The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground

Established in 1840, these grounds were purchased by the town of Flushing as a pauper's burial ground. Over time, the burials were mostly people of African American and Native American descent. As a result, the cemetery went through a variety of name changes from inception to present, including "Town Ground", "Pauper's Burial Ground", and "Colored Cemetery of the Olde Towne of Flushing". This site is the final resting place for as many as 1,000 people.

Later the burial ground was used for people who died during the cholera and smallpox epidemics. At the time, church burials were outlawed due to deteriorating sanitary conditions, and living relatives believed the bodies of the ill would contaminate family plots.

From burial records, it is known that more than half of those interred here are under the age of five and only a quarter are over the age of 30. Archaeological studies suggest that this site was a mix of individual and mass graves. The final burial took place in 1898. The grounds were eventually transferred to the parks department in 1914. A 1919 topographic survey documented the location of four marble headstones marking the graves of Alfred E. Bunn (died in 1876 at age 3), George H. Bunn (died in 1887 at age 17), James Bunn (died in 1890 at age 53), and Willie Curry (died in 1874 at age 4).

The burial ground sat undisturbed and overgrown until the 1930s, when a playground known as “Martin’s Field” was constructed. The bodies were never relocated, and the grounds were completely desecrated. News articles written around this time report that people saw “bones galore” being pulled out of the ground along with coins that had been placed on the eyes of the dead.

The site was still a playground in the 1990s when community activist Mandingo Osceola Tshaka (1931-2022) called attention to its history as a cemetery. His continued advocacy led to the inclusion of the burial ground on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and prompted archeological studies that would inform the playground’s transformation in 2006 into a memorial space. The site was officially renamed The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground in 2010.

In 2021, a central memorial was dedicated to all who are buried here, giving them the recognition they deserve. A commemorative wall is engraved with 320 recorded names of those interred on this property and allows for additional names to be added if recovered. The wall is also incised with plaques that represent the four marble headstones found in 1919 that were likely destroyed to make way for the playground. A stacked stone wall marks the original 1840 boundary of the Burial Ground, where most of the remains are located. This space also has a butterfly garden and seating that gives the site a feeling of peace and tranquility.

Inscribed cardinal directions in the Matinecock language have been included for celebrations and ceremonies by the Native American community. A portion of the stacked stone wall marking the original boundary has been reconstructed, further illuminating the history of the site.

The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground is a place for meditation, reflection, and remembrance.