Rossville, Staten Island
Rossville | ||
---|---|---|
Borough Staten Island | | |
Established | 1684 |
Rossville is a neighborhood of Staten Island, New York, on the island's South Shore. It is located to the north of Woodrow, to the west of Arden Heights, and to the south and east of the Arthur Kill. Rossville is located within Staten Island Community Board 3.[1]
History
Early history
Originally inhabited by the
During the mid 18th century, the area was known as Old Blazing Star, and later simply Blazing Star, for a tavern located there. The Blazing Star Burial Ground, an abandoned cemetery dating from the mid-1750s, can be found just off Arthur Kill Road, north of Rossville Avenue (40°33′24″N 74°12′42″W / 40.5568°N 74.2118°W).[3]
19th century
The Blazing Star Ferry, which crossed the
By the 1830s the area was renamed Rossville after Colonel William E. Ross, who had built a replica of Windsor Castle (originally known as Ross Castle, later known as Lyon Castle) on a bluff overlooking the landing of the Blazing Star Ferry.[5]
By the mid 19th century, Rossville was a thriving farm community and the village grew around it. However, when the Staten Island Railroad, which bypassed Rossville, opened in 1860, most Staten Islanders began referring to neighborhoods along its route by the name of the nearest station; hence Rossville became colloquially part of Prince's Bay.
Poor transportation caused the town's decline until the completion of the
Sandy Ground
Within Rossville is Sandy Ground, among the oldest surviving communities in the
After
Fire of 1963
On April 20, 1963, Rossville was the scene of the worst of three devastating
Rossville's character was transformed permanently by the fire. Once the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was opened 19 months later, it and many other Staten Island neighborhoods saw massive new home construction. Many of the homes in Rossville which had been spared by the fire were demolished to make way for new, often larger ones.
Today
The Sandy Ground Historical Society, was organized on February 28, 1980 at 1538 Woodrow Road. It preserves the history and physical surroundings of the Sandy Ground community and maintains the Sandy Ground Historical Museum.[10]
Although originally mostly farmland, Rossville has become largely suburban in nature—a fact lamented by its original residents, nearly all of whom have since moved away, in many cases after having been bought out under pressure from aggressive developers who have torn down most of the original homes and replaced them with
Landmarks
Older structures
St. Joseph's Church and Cemetery
St. Joseph's Cemetery (located at the end of Barry Street), which dates from the early 1850s, is the second oldest Catholic cemetery on the island.[13]
Rossville African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
The
The current building is one of four African American churches on Staten Island which predate the 20th century. It is also one of two churches affiliated with African Methodism on the Island which predate the Civil War. Recently examination of the adjacent burial ground revealed the remains of over 500 interments (versus the 97 extant headstones), representing one of the larger collection of 19th Century African American burials in New York City.[15]
Harris Home
One of the more prominent families to live there was the Harris family. The circa 1906 home of Isaac Harris still stands at 444 Bloomingdale Road. He was the son of Silas Harris, one of two brothers who settled in Sandy Ground with their families early in its history. The Isaac Harris house was designed by architect
Many families still live in the community that was founded by their ancestors.[16]
Landmark properties
Five properties have been designated as New York City landmarks.
Landmark Name | Address | When Built | Image | Date Designated |
---|---|---|---|---|
Reverend Isaac Coleman and Rebecca Gray Coleman House | 1482 Woodrow Road | before 1859 | February 1, 2011[17] | |
Rossville A.M.E. Zion Church | 584 Bloomingdale Road | 1897 | February 1, 2011[18] | |
Rossville A.M.E. Zion Church Cemetery | 124 Crabtree Avenue | circa 1852 | April 9, 1985[19] | |
Baymen's cottages | 565 and 569 Bloomingdale Road | 1887–1898 | February 1, 2011[20] |
Newer structures
Witte Marine Scrapyard
One of the largest marine scrapyards on the
Woodbrooke Estates and Fawn Ridge
There are two large condominium developments in Rossville. One is known as Woodbrooke Estates, which is a 629-unit development with 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom condominiums. This development was completed in phases between 1981 and 1987. Woodbrooke Estates is surrounded by Barry Street to the north, Rossville Avenue to the east, Winant Avenue to the west, and Gervil Street (between Balsam Place and Correll Avenue) to the south. The other, slightly smaller condominium development in Rossville is Fawn Ridge, a 521-unit development which borders Woodbrooke Estates to the south. Fawn Ridge, which was constructed by Muss Development Company[25] (the same developer that built Woodbrooke Estates), was built between 1987 and 1990, and is located along Correll Avenue, between Rossville Avenue to the east, and Winant Avenue to the west. A 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) shopping center, located at the corner of Rossville Avenue and Grafe Street, was opened in 1992.[26]
Fire safety
Rossville is home to the city's first new fire company in over a decade, FDNY Engine Company 168, which was organized in June 2005. Engine 168 operates out of a brand new firehouse located at the corner of Rossville Avenue and Veterans Road East, which was built in 2004, and is staffed with an FDNY EMS Battalion.[27]
Education
Rossville is served by the New York City Department of Education and is located in Region 7, Community School District 31.[28]
Elementary school students are zoned to PS 56 Louis DeSario School,[29] and middle school students are zoned to either IS 75 Frank D. Paulo School[30] or IS 34 Totten School.[31] For children with learning and emotional disabilities, there is a K-12 Special Needs school called South Richmond High School PS/IS 25.[32]
The Roman Catholic elementary school in the area is the St. Joseph - St. Thomas School.[33]
Nearby high schools include Tottenville High School and St. Joseph by the Sea High School.
Transportation
Rossville is served by the
Notable residents
- landscape artist of the Hudson River School, born on his family's farm in Rossville[37]
- Territory of Idaho[38]
- NYPD's Ceremonial Unit[39]
References
- ^ Staten Island Community Board 3
- ISBN 9780806347684. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ "SHIP GRAVEYARD, ROSSVILLE, Staten Island". forgotten-ny.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ The New York Public Library - Staten Island on the Web - Staten Island's Old Names
- ^ The New York Public Library Postcard Collection - Lyon Castle: Rossville, Staten Island
- ^ a b Lee, Donna (7 November 2008). "On Visionary Soil, the Dream Turns Real". New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ^ "Black history lives at Sandy Ground". Staten Island Advance. April 24, 2005. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007.
- ^ a b c Lee, Donna. "On Visionary Soil, the Dream Turns Real". November 7, 2008. New York Times. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
- ^ "The History of Staten Island". Staten Island Advance. April 24, 2005. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- ^ "Sandy Ground Historical Museum". Office of the Borough President. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013.
- ^ New York Times – Living in Rossville, Staten Island: Steeped in History, With a Feel of the Brand New May 11, 2008
- ^ Catholic New York - St. Joseph's Church in Rossville Celebrates its 150th Anniversary July 2, 1998
- ^ Forgotten NY - Cemeteries - Burial Grounds of Richmond
- ^ Biddle, William T. "A.M.E. Zion Church" in History of Methodism and the Methodist Churches of Staten Island, ed. A. Y. Hubbell (New York: Richmond Publishing Company, 1898), p149
- ^ Staten Island church discovers 574 underground burial spots in cemetery, one of first free-black communities Accessed December 23, 2017
- ^ Ferreri, James G. (2005-02-28). "On Sacred Ground". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
- ^ Reverend Isaac Coleman and Rebecca Gray Coleman House
- ^ Rossville A.M.E. Zion Church
- ^ Rossville A.M.E. Zion Church Cemetery
- ^ 565 and 569 Bloomingdale Road Cottages
- ^ Maritime Reporter and Engineering News - Donjon: All Service, All in the Family June 4, 2004
- ^ "Bing Maps - Driving Directions, Traffic and Road Conditions". live.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ "The Boatyard - Shaun O'Boyle". oboylephoto.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ "The History of Donjon Recycling". donjonrecycling.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "Muss Development LLC". muss.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ "Postings: Ribbon-Cutting; Rossville Shopping Center", The New York Times, March 1, 1992.
- ^ Archives of the New York City Mayor's Press Office - Release #349-01 November 5, 2001
- ^ New York City Department of Education Region 7 webpage
- ^ PS 56 Louis DeSario School webpage
- ^ IS 75 Frank D. Paulo School webpage
- ^ IS 34 Totten School webpage
- ^ South Richmond High School PS/IS 25 webpage
- ^ St. Joseph - St. Thomas School webpage
- ^ MTA Regional Bus Operations. "S bus schedule".
- ^ "Bradley Beach NJ". bradley-beach.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ JAMES A. BRADLEY (1830–1921) PAPERS, 1891–1897 - Lois R. Densky, Gregory J. Plunges, April 1981 Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Newington-Cropsey Foundation website Archived 2007-06-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Caleb LYON". infoplease.com. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ Staten Island Advance - A gala draped in grandeur - St. George Theater celebrates its 76th anniversary December 4, 2005