I love the Queens Historical Society and the Kingsland Homestead for various reasons. First of all, they preserve and celebrate the borough's history and heritage in fascinating, entertaining and enriching ways.
For those who don't know, Kingsland Homestead is a preserved colonial farmhouse and the second oldest house in Queens. It is also headquarters for the Queens Historical Society, which maintains the world's only museum of Queens history and a wide-ranging library and archives, including online teaching aids on slavery and the Underground Railroad in New York City.
These two entities stimulate my love of history, architecture and antiques because they spearhead educational programs, curate exhibitions, publish a quarterly newsletter, and offer lectures, programs and slide presentations on subjects relating more than 300 years of history.
Finally, the grounds are beautiful and located in a neighborhood called "Flushing," which has more Asian restaurants that Manhattan's Chinatown. So I can always head to a great, cheap, authentic restaurant after visiting.
Here's the back story.
The Kingsland Homestead was built in 1785 by original resident Charles Doughty, the son of a wealthy Quaker. The two-story estate became "Kingsland" after Doughty's son-in-law, Joseph King, a British sea captain, bought the property in 1801.
Kingsland's first floor includes a 1,350-square-foot space where the society organizes exhibitions and lectures. The second-floor parlor is designed in a Victorian style with lacework and a plethora of items (i.e. notebooks, eyeglasses) that former inhabitants used. The house has a gambrel roof, a crescent-shaped window in a side gable, a Federal-period chimney piece with an iron Franklin stove, and a Dutch-style front door. Shingles fill the exterior, except on the west side, which features flush boarding and clapboards.
The Queens Historical Society is based in the homestead. The society spearheads educational programs, exhibitions, and a research center. It publishes a quarterly newsletter and offers lectures, programs, and slide presentations on subjects relating more than 300 years of history.
The house is in Weeping Beech Park. About two acres in size, the park had a 60-foot-high weeping beech from 1847 until 1998. For a long time, the tree had city landmark status and it is believed to be the original source for all weeping beeches in the United States. read more