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This park honors Christopher John Siedenburg (1969-1994) a dedicated Staten Island fireman. A lifelong resident of Great Kills, he saw fighting fires as the finest expression of his greatest goal, helping people. Throughout his time at Monsignor Farrell High School and his two years at the College of Staten Island, Siedenburg worked as a newspaper carrier, restaurant worker, lifeguard, and Read more...
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This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park. In the late 19th century, many of Staten Island’s beaches became fashionable and popular resort areas. There, visitors found relief from the crowding and close development of Manhattan and Brooklyn. During the day, vacationers enjoyed the beaches, while at night they frequented the Read more...
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As natural resources dwindle on Staten Island, our parks are becoming ever more important as oases for plants and animals. Long Pond Park provides an important stop on the Atlantic flyway for migrating birds as well as being a place of respite and recreation for many people. This unique area is composed of a combination of wetland and woodland, including Read more...
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This park honors George William Allison (1888-1939), an engineer who used his expertise to usher in a new era of public works in Staten Island when President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) established the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. Allison was born in Virginia. He graduated from the Locustdale Military Academy in 1905, and from Washington and Lee University in Read more...
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The neighborhood of Stapleton was founded in 1836 and named for William J. Staples (1807-1883). Along with Minthorne Tompkins (1807-1881), Staples purchased the land in the northeast corner of Staten Island from the Vanderbilt family. They decided to name the new development Stapleton because Tompkins’ name was already preserved in nearby Tompkinsville (named for Minthorne’s father Daniel Tompkins (1774-1825), Governor Read more...
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The town of Tottenville is located on Staten Island, at the southernmost point of New York City. Tottenville was named for the Totten family, who founded Bethel Church in 1822. Many members of the Totten family are buried in the Church’s cemetery, which is located on the corner of Amboy Road and Bethel Avenue. A considerable number of Native American Read more...
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Great Kills Park is known for its four beaches: New Dorp Beach; Cedar Grove Beach; Oakwood Beach; and Fox Beach. One of the four, New Dorp Beach, was once the home of the second permanent European settlement in Staten Island. Today, these beaches and wetlands help fight against erosion and flooding in nearby neighborhoods. Proposed Cedar Grove Beach Rehabilitation The Read more...
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This park and the surrounding community are named for the sandbar that separates them from Great Kills Harbor. At low tide, this crescent-shaped sandbar emerges from the foot of Wiman Avenue toward Crooke’s Point in Gateway National Recreation Area. Much of this area was once marshland, used as a landfill in the 1930s and 1940s. Over time, erosion separated Crooke’s Read more...
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This landscaped park on the northeastern shore of Staten Island occupies the site of the former estate of Arthur Von Briesen (1843-1920). A native of Germany, Von Briesen immigrated to the United States in 1858 at the age of 15. After enduring some hardship in his early years here, he began to study law. At the start of the Civil Read more...
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Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) established himself as a key figure in American military history in a career that spanned four wars in five decades. MacArthur graduated from West Point in 1903 and went on to emulate the success of his father Arthur MacArthur, a decorated general. Though he would earn his reputation serving on the Asian front, MacArthur began his career Read more...
