5. Elmhurst was once a free Black community in the 19th century

corona avenue street sign honoring james pennington in elmhurst
Intersection honoring abolitionist James Pennington

Following the American Revolution, a number of slaves in New York City were released by their owners or had escaped to different parts of the United States. The free Black community that developed in Newtown around the late 1830s began establishing their own community in that part of Queens. People came together to construct one of the first Black churches in the United States and used it not only as a place for religious gatherings but also for community bonding and strengthening.

One of the more prominent figures of the community was a formerly enslaved blacksmith named James Pennington. He was a leading abolitionist in America at the time and even has a street sign in his name on Corona Avenue and 90th Street. Once slavery was federally abolished in 1865, the population of Blacks in Newtown dissipated as they moved to other parts of the city or country. Remnants of such history still remain in the area, such as the St. Mark’s African Methodist Episcopal Church and a former burial ground located on the same intersection as the James Pennington sign.