By Nathan Duke
The Bayside Historical Society will host a tour this month of a landmarked colonial era cemetery to encourage community interest in the site’s preservation as well as unveil a new exhibit on the neighborhood’s history, a spokeswoman for the group said.
The historical society, headquartered at Fort Totten, will conduct a tour of Bayside’s historic Lawrence Cemetery at 216th Street and 42nd Avenue at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22.
The cemetery is on a plot of land that was part of the original patent granted by the Dutch to city Mayor John Lawrence in 1645. The burial ground was maintained by Lawrence’s family for more than 300 years, but eventually fell into disrepair. In the 1960s, Bayside Historical Society founder Joseph Brown led an effort to restore the cemetery, which was declared a city landmark in August 1967.
The society, which has maintained the property for more than 40 years, will host the tour as part of a public awareness campaign to encourage community involvement in the burial ground’s upkeep. The tour will begin at the society’s office at 208 Totten Ave. in Bayside.
The group will also present a new portable exhibit during a Nov. 19 event in the grand ballroom of the Castle at Fort Totten, historical society spokeswoman Jennifer Dullahan said.
The society’s new installation documents Bayside’s history through a series of 10 panels on subjects ranging from the Bayside Fire Department, local golf courses, Fort Totten, Little Neck Bay and Lawrence Cemetery.
The exhibit will be presented in conjunction with a discussion hosted by the Astoria Historical Society on the history of the Queensboro Bridge.
The event will be free for historical society members, but there is a suggested $3 donation for non−members.
The society will also host a Christmas concert and dinner Dec. 14 and a ceremony to honor its volunteers Jan. 10.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e−mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 156.
