St. Albans Queens

Early settlement

Part of a land grant issued to Dutch settlers by New Netherland Governor Peter Stuyvesant in 1655, the area that would eventually become St. Albans, like much of Queens, remained predominantly farmland and forest for the subsequent two centuries.

During the 1800s, the lands owned by four prominent families—the Remsens, Everitts, Ludlums, and Hendricksons—served as the foundation of this expansive agricultural community situated in the eastern region of the Town of Jamaica. In 1814, when the Village of Jamaica, the first village established on Long Island, was officially incorporated, its boundaries stretched eastward to Freeman’s Path (now Farmers Boulevard) and south to Lazy Lane (later known as Central Avenue in 1900, then Foch Boulevard in the 1920s). These boundaries encompassed parts of the present-day St. Albans neighborhood.

In 1852, the old mill pond, which currently lies at the heart of Baisley Pond Park, was acquired by the Brooklyn waterworks for utilization as a reservoir, marking a significant development in the area’s history.

Later development

In 1872, the Long Island Rail Road’s Cedarhurst Cut-off was constructed through the area, although no stop initially appeared on the first timetables. However, by 1892, an area known as Francis Farm was surveyed and developed for housing. During the 1880s, numerous Francis families were engaged in farming activities in the eastern portion of the Town of Jamaica. Francis Lewis Boulevard, named after a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Queens, which now serves as the eastern boundary of St. Albans, was not yet present on maps from 1909 or 1910.

The development of St. Albans gained momentum as the first street lights illuminated the intersection of Linden Boulevard and Farmers Boulevard, attracting new shops around August Everitt’s lone store. On July 1, 1898, the St. Albans Long Island Rail Road station opened at the crossing of Locust Avenue (now Baisley Boulevard). This station was later replaced with the current grade-separated station on October 15, 1935.

In 1899, a year after Queens became a part of New York City and following the dissolution of the Town of Jamaica and the Village of Jamaica, the new post office for the approximately 600 residents was named St. Albans. This name had been in use for the area since at least 1894 for the name of the school district, and the LIRR station had also been named St. Albans when it opened in 1898. The area was named after St. Albans in Hertfordshire, England, which in turn was named after Saint Alban, believed to be the first Christian martyred in England. Maps from 1909 also show the presence of St. Albans Avenue and St. Albans Place in the area.

The site originally housed the St. Albans Golf Course and Country Club, completed in 1915. The club attracted wealthy and famous golfers, including baseball star Babe Ruth, and hosted events like the 1930 Metropolitan Amateur. However, the Great Depression led to attempts to sell the golf course, which ultimately fell through. In 1942, the land was seized by the federal government, and construction commenced on the St. Albans Naval Hospital, which opened in 1943. After its completion in 1950, the hospital contained 3000 beds across 76 wards. The hospital was transferred to the Veterans Administration in 1974 and reopened as a VA hospital two years later, eventually evolving into the Veterans Administration St. Albans Primary and Extended Care Facility. A portion of the hospital site was later transformed into Roy Wilkins Park in the 1980s.