Paerdegat Park

This East Flatbush park, bounded by Foster Avenue, Albany Avenue, Farragut Road, and East 40th Street, is named for Paerdegat Basin, a 1.25 mile-long channel that empties into Jamaica Bay in nearby Bergen Beach. Paerdegat Basin, named for a Dutch word meaning "horse gate," is a saltwater wetland area. Groves of trees such as the ailanthus, honey locust, and smooth sumac in the basin's upland region provide a welcome habitat for many species of birds and animals.

Until recently, East Flatbush was simply a grouping of several smaller neighborhoods, including Farragut, where Paerdegat Park officially lies. Originally inhabited by the Canarsee tribe, the land now known as Farragut was settled by the Dutch who named it Flatbush. Until the twentieth century, the area was made up mostly of farmland. The neighborhood is named in honor of Admiral David G. Farragut (1801-1870) whose distinguished service in the United States Navy during the Civil War made him a hero so cherished by the people of New York City that they gave him $50,000 at the end of the war.

In 1892, after the City pledged to connect the neighborhood via subway with other parts of Brooklyn, the Germania Land Company bought 65 acres of East Flatbush farmland for development. Farragut remained a quiet community until the end of World War II when many apartment buildings were built to accommodate returning soldiers. Farragut Woods, a six-acre home to muskrats, raccoons, otters, and the Flatbush Water Works, was cleared out in 1950 to allow the construction of Vanderveer Estates which houses over 12,000 people.

The land for Paerdegat Park was acquired by purchase and condemnation in 1941 and became a park that same year. Reconstruction in 1999 brought new handball and basketball courts, a baseball diamond, and a brand new cricket field. In 2015, the playground doubled in size with new play equipment, pavement and safety surface, and the basketball court was completely reconstructed. Benches, chess, checker tables and domino tables, and landscaping provide visitors with additional enjoyment.