Queens
26. Bowne House: 37-01 Bowne St., Flushing
The Bowne House, one of the oldest buildings in the five boroughs, was built in 1661 by John Bowne, an English immigrant honored as a pioneer of the struggle for religious freedom in America. The Bowne House was the first place for worship for the Quakers in Flushing, built after Bowne fought for the right of Quakers to practice their religion and have equal rights in Dutch New Amsterdam. Built using English building techniques but based on a Dutch plan, the house mixes together the two architectural styles found in colonial New York. Nearly two decades after its construction, the Bowne House operated as a stop on the New York Underground Railroad network.
A letter of introduction that was carried by a fugitive on the Underground Railroad was discovered in 2016. The letter, addressed to a lawyer named William Parsons, was penned by Simeon Smith Jocelyn, a prominent abolitionist and social reformer at the time. Jocelyn founded New Haven’s first Black church and schools for New Haven’s Black residents, and he had plans to found a “Black Yale” for emancipated slaves. Jocelyn also co-founded the Amistad Committee to fundraise for the imprisoned Africans who killed the captain of their slave ship. Parsons, the letter’s addressee, was the younger brother of abolitionists Samuel Bowne Parsons and Robert Bowne Parsons, who were likely conductors on the Underground Railroad. Though the lack of information regarding dates is unclear, Robert and William were residents of Bowne House in 1850, suggesting the home may have been a stop. The Bowne House has been a museum since 1947 and hosts visitors, tours, and researchers. Most of the museum’s 5,000 objects are original to the house.
27. Macedonia A.M.E. Church, Flushing
The Macedonia A.M.E. Church may have been one of the only religious institutions in Queens to have been used as a station on the New York Underground Railroad network. The church is the third oldest religious organization in Flushing, beginning in 1811 as the African Methodist Society. From its start, the church catered to a diverse congregation that included Black, white, and Native American congregants.
As expected, many members of the church were very active in the fight to end slavery. A larger church was constructed in 1837 as the congregation grew. It is likely the church worked alongside other Flushing institutions including the Bowne House and Old Quaker Meeting House to raise awareness and funds for abolitionist causes.