Cypress Hills Playground

Euclid Ave. bet. Dumont Ave. and Blake Ave.

Brooklyn

Directions via Google Maps

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

This playground, housing development, and neighborhood share their name with the federal cemetery that lies nearby, at 833 Jamaica Avenue. Originally inhabited by Canarsee Indians, Cypress Hills was first settled in the early 18th century by Dutch, French and English farmers, and the African slaves they brought with them. The area remained largely rural until the completion of the wooden Jamaica Plank Road (now Jamaica Avenue) in 1807. In 1821, the construction of the Union Course racetrack just over the line in Queens drew settlers rapidly to northern Brooklyn, and shops and hotels quickly sprang up to accommodate visitors and residents alike.

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