Few areas of the United States have as endured as long as Flushing, Queens, a neighborhood with almost over 375 years of history and an evolving cultural landscape that includes Quakers, trees, Hollywood films, world fairs, and new Asian immigration.
In this special on-location episode of the Bowery Boys, Greg and special guest Kieran Gannon explore the epic history of Flushing through five specific locations -- the Bowne House, Kingsland Homestead (home of the Queens Historical Society), the Lewis Latimer House Museum, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and a downtown dumpling restaurant named Old Captain's Dumplings.
Built on the marshy banks of Flushing Creek, the original Dutch village of Flushing (or Vlissingen) was populated by English settlers, Quakers like John and Hannah Bownewhose home became one of America's first Quaker meeting places -- and the site of a religious struggle critical to the formation of the future United States.
By the early 19th century, Flushing was better known for its tree and shrub nurseries which would introduce dozens of new plant species to North America. After the Civil War, Flushing became a weekend getaway and commuter town for the residents of western Long Island. The former civic center of town -- the 1862 Flushing Town Hall -- is still a vibrant performance venue today.
The creation of the borough of Queens in 1898 brought surprising changes to Flushing -- from the arrival of the early silent-film industry to the development of new parks and highways (thanks to our old friend Robert Moses).
But the most stunning transformation of all came after 1965 when American immigration quotas were eliminated and Flushing gained thousands of new residents from China, Taiwan, Korea, India, and other South Asian countries.
Taxi Driver (Bowery Boys Movie Club)
#281 The Treasures of Downtown Brooklyn
#280 House of Mystery: The Story of the Collyer Brothers
#279 A New Year in Old New York: From Times Square to Chinatown
#278 Newark vs. LaGuardia: The Tale of Two Airports
#277 The New York Comedy Scene: A Marvelous History
#276 Murder on Bond Street: Who Killed Dr. Burdell?
#275 Return to Tin Pan Alley: Saving American Music History
#274 Ghost Stories of Hell's Kitchen
#273 Peter Stuyvesant and the Fall of New Amsterdam
#272 Life in New Amsterdam
#271 Counter Culture: Diners, Automats, and Luncheonettes in New York
#270 Heaven on the Hudson: A History of Riverside Park
#269 Harry Houdini and the Golden Age of Magic in New York
#268 The Astonishing Saga of the Atlantic Cable
#267 Broadway: The Story of a Street
#266 New York City during the Revolutionary War (1776-1783)
#265 Absolutely Flawless: A History of Drag in New York City
#264 The Landmarks of Coney Island
#263 Ebbets Field and the Glory Days of the Brooklyn Dodgers
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra