Classroom

The Plaque reads:IN HONOR OF THEMEN WHO SERVED IN DEFENSEOF OUR COUNTRYAND IN SACRED MEMORY OFTHOSE WHO MADETHE SUPREME SACRIFCE The Inscription on the monument itself reads: WE SHALL KEEP THE FAITHWE CHERISH, TOO, THE POPPY REDTHAT GROWS ON FIELDS WHERE VALOR LED;IT SEEMS TO SIGNAL TO THE SKIESTHAT BLOOD OF HEROES NEVER DIES,OF THE FLOWER THAT BLOOMS ABOVE THE HEADIN FLANDERS FIELDMOINA MICHAELNOVEMBER 1918Moina Michael was a professor teaching at the University of Georgia in 1917, the year the United States entered World War I. Michael was in Europe during the early and mid-summer of 1914 and when war broke out in August, she travelled to Rome to try and return to the United States. While there, she helped 12,000 American tourists return home, crossing the Atlantic Ocean. She returned to the United States on the RMS Carpathia (the ship that rescued the survivors of the Titanic) and resumed teaching.

More Info

Hillcrest Veterans Square is a public park located in Fresh Meadows, Queens, New York City. Although it’s designated as a “Square,” it is a triangle-shaped public park that contains a monument erected by Hillcrest Post No. 1078 of the American Legion. In 2005, the park’s original monument to the veterans was replaced by a new design with more detail yet included a plaque from the original monument along with excerpts from the poem “We Shall Keep the Faith” by Moina Michael. Its mention of the poppies growing in Flanders Fields inspired the use of this flower as a symbol of remembrance for those who fought in the First World War. In addition to the monument, Hillcrest Veterans Square contains a flagpole and a red maple tree. 

Hillcrest Veterans Memorial

Instructor

The Plaque reads:IN HONOR OF THEMEN WHO SERVED IN DEFENSEOF OUR COUNTRYAND IN SACRED MEMORY OFTHOSE WHO MADETHE SUPREME SACRIFCE The Inscription on the monument itself reads: WE SHALL KEEP THE FAITHWE CHERISH, TOO, THE POPPY REDTHAT GROWS ON FIELDS WHERE VALOR LED;IT SEEMS TO SIGNAL TO THE SKIESTHAT BLOOD OF HEROES NEVER DIES,OF THE FLOWER THAT BLOOMS ABOVE THE HEADIN FLANDERS FIELD MOINA MICHAEL NOVEMBER 1918 Moina Michael was a professor teaching at the University of Georgia in 1917, the year the United States entered World War I. Michael was in Europe during the early and mid-summer of 1914 and when war broke out in August, she travelled to Rome to try and return to the United States. While there, she helped 12,000 American tourists return home, crossing the Atlantic Ocean. She returned to the United States on the RMS Carpathia (the ship that rescued the survivors of the Titanic) and resumed teaching.

The town of Flushing purchased the land in 1840 to serve as a burial ground for residents who died of epidemics. Outbreaks of contagious diseases, such as cholera and tuberculosis, were common and burying the victims at a safe remove from residents was important to ensure public health. The town faced epidemics of cholera and smallpox in 1840, 1844, 1857, and 1867. Over the years, the cemetery came to be used not only for the burial of victims of epidemics but for African Americans, Native Americans, and poor whites. The graves were arranged haphazardly and some of those interred there were buried only a few inches beneath the ground's surface. The last burial in the cemetery took place in 1898, when the City of New York was consolidated and the government of Flushing was abolished. The Parks Department acquired the burial ground in 1914, and for a number of years afterward, it was used as a park. In the 1930s, Parks Commissioner Robert Moses used part of the burial ground for a modern playground, which was built by the Works Progress Administration. During the construction of the playground, workers uncovered numerous graves as well as many old-fashioned burial traditions, such as placing pennies over the eyes of the dead. It was during the 1930s that newly paved-over portion of the burial ground became known as Martin's Field, in honor of conservationist Everett Martin. Starting in the 1980s, Mandingo Tshaka began a campaign to reclaim the cemetery and acknowledge its many graves. Tshaka's interest in the burial ground began when he discovered that members of his own church, Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church, were buried there. The city used ground penetrating radar to survey the site and found that there were many unmarked graves. In 2006, the park built under Robert Moses was relocated and a plaque was placed in the center of the site, acknowledging its long history as a cemetery. The burial ground was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. In 2018, city officials announced plans for a plaza at the site which would honor the memory of those buried there. The project, which is expected to be complete in 2021, will include a wall with the names of more than 300 people that officials have confirmed are interred there. Historians believe there are hundreds--perhaps as many as a thousand--buried in the cemetery, many of which are young children. The overwhelming majority are unknown, with the exception of a few whose tombstones were still standing during the excavation of the 1930s. Their names are included on the plaque.

The Old Town of Flushing Burial Ground, also known as Martin's Field, began in 1840 as a resting place for people who died of epidemic diseases. Over the years, the cemetery was used largely for the burial of African Americans and Native Americans, as well as the victims of several epidemics. It's estimated that roughly 1,000 people are buried in the cemetery, although many of the tombstones were destroyed in the 1930s. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as the New York State Register of Historic Places. 

Old Town of Flushing Burial Ground

The Queens Museum was established in 1972 and is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in a building constructed for the 1939 World’s Fair. This same building hosted the United Nations General Assembly at its inception in 1946 and served this capacity until 1950. The museum's permanent collection consists of around 10,000 items, over 6000 of which are documents and objects related to the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. The most popular part of the museum is the "Panorama of the City of New York", which was built between 1961 and 1964 and was one of the highlights of the 1964 World’s Fair. A celebration of the City’s municipal infrastructure, this 9,335-square-foot architectural model includes every single building constructed in all five boroughs (895,000 individual structures). The museum is also famous for the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany glass. A major 2013 restoration project helped expand Queens Museum's available space and offerings.

Queens Museum

The Unisphere was built for the 1964 World's Fair, which took place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York. It is one of the largest world globes ever assembled at 140 ft tall and 120 ft in diameter. It weighs in at 350 tons. The globe marks the capitals of nations across the world with lenses, which were lit with flashing lights during the World's Fair. Currently, the lights have been removed, but the capitals from 1964 are still marked if you look closely. Surrounding the globe are three orbital rings that represent the path of three satellites that first circled Earth from space. The Unisphere was built by the United States Steel Corporation and was designed by Gilmore D. Clarke. The 1964 World's Fair brought together ideas and developments in science and technology from across the world. The objective of the World's Fair in Queens was to promote global peace through understanding. This was a prominent issue for the United States and the world in 1964, which was a time when a war raged in Vietnam and social changes were occurring around the globe. With space exploration and other advancements in science and technology, the world became smaller and nations were intertwined into a single global economy that would shape the future of the planet moving forward. After the 1964 World's Fair, the Unisphere was neglected by park officials and suffered deterioration over time. For example, parts of the nations attached to the globe peeled off and would flap around during heavy winds. In 1994, the Unisphere, along with Flushing Meadows Corona Park as a whole, was renovated. The Unisphere was remodeled and damaged areas were reinforced during a fifteen-year project. It received official City Landmark Status in 1995. Today, the Unisphere still stands as a prominent symbol of both the City and the World.

The Unisphere was constructed in 1964 by the American Bridge Division of the United States Steel Corporation and was one of the highlights of the 1964-65 World Fair. It was designed by landscape artists Gilmore D. Clarke and became one of the symbols of the fair which was held at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The sculpture stands 140 feet tall and was designated a New York City landmark in 1994.

The Unisphere 

The Old Quaker meeting house located in Flushing is one of the oldest places of worship in the United States. It was built in 1694 by John Bowne and a variety of other religious reformers so that they may practice their religion of Quakerism in the confines of a secure building. Since then, it has been used as the meeting home and place of worship for Quakerism, now called, The Religious Society of Friends. The architecture of the building is quite warm with dark, warm floorboards, simple benches, and hand-hewn timber ceiling beams.Among the grounds of the house is an old graveyard adorned with flowers and trees indigenous to New York. The graveyard is no longer used for burial, however, there are currently many famous Quakers who have been buried there. Among these famous Quakers include John Bowne and his family as well as the Leggett, Hicks and Wright families. These prominent Long Island families not only pushed for religious freedom&nbsp;but also worked to abolish slavery and restructure equality. John Bowne, the person most associated with this house, was a known religious revolutionary in the United States. He played a direct role in the Flushing Remonstrance, which was a document signed by the various citizens of Flushing in the 17th Century to combat Peter Stuyvesant’s religious bans. After the signing, many of the signers were arrested, and the townspeople's Government of Flushing was disbanded. John Bowne openly defied the ban and aided the signers, known as Quakers, by allowing them to meet in his house. He later helped with the creation of the meeting house. The original Quakers emerged from England during the mid-1600s as a response to the religious turmoil coming from the Protestant Reformation. The Quakers emphasized ideas of pacifism, equality, simplicity, and integrity. The Quakers received little support for their new religion, and many were jailed throughout the time period. The missionary efforts of some of the Quakers brought them to America in the hopes of spreading the young religion. Because of this, many became affiliated with Pennsylvania politics and were soon dominating the Penn state government. Quakers also played a large role in the abolition of slavery and were the first group in history to completely abolish the practice. They also were important in World War II where they helped raise funds during the war. Today, the Quakers continue their relief efforts and development plans.

The Old Quaker House was built in 1694 by John Browne to house religious meetings. The house symbolized, for colonial America, the struggle for equality that emerged at the time the house was built. It represented religious freedom, even holding papers of what many believe to be the earliest formal document declaring a need for religious freedom, the Flushing Remonstrance. The ideas of strength and equality which embodied the old house have carried on, as the house still represents these ideologies today.

Demo Queens Tour

Hillcrest Veterans Memorial

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information