Ridgewood Queens

Early settlement

Ridgewood and Bushwick indeed share similar historical roots. Both neighborhoods were originally inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans, particularly the Mespachtes tribe, after whom the nearby neighborhood of Maspeth is named. In 1638, the Dutch West India Company obtained a deed from the Lenape, leading to the establishment of present-day Bushwick by Peter Stuyvesant in 1661 under the name Boswijck, which translates to “neighborhood in the woods” in 17th-century Dutch. Similarly, Ridgewood was part of Newtown, one of the original towns in Queens, settled by the British.

In both areas, British and Dutch families engaged in farming, cultivating crops for markets in Brooklyn and Manhattan, often relying on enslaved labor. The Onderdonk House, constructed in 1709, stands as the last surviving Dutch farmhouse in Ridgewood. Located at the Onderdonk House site is Arbitration Rock, serving as a marker for the disputed boundary between Bushwick and Newtown, and by extension, Brooklyn and Queens. Although the land retained its rural character through the American Revolutionary War, there is evidence suggesting the presence of a burial ground in the area.

Ridgewood’s oldest thoroughfares—Myrtle Avenue, Metropolitan Avenue, and Fresh Pond Road—served as vital routes used by farmers to transport their goods to markets. While Fresh Pond Road originally followed a Native American trail, the other roads were established as plank roads in the early to mid-19th century.

19th-century development

The development of public transportation played a crucial role in stimulating residential and commercial growth in Ridgewood. Beginning with horse-drawn cars in the mid-19th century, followed by trolleys and elevated trains, these transit systems facilitated easier access to and from the neighborhood.

The introduction of the Myrtle Avenue horsecar line marked the first transit service to reach Ridgewood, extending to Brooklyn’s Broadway in 1855. Subsequently, the Bay Ridge Branch was inaugurated in 1878, providing connections to Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, and the Brooklyn shorefront via the Manhattan Beach Railroad. The expansion of the Myrtle Avenue elevated railroad in 1889 brought elevated train service to the Queens border, running above Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn.

In 1894, an electric trolley line was established through Ridgewood, connecting to Lutheran Cemetery along a private right-of-way. A decade later, in 1904, the Myrtle Avenue Elevated was extended over the same route, enhancing transportation accessibility for residents. Finally, in 1915, the current elevated structure along the Lutheran Cemetery line’s right-of-way was erected, further improving transit options in the neighborhood.

20th-century development