Didn’t this park used to be a cemetery? Welcome to Newtown Playground. This space is more than just swings and slides. It is a testament to the area’s past.
Newtown Playground’s history stretches back to the earliest days of European settlement in Queens. This is a story of community and change. It also shows the evolving use of public space. The land was once the Old Newtown Cemetery. It was also known as the Ancient Burial Ground. Evidence suggests it was in use by 1730. That makes it the first burial ground in the area.
Imagine a landscape of rolling hills. Simple headstones marked the lives of farmers and families. Some of Newtown’s most prominent residents were buried here. This included members of the Moore and Fish families. They were successful fruit growers.
By the mid-1800s, the cemetery became a potter’s field. This was a public burial ground for the indigent or unknown. Both African Americans and European Americans were interred here. Reports from 1897 described the cemetery in neglect.
In 1917, the New York City Parks Department took control of the property. This set the stage for its transformation. In the 1920s, conversion began. By the 1930s it accelerated. The remaining headstones were removed. The land was graded. A more extensive reconstruction project happened in 1935. The Works Progress Administration finalized the creation of Newtown Playground.
In 1997, Newtown Playground underwent renovation. The redesign enhanced the facilities. Open lawn areas were created. The original cemetery wall was reconstructed. A ring of weeping cherry and beech trees was planted. They memorialize the townspeople still buried here.
Today, Newtown Playground is a community hub. Children laugh and play here. Neighbors gather. The echoes of history mingle with the sounds of modern life. A plaque acknowledges its past as a burial ground.
So as you enjoy Newtown Playground remember its layered past. It is a place where the past and present converge. Even in the midst of city life, history is always present. It’s just beneath the surface of Newtown Playground.