By The Times/Ledger
North of Flushing is College Point, named College Point in 1835 by the Rev. William Augustus Muhlenberg, who established St. Paul's College there in 1838. Conrad Poppenhusen chose College Point in 1854 as a site for his hard rubber works. Poppenhusen, who in the 1870s was President of the Long Island Railroad, attracted dozens of businesses to College Point, among them breweries and resorts. Its beer halls and amusement parks, especially Point View Island, made it popular for outings, steamboat excursions and political clubs. The village above 14th Ave. was the site of palatial mansions, company houses and modest private houses.
The landmarked Poppenhusen Institute, at 114-04 14th Rd., 358-6322, was built by Conrad Poppenhusen as a center for social activities. In time it served as a combination bank-school-jail and today is a community center and museum. It was home to the nation's first free Kindergarten. MacNeill Park, College Place and Poppenhusen Ave., spreads out right along the water providing a quiet respite to what even New Yorkers will admit can be a somewhat noisy town.
More information: College Point Board of Trade, 939-3393; Community Board 7, 359-2800.
