Hart Playground

This playground is named to honor the courage and morality of 17th century Queens County resident Edward Hart (ca.1600-Α). Hart became involved in the plight of the New Amsterdam Quakers in Flushing, Queens. In 1657, a group of Quakers who had been banished from Boston arrived in New Amsterdam. Governor Peter Stuyvesant immediately began persecuting the immigrants for their non-traditional religious practices. Despite the persecution, a devout Quaker named Robert Hodgson traveled to Long Island and continued spreading the faith of the Quaker Society of Friends. Stuyvesant quickly apprehended Hodgson, fined him a large sum, and had him dragged behind a cart to where he was imprisoned. The governor denied the Quaker a defense and sentenced him to two years of hard labor. Hodgson refused to pay the fine, and in turn was brutally tortured for several days. The cruelty of his punishment caused public outrage among the residents of New Amsterdam.

In violation of Stuyvesant’s directives, several non-Quaker Flushing residents, such as John Bowne and Henry Townsend, allowed the Quakers to hold services in their homes. In response, Stuyvesant fined and imprisoned John Bowne. However, Flushing town officers refused to enforce Henry Townsend’s punishment. Following increased persecution, Edward Hart, the town clerk and Quaker sympathizer, and several representatives of the Quaker faith drafted the “The Flushing Remonstrance,” (1657) a document that called for religious freedom. The document read: “Therefore if any of these said persons (Presbyterians, Independent, Baptist, or Quaker) come in love unto us we cannot in conscience lay violent hands upon them, but give them free egresse and regresse into our Town and houses as God shall persuade our consciences.” After receiving the Remonstrance, Stuyvesant began increased persecution of Hart and the other thirty co-signers of the document. The Dutch imprisoned Hart for three weeks as a result of his actions. In 1664, Stuyvesant’s proprietor, the Dutch East India Company, ordered the conclusion of Quaker persecution. “The Flushing Remonstrance” is widely recognized as a precursor to the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

Located in the Linden Hill section of Queens, Hart Playground adjoins 147th Street between 26th and 27th Avenues. The City of New York acquired the property via condemnation on January 10, 1961. On November 21, 1962, the city assigned the property to be jointly operated by Parks and the Board of Education. The playground opened in July along with P.S. 21 (Edward Hart School) opened to the local community. Originally named 37th Avenue Playground, Parks renamed the parkland Edward Hart Playground in 1987. The park boasts numerous benches, a spray shower, junior and kinder swings, modular play equipment, and safety surfacing. In August 1998, the playground received a $9,000 renovation, sponsored by Mayor Giuliani, that included paving the sidewalks and the repairing the paths.