The Queens County Farm Museum is a remarkable historical landmark. This
47 acre tract of farmland, of which 7 acres are landmark designated, exemplifies
the 200 year history of agriculture as a way of life and livelihood in Queens
County. The Farm Museum consists of a Dutch Farmhouse dating in part to
1772, two barns, a greenhouse complex, outbuildings, planting fiends, an
orchard and farmyard with livestock. This historical site mirrors the evolution
of this unique tract of land from a colonial homestead to a truck farm which
served the needs of a growing city in the early 20th century and today brings
history and farming to life for our urban visitors.
QUEENS COUNTY FARM MUSEUM
73-50 Little Neck Parkway
Floral Park, NY 11004
(718) 347-FARM
Directions:
By Car: Grand Central Parkway to Exit 24 (Little Neck Parkway), South on
Little Neck Parkway 3 blocks to the Museum entrance, or L.I.E. to Exit 32
(Little Neck Parkway), South on Little Neck Parkway 10 blocks to the Museum
entrance.
By Subway: E or F Train to Kew Gardens/ Union Turnpike Station, Transfer
Lo the Q46 Union Turnpike Bus to Little Neck Parkway. Walk North 3 blocks
to the Museum.
History and Detailed Description
Occupying New York City's largest remaining tract of' natural, undisturbed
farmland this remarkable piece of land is the last vestige of Queens County's
300 year history of' agriculture as a way of life and livelihood.The site's
history has been traced back as far as 1697 when John Harrison sold the
land to Elbert Adriance. This began a 200 year Dutch association with the
farm as various families of Dutch ancestry acquired and sold the property.
the first factual, descriptive record of the Adriance property is the 1771
deed transferring the property from Elbert to his grandson Jacob, who built
the farmhouse existing on the site. From 1833-1892 the Cox family owned
the farm. This era of profound and rapid agricultural growth was brought
about by the completion, in 1844, of the Long Island Railroad, giving farmers
a significantly improved means of getting their produce to market. The Cox
family expanded the farmhouse in 1856 and the farm thrived.
In 1892, Daniel Stattle purchased the farm from the Cox Family for $20,000.
At that time the parcel was listed as 101 acres, and by 1900 was the second-largest
farm in Queens County with the highest dollar value: $32,000. In 1920, the
Stattles sold what is now the site of the Farm Museum to a private individual
who, in turn, sold it to the State of New York in 1926. The 1926 acquisition
by the State was the last major land purchase to complete the assemblage
of land now known as Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. In 1973, when this same
parcel was declared surplus land by New York State, community residents
banded together to preserve this beautiful open space and its historic buildings
from impending development,. State legislation turned the area over to the
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in 1982. Meanwhile, in
1975, while still under Creedmoor ownership, the Colonial Farmhouse Restoration
Society of Bellerose was formed. This nonprofit,, tax exempt organization
was incorporated in 1978 by an act of New York State Legislature and continues
to operate the museum.
The centerpiece of the restored farm is the colonial farmhouse, situated
I 10 feet west of Little Neck Parkway, or "The Road to Little Neck,"
as it was called when the house was built about 1772. Originally a modest
one-story, three-bay, shingled, three-room farmhouse, it was later expanded
to more than twice its original size by the Cox Family in 1856.
The house is in the Dutch, or more properly, Flemish, architectural style.
Important architectural features include the four-foot overshot eave on
the north elevation, along with original, hand-split shingles and original
window sashes in the same north wall.Inside the house, one may view original
plank floors, beamed ceilings, flush horizontal board wainscoting, raised-field
paneling on the parlor chimney breast and two original doors. Some original
plaster, window glass and hardware have also survived. The farmhouse is
remarkable for the amount of original 18th century material which remains.
In 1986, the City of New York restored the entire exterior to the period
of 1856.
The farmhouse, along with seven acres of land encompassing the entire orchard,
farmyard and all outbuildings, was designated a landmark by the New York
City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1976. In 1979, the same buildings
and land area were listed in the National Register of Historic Places by
the United States Department of the Interior.
All the present outbuildings are post-1927; the original farm outbuildings
of the 18th and 19th centuries were demolished by the State in 1927 to make
room for the present structures. They include three greenhouses and a connecting
potting shed, a wagon shed, two barns, garages and a brooder house. These
buildings constitute the last historically significant farm buildings built
in Queens County. The farmhouse and out-buildings span three centuries of
agrarian architecture represented at the Queens County Farm Museum.