WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JANUARY 2, 2020 5
Historic marker dedicated to NYC Mayor and
Gov. DeWitt Clinton’s home installed in Maspeth
JPCA President Tony Nunziato holding the mansion photo and NHS
President Christina Wilkinson holding a portrait of Gov. DeWitt Clinton.
Photo courtesy of Steve Garza
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
The Newtown Historical Society
(NHS) completed its two-year
mission to bring back a long-lost
roadside marker noting the former
location of the Maspeth mansion
that belonged to NYC Mayor and Gov.
DeWitt Clinton.
The marker is now at the intersection
of Maspeth Avenue on 56th
Terrace and 58th Street. The new,
blue and yellow sign replaced the
one that was originally installed in
the 1930s by the NYS Department
of Education’s State History Office,
and is believed to have disappeared
when the roads were widened and
reconfigured decades ago.
NHS’ President Christina Wilkinson
said she was inspired to bring it
back in 2017 while doing research.
“I came across a photo of the old
marker that was at the intersection,”
Wilkinson said. “I thought to myself,
why couldn’t NHS replace it? There’s
a tree-lined plaza at the location now
and it would enhance the area while
teaching residents about the history
of Maspeth.”
Clinton, the “Father of the Erie
Canal,” is believed to have planned
said canal at his Maspeth summer
home. During the American Revolutionary
War, the mansion was used
as the headquarters for the British
general Joseph Warren, according
to a report from the Associated Cultural
Resource Consultants.
Clinton and his wife Maria
inherited the mansion from his
father-in-law, Walter Franklin. But
the mansion, which stood near the
historic town dock, Newtown Landing,
burned down in 1933 after years
of neglect.
Senator Joseph Addabbo’s office
determined that the plaza where
the current marker is installed was
owned by the NYC Department of
Transportation, and funding from
Councilman Robert Holden covered
the cost of the marker.
It was purchased from Catskills
Castings, which also created the
original marker for the State History
Office.
According to the NHS, Community
Board 2 unanimously voted in favor
of supporting the placement of the
marker back in March. The NYC
Design Commission then approved
NHS’ application in July.
Tony Nunziato, president of the
Juniper Park Association, arranged
for Marco Properties to install the
marker and on Dec. 16, the project
was completed. Money collected
from a Facebook fundraiser covered
the cost of installation.
“Montauk has long been known as
‘The End’ of Long Island,” Nunziato
said. “Well, Maspeth is actually ‘The
Beginning’ both geographically and
historically and this project helps
acknowledge that.”
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