Looking to get better insight on what Staten Island parks have to offer? Here you will find information on what types of parks exist on Staten Island as well as some background on the history of each park. Additionally, we will highlight some of the amenities and events each has to offer. Staten Island is known as the "Borough of Parks" as it features the highest concentration of New York City Parkland of the five boroughs that make up New York City. The information on local parks is part of Prodigy Real Estate's ongoing commitment to give the most comprehensive  information about Staten Island and its amazing features.

.conferance_house_park_realestatesiny_400Photo© Conferance House Park, Tottenville Staten Island

From the beginning of the American Civil War, Major General Richard Delafield was in charge of the defenses at New York Harbor. By 1864, he became the Chief of Engineers of the United States Army, a title he held until his walker_park3_400retirement in 1866.  At the time of his retirement, he resided at his estate on Bard Avenue, which was located in northeastern West Brighton, a community known as Livingston. Major General Richard Delafield passed away on November 5, 1873.

In 1872, one year prior to Major General Richard Delafield's passing, the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club was formed. The club had originally made their home at Camp Washington, which was a part of the current St. George neighborhood. In 1874, two years after having been establishing, the…

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The history of Westerleigh Park has much to do with the history of the entire neighborhood of Westerleigh, itself.  It all began with the American Civil War, which took place during the 1860s. If you learned about American history in grade school, there's a high chance you were taught of the American Civil War. During those schools days, you probably awesterleigh_park_1_400lso learned about causes and effects. The American Civil War, as you may know, had many of both.  One effect about which you may not have learned at such a young age was the fact that this specific war led to excessive alcoholism.

Once people began to realize how horrible the effects of the beverage actually were, concerned citizens decided to do something about it.  In 1869, just four years after the…

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On January 1, 1898, the City of Greater New York was created. New York City consisted of Bronx County, Kings tappen_park_1_400County, New York County, Queens County, and Richmond County. At the time, there were just three public parks located in Richmond County, or Staten Island. These were Port Richmond Park, Washington Square Park, and Westerleigh Park. During the late eighteenth century, Staten Island consisted of four towns: Castleton, Northfield, Southfield, and Westfield.  By the middle of the nineteenth century, portions of both Castleton and Southfield were merged to create Middletown.  Throughout the years, these towns were comprised of smaller villages.  At first, the village known as Stapleton was located in the town of Southfield.  By the time Middletown was…

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Quite often in Staten Island, you will find parks and neighboring streets bearing the same name. This happened in the neighborhood of Great Kills, just above the Staten Island Railroad line. In 1982, roughly twenty-three acres of land were acquired by the City of New York. This land, which is bounded by the streets of Dewey Avenue to the north, Greaves Avenue to the west, and Evergreen Street to the east, was put under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Owing to its location, it was named Evergreen Park.

Soon, the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences took over the park, after coming to an agreement with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Until the end of the decade, the Staten Island…

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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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