Queens Historical Society / Kingsland Homestead

From the place where the Flushing Remonstrance was signed in 1657 to a spontaneous memorial for 9/11 victims, the Queens Historical Society documents aspects of the ongoing development of New York City's most diverse borough. Located in the Kingsland Homestead, which was built circa 1785 for the son of a wealthy Quaker, the society maintains a library and archive and presents exhibitions and public programs such as slide lectures, walking tours, and concerts.

On-site programs: School group programs address aspects of local history such as slavery and the Underground Railroad and the history of Kingsland Homestead. Walking tours of the Flushing Freedom Mile visit a 1694 Quaker meeting house and the site of America's first weeping beech tree, planted in 1847. (Grades 4–12; $)

In-school programs: Slide lectures on various aspects of Queens history can be arranged. (Grades 4–12; $)

Classroom materials: The society publishes a supplementary textbook, The Road to Freedom, on the history of abolition in New York and antebellum America. Chapters conclude with practice document-based questions. (Grade 7 and up; $) QHS also offers a teaching kit, Slavery in New York, containing 30 copies of three primary sources—a newspaper page with advertisements for runaway slaves, documents liberating a Long Island slave in 1812, and the 1766 inventory of a Queens farmer reflecting his slaveholdings—in addition to a teacher's manual with lesson plans and worksheets. (Grade 4 and up; $). The QHS bookstore sells approximately 50 titles relating to Queens history, all available online.

Professional development: Training sessions on the history of antislavery are available. (For teachers of Grades 4 and up; $)

Student/teacher events: Events for Students: QHS sponsors an annual art contest for fourth-grade students in the borough to create works that focus on historic sites in Queens. ($)

Additional resources: The QHS library and archives are open to teachers and students by appointment.

General information: Address: Kingsland Homestead, Weeping Beech Park, 143-35 37th Avenue, Flushing, New York 11354; Phone: (718) 939-0647, x17; Web: www.queenshistoricalsociety.org, www.queenshistoricalsociety.org/kingsland.

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