Flushing Queens

Dutch colony

On October 10, 1645, Flushing was founded on the eastern bank of Flushing Creek under the charter of the Dutch West India Company, forming part of the New Netherland colony governed from New Amsterdam (Lower Manhattan). Initially named Vlissingen after the Dutch city of Vlissingen, it evolved into “Vlishing” by 1657, eventually settling on the formal English name “Flushing”. Despite being a Dutch colony, Flushing saw an influx of British settlers from nearby Connecticut.

Flushing stood out among other towns in the region due to its charter, which granted residents freedom of religion as practiced in Holland “without the disturbance of any magistrate or ecclesiastical minister.” However, in 1656, Director-General Peter Stuyvesant of New Amsterdam issued an edict banning the harboring of Quakers. In response, on December 27, 1657, Flushing residents approved a protest known as The Flushing Remonstrance. This petition, while arguing for religious freedom for various groups including Jews, Turks, and Egyptians, strongly asserted that any violation of the town charter would not be tolerated.

John Bowne, a farmer, played a pivotal role in advocating for religious freedom by holding Quaker meetings in his home. He was arrested and deported to Holland but eventually persuaded the Dutch West India Company to allow Quakers and others to worship freely. Consequently, Flushing is regarded as a birthplace of religious freedom in the New World. Landmarks from the Dutch period, such as the John Bowne House (circa 1661) on Bowne Street and the Old Quaker Meeting House (1694) on Northern Boulevard, remain in Flushing. The signing of The Remonstrance took place at a house on the site of the former State Armory, now a police facility, on the south side of Northern Boulevard between Linden Place and Union Street.

English colony

In 1664, the English seized control of New Amsterdam, renaming it the Province of New York and ending Dutch rule over the New Netherland colony. When Queens County was established in 1683, the “Town of Flushing” was among the original five towns forming the county. Historical references to Flushing often pertain to this town, which was bounded by Flushing Creek (now Flushing River) to the west, the watershed to the south (bordering Jamaica), and what later became the Nassau County line to the east (bordering Hempstead). However, in 1898, when Queens became a borough of New York City, the town was dissolved, and today the term “Flushing” typically denotes a much smaller area, such as the former Village of Flushing.

Flushing held significance as the seat of power during the colonial era, as Governor Cadwallader Colden governed the Province of New York from his Spring Hill estate until the American Revolution.

It was also notable for being home to the first commercial tree nurseries in North America, including the prominent Prince, Bloodgood, and Parsons nurseries. Parsons’s exotic specimen tract, spanning 14 acres, was preserved on the north side of Kissena Park. The nurseries are commemorated in the names of west-to-east avenues intersecting Kissena Boulevard, named after plants and alphabetically ordered from Ash Avenue in the north to Rose Avenue in the south. Flushing supplied trees to the Greensward Project, now known as Central Park in Manhattan, and remained a hub for horticultural establishments and greenhouses well into the 20th century.

During the American Revolution, Flushing, like many settlements in present-day Queens County, leaned towards the British and hosted British troops. Although one battalion of Scottish Highlanders was stationed in Flushing during the war, it largely supported the British cause. Notably, after the Battle of Long Island, Continental Army officer Nathan Hale was captured near Flushing Bay while likely on an intelligence mission and was subsequently executed.