Historic Flushing burial ground honored with street co-naming
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Elected officials gathered over the weekend to rename an intersection in Flushing after the Olde Town Burial Ground. Photo via Councilmember Ung
By Ryan Schwach
Over the weekend, residents and elected officials recognized local history in Flushing, co-naming an intersection after the burial ground that has long resided there.
The intersection of 164th Street and 46th Avenue in Flushing is now co-named “Olde Towne Burial Ground Lane” for the 19th Century burial ground in the area where around 1,000 people, mainly of African American or Native American descent, were buried between 1840 and 1898 and then forgotten for around a century.
“Olde Towne Burial Ground Lane will forever stand as a testament to our commitment to acknowledging the past and ensuring that the memory of those who rest here is never forgotten,” said Councilmember Sandra Ung, who introduced the co-naming legislation in the City Council. “This is more than just a change in signage, it is a powerful declaration of our city’s values and will hopefully help future generations understand the importance of recognizing and rectifying injustices. We aren’t just renaming a street, we are rewriting a narrative.”
In 1914, the land was transferred to the Parks Department, and a playground was built over the burial ground in 1936. Although the bodies allegedly were removed prior to the playground’s construction, people reported seeing bones pulled from the ground.
Eventually, the burial ground was added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places, which led to archaeological studies and the ground’s transformation to a memorial space in 2006.
A local group, The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground Conservancy, has helped spearhead the land’s recognition and the co-naming.
"The co-naming of 164th Street and 46th Avenue may not be significant given the turmoil in the world, but it's a step forward from past injustices,” said Maureen Regan, who co-chairs the Conservancy with Robbie Garrison. “With due respect to this site, it's not only righting wrongs, but an honor today to recognize its importance, to know where it came from, and what a group of people can do. It is deservedly celebrated with this naming as Olde Towne Burial Ground Lane."
In 2021, a memorial was dedicated at the burial ground which includes the names of 320 people who are known to have been interred there.
On Saturday, other local elected officials celebrated the recognition of the ground’s importance in local history.
“For far too long, the hundreds of people who are buried in this sacred ground had not been given the recognition or respect they deserved,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. “But with the recently dedicated memorial and now with today’s street co-naming, their legacies are finally being honored and remembered in the way they should have always been.”
Other electeds acknowledged the lack of notice or care put into the burial ground in the past.
“The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground has a long history of neglect and desecration that has only recently been reversed thanks to the sustained efforts by a small group of dedicated residents determined to see it restored,” said State Senator John Liu. “The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground today stands as a place of reflection and honor for those African and Native American residents of our community who were unceremoniously buried here so long ago.”
