the Flushing River with Sergey Kadinsky.
January 15, 2012 - Forgotten-NY tour of Corona
June 24th, 2012 - Forgotten-NY tour of Astoria and the Marine Air Terminal
February 7, 2013 at 7 pm - Forgotten-NY's Kevin Walsh narrated a "then and now" slideshow about the town of Maspeth at Queens Borough Hall
March 7, 2013 at 7pm - Sergey Kadinsky narrated a slideshow about the history of the Flushing River. Location: Queens Borough Hall [120-55 Queens Boulevard], Room 213
March 22, 2014 - Rally against the shopping mall at Flushing Meadows.
January 2014 - present: LaGuardia Airport postcard exhibit
May 13 2014 - Sergey Kadinsky's Horse brook lecture
June 14, 2014: Flag Day tour of Ridgewood. Meet at Forest Avenue subway station at 12 noon.
October 5th, 2014: tour of Ridgewood Reservoir
April 26th, 2015: tour of Ridgewood Reservoir
November 1st, 2015: tour of Ridgewood Reservoir. See home page for more info.
Completed 2016: Restoration of Ridgewood Plateau arches. 65th Place at Maurice Avenue and 65th Place at Jay Avenue
Middle Village Walking Tour
2 All Faiths Walking Tours