Forest Hills residents shop and dine on Austin Street,
patronize the Midway Theatre, may stroll through the Forest
Hills Gardens, and
may have graduated from Forest
Hills High School.
These are some of the “landmarks” which grant character to “Forest
Hills.” Now one may be at loss for words if they walked in the
footsteps of their ancestors, just over a century ago.
Encounter a land
called “Whitepot,” which was predominantly occupied by wood-frame farm houses
and fields of crops, with “landmarks” on a humble scale. In the early 20th
century, some homes were up to 200 years of age. Today there are none.
As of 1924, a
survey was conducted by local resident Lucy Allen Smart. Colonial farmhouses
were typically situated on large parcels of land, and exhibited any combination
of a porch, pitched roof, and shutters. The Whitson Homestead, built in 1800,
still stood on Queens Boulevard, steps away
from Backus Place. It became the residence
of John E. Backus. Also along Queens Boulevard
was the McCoun-Backus House, which was recognized as one of the best homes of
Whitepot at 160 years old. It was demolished a decade earlier. The Boulevard
also offered the Horatio N. Squire House, which was demolished after 150 years
in 1923.
 |
| McCoun-Backus House |
 |
| Judge Jonathan T. Furman House |
The Judge
Jonathan T. Furman House dating to 1750 stood on Dry
Harbor Road, which ended in a cluster of farms facing a large
pond. Situated on the property of Cord Meyer Development Company was the Jarvis
Jackson Homestead, built a century earlier. Walking over to Remsen
Lane, a noteworthy site for the birth of Clarence P. Tompkins was
the Joseph J. Tompkins House. A 200 year-old survivor was known as “The house
on the Abram Furman Estate,” and was on the east side of what was called Yellowstone Avenue (now Yellowstone
Boulevard).
In 1652, Newtown was settled by Englishmen from New England, and Whitepot was one of its sections. An
early 20th century debate was whether Forest
Hills was originally known as Whitepot or Whiteput. If it was
spelled “Whitepot,” it would bear relevance to the original purchase of the
land from the Indians in exchange for three clay white pots. That was refuted
by J.H. Innes, who told the publication “Ancient Landmarks of Queens Borough,”
that the authentic spelling was “Whiteput.” If correct, the land would be named
in conjunction with the Dutch term “put” for a stream that became a hollow pit.
Whitepot
consisted of six farms, which were named after Ascan Backus, Casper-Joost
Springsteen, Horatio N. Squire, Abram V.S. Lott, Sarah V. Bolmer, and James Van
Siclen. In 1829, Ascan Backus acquired parcels of Whitepot’s farmland, which
benefited Manhattan’s produce needs and army
purchases during the Civil War. Ascan Avenue
bears homage to his name.
The oldest
living member of one of the first families was Frederick D. Backus, who told
Lucy Allen Smart about Whitepot’s residents. He stated, “The neighbors were few
when I was a boy, and some that lived a mile away we called neighbors. The
farmers raised hay, grain, and vegetables to supply the New
York markets. Fruit and nuts were in abundance, and every farmer
would take his apples to a cider mill, which was located on the Hempstead Swamp Road; now Yellowstone
Avenue. The children attended the Whitepot
School, but we all had to go to Newtown to church.” He also explained that since few
homes had ice houses come summer, food was kept cool by hanging them in wells
and tin pails. In the winter, oxen were driven through snow drifts along narrow
roads.
The area
bounded by Queens Boulevard and Union Turnpike
was the Hopedale section of Whitepot. The Hopedale Railway Station stood near
that intersection, and the architecturally distinct Hopedale Hall accommodated
dining and dancing.
In 1900, the New
York Times reported Whitepot’s population as 30, and consisting of German
residents who plant potatoes and celery. In 1906, Cord Meyer Development
Company purchased 600 acres in the Hopedale section, and renamed it “Forest
Hills” after its high elevation of Long Island and proximity to Forest Park. In March 1931, George Meyer, son of the
late Cord Meyer told the New York Times, “Roman Avenue between Queens Boulevard
and Austin was the first street to be cut through, and on it, the company
started its first building operations, ten two-family brick homes.” Today, only
4 Neo-Renaissance rowhouses remain from 1906, and are reminiscent of the first
signs of development under the Forest Hills
name.
The only known
remnant of Whitepot is the landmarked Remsen
Cemetery between Trotting Course Lane and Alderton
Street. The Remsen family was among the area’s first settlers.
Tombstones range from 1790 through 1819, and include Revolutionary War Veteran
Colonel Jeromus Remsen.
 |
| Remsen Farm House with caption courtesy of Historian Bill Safka |
Let’s continue
to seek signs of our Colonial past, while preserving our 20th
century landmarks.
Please read Michael Perlman's column with the Forest Hills Times/Queens Ledger for more stories which document and commemorate Forest Hills and Rego Park history and architecture: http://www.foresthillstimes.com/view/full_story/24088871/article-Before-there-was-a-Forest-Hills
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