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This parkland is dedicated to the memory of those soldiers from Elmhurst who lost their lives serving in World War I. A World War I-era howitzer once sat in the center of the triangle. Howitzers, which are light-to-medium weight artillery pieces, were used extensively during World War I as a means of providing support for both air and infantry units. Read more...
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Van Alst Playground, adjoined to P.S. 171 and bounded by 14th and 21st Streets, 29th and 30th Avenues, is named after Peter G. Van Alst. Born in Dutch Kills (“kill” means “stream” in Dutch), Queens on May 28, 1828, Van Alst received his education at the District School and the Astoria Institute. He apprenticed as a surveyor for a few Read more...
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Woodtree Playground is so named for the prominent willow oak (Quercus phellos) trees in the playground. A popular tree for parks and streets, the willow oak is one of the more durable trees. Although it flourishes in a wetter climate, the willow oak adapts to widely varying conditions. The trees narrow leaves create a comfortable shade, and are among the Read more...
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This triangle honors William F. Moore (1897–1918), a Marine private killed in battle during World War I (1914-1918). A graduate of PS 17, Moore grew up nearby on the corner of 103rd Street and Corona Avenue. Moore enlisted in the Marine Corps in April 1917 and was killed in 1918 while serving with the 47th Company, Fifth Regiment at Belleau Read more...
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Reverend Matthew J. Crosson (1908-1986) was born in Greenwich Village. He moved to Woodside when he was eighteen years old in 1926, was ordained in 1934 and began working in the Bronx soon thereafter. From 1941 to 1946, Crosson served as an Army chaplain in the South Pacific where he won several citations for his remarkable bravery and devotion. After Read more...
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This playground is named for Willets Point, a peninsula located to the northeast of the park. Due to its strategic position at the approaches to the East River via the Hell Gate, the point eventually became the site of Fort Totten. In the 18th century, the 150 acre peninsula was known as Thorne’s Neck, after its owner, Jacob Thorne. In Read more...
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This triangle, located in the Queens neighborhood of Maspeth in the shadow of the Long Island Expressway, is named in honor of American naval hero, Captain Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819). In the famous Battle of Lake Erie, Oliver Hazard Perry became the first man in history to defeat an entire British naval squadron and triumphantly bring home every ship as Read more...
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Derived from the Native American word for “The Place of Happy Hearts,” Wayanda references this site’s historic use as a burial ground. This park is one of many throughout the city that once served as potters’ fields. Washington Square Park, Union Square, and J.J. Walker Park all served as cemeteries for paupers, drifters, criminals, and others who were refused burial Read more...
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Willow Lake Playground draws its name from nearby Willow Lake in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Willow Lake, like adjacent Meadow Lake, was created by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses (1888-1981) for the 1939-40 World’s Fair. Willow Lake’s surface area originally measured 47 acres, but after the 1964 World’s Fair the lake began to revert to the wetland from which it had been Read more...
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Sources conflict over the true meaning of the name Hell Gate. The Dutch rendering, Hellgat, is translated as “open passage,” and in this context refers to the East River as it opens into the Long Island Sound. Formed by a fault deep under the surface, the water, at over 100 feet in depth on the Manhattan side, is among the Read more...