Prodigy Real Estate - SI NY Real Estate Blog - Points of Interest

Deere Park, State Island...Not because there's Deer.

When most people in the United States hear the name "Deere", they think of John Deere; and rightly so, as he is arguably the most famous of his family in the country.  For those of you who are only aware of his name's current use as a brand name, John Deere was a blacksmith during the nineteenth century.  From Rutland, Vermont, Deere moved to Grand Detour, Illinois in 1836, at the age of thirty-two.  The following year, in 1837, John Deere opened a shop which dealt with the production of small tools.  That same year, he invented the first successful cast-steel plow.

John Deere would often have people come in to his shop to purchase a plow.  It would take some time for them to receive it, though, as he would have to construct it first.  Deere soon…

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Clove Tail Park, Staten Island not to be confused with its larger namesake

Clove's Tail Park is located just below the south end of Clove Lakes Park. The location of the park is where it gets its name from since it is at the tail end of its northern neighbor, Clove Lakes Park. Clove's Tail Park is bordered by streets on three sides. To the east, it is bordered by Little Clove Road, while to the north and south it is bordered by Victory Boulevard and Windsor Road, respectively. This puts the park on the boundary between the neighborhoods of Sunnyside and Royal Oak, which is also known as Castleton Corners.

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation obtained the land for Clove's Tail Park in 1954 from an Evangelical Lutheran Church. While the name of the church itself is not known, we do know that this church was…

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A look at Clawson Playground: Oakwood Staten Island, NY

Clawson Playground is located in the Staten Island neighborhood of Oakwood. It is bordered by streets on just two sides. To the north is Adelaide Avenue and to the east is Clawson Street. Clawson Playground has the facilities of a baseball field, basketball hoops, a play unit, and an open grassy field. This park is connected to and is part of Public School 50's schoolyard.

Clawson Playground was named after the Clawson family. The Clawsons were one of the prominent Staten Island families starting in the late 18th century. They resided on New Dorp Lane until the mid to late 19th century in a colonial-style house. In the cemetery of the Church of St. Andrew's you can find twenty-seven members buried.

The New York City Department of Parks and…

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Bloodroot Valley, Staten Island and the Staten Island Greenbelt Nature Center

Blood Root Valley Park is loosely bordered by Forest Hill Road, Eastman Avenue, Manor Road, and Rockland Avenue. It is also connected to Willowbrook Park, LaTourette Park, and High Rock Park.Bloodroot Valley is also the location of the Greenbelt Nature center. The center hosts a number of inforational sessions about the park, looks at its history as well a provide insigt into the plantlife and animal species that exisit in the park. Nearby neighborhoods are Lighthouse Hill, and Willowbrook.

Blood Root Valley Park was given to the Department of Parks and Recreation in 1994 by the City of New York. This is one of the many parks that make up the Greenbelt. Blood Root Valley Park gets its name from the bloodroot plant. This is a rare plant which, on Staten…

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The Staten Island Zoo is also known as Barrett Park

Barrett Park, which is now known as the Staten Island Zoo, is located in the neighborhood of West Brighton, near Clove Lake and Sunset Hill. It is situated between Clove Road, Broadway, and Glenwood Place.

In 1930, Julia Hardin willed this property to the City of New York, but under certain terms. These terms were that it would be named after Major Clarence T. Barrett, Hardin's brother-in-law; that it would not be used for a playground; and that her husband, Edward, would be allowed to continue to live in the house on the property. This site used to be the home of Major Clarence T. Barrett, which was where he also operated his plant nursery.

The Barretts were one of the more prominent families living on Staten Island. Clarence Barrett was able to…

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Arrochar Playground, Staten Island NY

Arrochar Playground is a park located in the northeastern section of Staten Island, below the Verrazano- Narrows Bridge. It takes up roughly one acre of land between the streets of Major Avenue, Sand Lane, and McFarland Avenue in the neighborhood of Arrochar. The playground is located next to the neighborhood's local public school, P.S. 39.

Arrochar Playground is now situated on what was once a part of William Wallace MacFarland's estate. In 1871, William bought 200 acres of land in, what was then, the village of Clifton. His estate extended from the current Arrochar Playground to St. Joseph Hill Academy, an all-girls Catholic school located at 850 Hylan Boulevard.. In the early twentieth century P.S. 39 was built and in 1945, the playground had…

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Arden Heights Woods (Passive Park) Staten Island, NY

Recreational facilities may be the leading factors which attract people to parks, but the real attraction is the nature.  In the community of Arden Heights, which is a name that has been given to the western section of Annadale, you will find the Arden Heights Woods.  In this area, you will find none of these facilities.  There are no sports fields or playgrounds.  You won't find any water fountains or places to barbecue.  That may just be the beauty of it, though, because you will find plenty of flora and fauna populating this gigantic park.

There are currently fifty-one Forever Wild Nature Preserves in New York City.  Of these sites, twenty-four are located on Staten Island. The significance of a Forever Wild Nature Preserve is stated in its title-it…

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Amundsen Circle (Captain Roald Amundsen Plaza) Oakwood Heights, Staten Island

As you may well know, the Geographic South Pole is the southernmost point on Earth, lying on the continent of Antarctica. Up until the 1800s, Antarctica was only a myth. During the year of 1820, many had claimed to have actually seen this fabled continent. The first humans to set foot on the continent did so the following year. By the turn of the century, explorers began to search for the South Pole. The first attempt was made in 1902, but the party had only reached 82°16' S.  In 1909, that same party set out once again, but they were roughly two degrees off.  Two years later, on December 14, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach 90° S, the South Pole.

While people were debating whether or not Antarctica was real, other…

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Aesop Park, Staten Island NY

Located at the corner of Bartow Avenue and Page Avenue, in Tottenville, you will find Aesop Park and Playground. This park opened in May of 2001 and was built for the students of Public School 6. Public School 6 had originally opened in 1894. The original school building was eventually given over to the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund in July of 1902. In 1901, the school reopened at another location on Rossville Avenue. This building was known as Old P.S. 6. In December of 1945, the Board of Education decided that the school building was unfit to be used as an elementary school and was closed. After it was closed, the Marimac Novelty Company used the building as a factory. Finally, after some time, the school reopened for a third time in September of…

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Blue Heron Park, Staten Island NY

In Staten Island's Bluebelt, you will find the "Heart of Southeast Annadale". In 1972, the City of New York acquired 26 acres in this area. From the early 1960s, citizens had been concerned about this land and its environs, which had
been a paradise for abandoned vehicles. These Staten Islanders tried, for over three decades, to preserve the land. Over the years, as residents began to protect more and more of the surrounding area, more land was obtained by New York City. By 2001, the City had acquired well over 200 acres of land. Today, this land is between Arbutus Avenue and Barclay Avenue to the left and right, and Amboy Road and Hylan Boulevard above and below. It is known as Blue Heron Park.

The entrance to Blue Heron Park lies on Poillon Avenue, a…

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