Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has appointed a new Queens Borough Historian, with his office announcing on Wednesday that Jason D. Antos has assumed the position.
Antos is a historian, writer, public school educato, and licensed New York City tour guide. The lifelong Whitestone resident has served as the Queens Historical Society’s executive director since 2021 after previously serving as the group’s board president.
Prior to his role with the Queens Historical Society, he served on the Bayside Historical Society’s board of directors from 2014 to 2017.
Antos has published seven books detailing the history of Queens. He also regularly contributes to “Give Me Astoria,” a magazine centered on the culture, arts and history of western Queens.
New York State law details Antos’s role as Queens Borough Historian. He establishes and supports programs preserving historical government records, collects and preserves historical nongovernmental records within libraries, historical societies, and other related organizations and entities, and conducts and encourages research into the records so that residents have a knowledge and understanding of local history.
Antos succeeds the late Jack Eichenbaum, who was appointed Queens Borough Historian by then-Borough President Helen Marshall in 2010. He served in that role until his passing in December 2023.
Antos said he was grateful to assume his role as the new Queens Borough Historian.
“I thank Borough President Richards and all of my friends and colleagues in the Queens history family who have been so generous with their support of my efforts in preserving the epic history of Queens,” he said. “I will begin work right away with the Borough President’s Office and with local Queens-based historical societies to help spread the knowledge of our borough’s wonderful legacy. The history of Queens belongs to all of us.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards described Queens as the ‘historical heartbeat’ of the city.
“It’s a history worth celebrating, protecting and preserving for every single generation to come,” said Richards.“I’m deeply confident that in Jason D. Antos, we will have a Queens Borough Historian who will dedicate his time in this role to doing just that. I look forward to working with Jason in the years ahead to ensure our past informs our future and that our history is always revered.”
There are many thriving historical societies throughout the borough dedicated to preserving the histories of Queens’ centuries-old neighborhoods. Some of these historical preservation efforts inlcde the Queens Historical Society, the Bowne House Historical Society, the Bayside Historical Society, and the Douglaston and Little Neck Historical Society.
