Long ago two farms stood here. One belonged to the Rapelye family. The other to the Alsops. This is Laurel Hill County Park. The Alsop farmhouse dated back to 1651. It was a remarkable structure. Thomas Wandell bought it in 1659. He left it to his nephew Richard Alsop in 1691.
Laurel Hill was a significant place in its time. It saw much change. The Rapelye family acquired their farm later in 1852. Jacob Rapelye built a mansion. It stood atop a hill along today’s 55th Drive.
The Penny Bridge played a key role. Built in 1836 it cost a penny to cross. The Flushing Railroad opened a station nearby in 1854. It became part of the Long Island Railroad eventually. Before the East River Tunnels opened in 1910. The railroad was crucial. It ferried passengers to Manhattan. It also shipped goods to Long Island. Passenger trains even stopped at Penny Bridge until 1998.
Many pedestrians used the tracks as a walking path. Sadly many were killed. This prompted the construction of Review Avenue/56th Road for pedestrian safety. Laurel Hill Blvd. was built in 1840 from crushed oyster shells. It connected Penny Bridge to Elmhurst. Today its route is traced by Laurel Hill Blvd the BQE and 45th Avenue.
In 1845 the Alsops sold most of their farm. The Trustees of St. Patrick’s Cathedral purchased it. They needed space for Calvary Cemetery. Their Manhattan graveyard was full. The first burial in Old Calvary Cemetery was in 1848. The Alsop Family Burial Ground remains there. It has gravestones from 1718-1881. The Alsop family home was demolished in 1880.
The Rapelye farm was sold for development in the 1880s. Small houses appeared. By the 1900s there were enough residents for St. Mary’s Episcopal chapel. A tragic train accident in 1893. It was called the Berlinville Disaster. Sixteen died forty were injured. The name Berlinville fell out of use.
Industry boomed along Newtown Creek. Companies like F. Haberman’s National Enameling and Stamping Company polluted. Nichols Chemical Company had a big fire in 1903. Robert Moses’ highway plans in the 1950s impacted Laurel Hill. The BQE-LIE interchange and the Kosciuszko Bridge changed the area forever. St. Mary’s was demolished.
Old street signs remain in memory. One quaint house had signs for Clifton Avenue and Waters Avenue. These are now 46th Street and 54th Road. One former resident hunted rabbits in Calvary Cemetery. He remembered many rabbits everywhere.
Today Laurel Hill is mostly warehouses and factories. A few houses remain. A flagpole in a park remembers those who died in World Wars I II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. That’s the last trace of Laurel Hill’s name. Its history shaped this place. From farms and railroads to industry and cemeteries. This is the legacy of Laurel Hill County Park.