FLUSHING, Queens (WABC) — Surrounded today by busy streets, apartment buildings and city life, the Bowne House stands as one of New York City’s oldest surviving homes – and one of its most important pieces of American history.<\/p>\n
Built in 1661, the home transports visitors back more than 360 years with its original wooden beams, wide-plank floors, massive fireplaces and unique artifacts, including a beehive oven, an antique mustache cup and even a crutch said to have been used to kill a bear.<\/p>\n
“That over there is a mustache cup,” laughed Bowne House educator Emily Vieyra-Haley during a tour. “To keep your mustache clean!”<\/p>\n
The home originally sat on what was once a 300-acre farm, a far cry from the densely populated neighborhood that surrounds it today.<\/p>\n
“This is what was built in 1661,” Vieyra-Haley said. “We have original floorboards, ceiling beams, and we even have a cutout on the wall so you can see the materials they used – clay, mud, horse hair, and marsh grass.”<\/p>\n
Many of the home’s original features remain remarkably intact, offering visitors a rare look at colonial construction techniques.<\/p>\n
The Bowne House also played a significant role during the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n
“This enormous fireplace was much too big for one family,” Vieyra-Haley explained. “It was constructed under duress during the Revolutionary War.”<\/p>\n
Parts of the British Army occupied the property during the conflict, leaving their mark on the historic home.<\/p>\n
But perhaps the Bowne House’s greatest legacy came years later.<\/p>\n
The Quaker family who lived there became known for their commitment to equality and justice, and the home eventually served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, sheltering people escaping slavery.<\/p>\n
“He concealed a freedom seeker in his cellar and stable,” said Bowne House archivist Charlotte Jackson.<\/p>\n
Visitors can even read historic letters documenting the danger involved in protecting those seeking freedom.<\/p>\n
“This is a strong case and great care and caution is required,” one letter warns, underscoring the risks taken by those who chose to help.<\/p>\n
Eight generations of the Bowne family lived in the house over the centuries. One generation alone included 16 children, a reminder of how the home remained a bustling family residence long before the United States was founded.<\/p>\n
More than a century before America declared its independence, the Bowne House was already laying the foundation for values that would become central to the nation’s identity: religious freedom, courage, and the pursuit of liberty.<\/p>\n
Today, the historic home continues welcoming visitors, preserving those stories for future generations in the heart of Queens.<\/p>\n
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