In 1675, a couple from Warwickshire, England immigrated to America. This couple, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Merrill, settled in Staten Island, where they owned much land. By 1683, the area in which they resided came to be known saw_mill_1_400as the town of Northfield. Beginning in 1866, the towns were dissolved and smaller villages were created. These villages became neighborhoods, in which you will find even smaller communities today. Now, the area in which Mr. and Mrs. Richard Merrill originally moved is known as Bloomfield.

From the beginning of the eighteenth century, well into the nineteenth century, Staten Island was largely dependent upon farming. The land owned by Richard Merrill was made up entirely of farmland, with a few exceptions, such as their house. Richard…

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In the community of Midland Beach, you will find two sites operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation: Midland Field and Midland Playground.  The two parks are parallel to each other, being separated by midland_playground_1_400Midland Avenue to the Field's south and the Playground's north.  Midland Field, which is on top, is bounded to the north by Bedford Avenue, the west by Boundary Avenue, and the east by Mason Avenue.  It takes up almost eight acres of land.  Midland Playground, on the other hand, is only a fraction of Midland Field's size.  It is almost two acres in total and, like Midland Field, is bounded to the east by Mason Avenue.  However, since it does not extend as far along Midland Avenue as Midland Field does, its imaginary western boundary…

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Located on the North Shore of Staten Island, in the neighborhood of Mariner's Harbor, is Mariners Marsh Park. It is on the western section of the North Shore and is bordered by only two streets. The park is bound by Richmond Terrace to the north and Holland Avenue to the east.

mariners_marsh_400Prior to becoming a park, this parcel of land was an ancient Indian village and was used as an industrial site. In 1903, the Milliken Brothers' Structural Iron Works and Rolling Mill opened a plant on this site. The Milliken Brothers were one of the largest manufactures of steel products during this time. While opening this plant in 1903, the American Museum of Natural History excavated the spot to find the burial and village site of the Lenape Indians, along with many artifacts…

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October of 1929 played a very significant role in shaping the future for America. Many Americans are quite familiar with what happened at this time-even if they have a hard time remembering dates. During the end of the month, lyons_pool_staten islandthe stock market crashed. This brought upon the well-known Great Depression, which lasted through the 1930s.

By 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration, which provided several million Americans with paying jobs. One of these jobs was the installation of eleven outdoor swimming pools in the City of New York. One of these pools was constructed on the waterfront between 1934 and 1936 in Staten Island's neighborhood of Tompkinsville. Once construction on the 2.56-acre site was completed,…

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Staten Island is home to fifty-one Forever Wild Nature Preserves. In Staten Island's Great Kill's Neighborhood, you wilking_fisher_sign_400l find one of these preserves taking up roughly twenty-two acres of land.  The park is officially known as King Fisher Park; however, the preserve is known as the Islington Pond Park Preserve. For the most part, the park is bounded by Corbin Avenue to the east, Barlow Avenue and Islington Street to the south, Miles Avenue to the west, and Fairfield Street to the north.  Another eastern and western boundary, which would vertically cut through the center of the park if it were connected on both sides, is Greaves Avenue.

Stretching across Miles Avenue, from Fairfield Street to Islington Street, you will find King Fisher Park's pride and…

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fdr_boardwalk_south_beach_2_640During the nineteenth century, much of Staten Island was used as a summer resort for its neighboring boroughs.  This was especially so closer to the shore, where people had access to the beach.  By the beginning of the twentieth century, in 1906, an amusement park opened on the eastern shore of Staten Island.  The Happyland Amusement Park, located in South Beach, was a widely anticipated attraction-so much so that at the time of its opening, thirty-thousand people traveled to Staten Island for its grand opening.

In 1912, a carousel was constructed at Happyland Amusement Park. The carousel became the most popular attraction of the park.  However, it was not the only feature enjoyed by the amusement park's visitors.  Happyland Amusement Park also had such…

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