Also known as Staten Island, New York.
From Ancestry.com
A Brief History of Richmond County, Staten Island
It is said that the Indian name for Staten Island is Monacnong, or Enchanted Woods. Staten Island has, indeed, been enchanted for those who have had the privilege of living there. Somewhere between the city and the country you get the balance that is Staten Island.
Today I'm just going to tell you about one of the enchanted woods here in Staten Island.
Blue Heron Park is located in the Annadale section of Staten Island, New York. Another place I've never been. It's a long walk, but I can do it. Just one of the enchanted woods of Staten Island I've ignored over the years.
I've driven around the island, found winding roads with a few houses on them and some that are just still bare land or have a really really old house surrounded by woods. There's a road close to where I live, Bloomingdale Road, and on one side there is a big development of houses, all the same. Don't get me wrong, they are nice homes, but right across the street stands an old home, surrounded by woods, the house has to be at least 100 years old and behind the house is Bloomingdale Park. That house might stand there for many, many more years, I hope it does, but they can't touch the woods and the park, it's all protected. More enchanted woods that haven't been destroyed.
There are roads along Hylan Boulevard where you can just park by the beach, some with actual viewing lots and bridges to get a better view. On a clear day you can see Sandy Hook, New Jersey across the Raritan Bay.
There's so much history about Staten Island and the Revolutionary War. I read on Wikipedia that Lord William Howe established his headquarters in New Dorp at the Rose and Crown Tavern near the junction of present New Dorp Lane and Amboy Road. It is here that the representatives of the British government reportedly received their first notification of the Declaration of Independence.
Now how cool is that for the "forgotten borough"!? It was here in Staten Island that the British first found out that we declared our independence!
I've lived on the south shore of Staten Island for most of my life, know many of the surrounding towns, as we call them here, and am still so pleasantly surprised to find some part of the Island that hasn't been changed. When I first moved here, in 1975, there weren't even stop signs on most of the streets, where there are now traffic lights everywhere. My backyard faced a small forest and across from our development was the woods, many acres of Monacnong, enchanted woods.
My sister Linda and brother Joe, maybe even my sister Deb too, went for a walk in those woods once, got lost for hours and didn't think they would find their way home. Obviously they did, but learned to respect those enchanted woods, learned how easy and scary it was to get lost. They must not have read the Brothers Grimm's Hansel and Gretel enough times!
After about 10 years or so, the small forest behind our house became a road with a school and a shopping center. No more did I see rabbits hopping by as I looked out my window. No more was I scared out of my mind facing a mama possum with her babies following behind. The first night that happened I was in my yard. No fences, no reason for a fence, there were just woods out there but when I saw those possums, eyes glowing in the night I ran inside probably begging my parents to move back to Brooklyn, back to civilization!
I learned to love Staten Island over the years. It's close enough to the city (well as long as you don't hit traffic) but it still has a small town feel pretty much every town, some more than others.
But this Saturday I am going to Blue Heron Park. There are so many free activities at the park for both children and adults. My nephews Robert and Jojo and niece Bella have already been on one of the Owl Hunts they have, which I think are just during certain seasons. FREE! They've seen falcons, and of course the blue heron.
222 acre Blue Heron Park is a New York City Department of Parks natural areas park which surrounds wetland ponds, swamps and streams which drain into the Raritan Bay.
Owl Prowl – Explore the dark corners of Blue Heron Park with owl enthusiast, Cliff Hagen, as he seeks out our nocturnal neighbors. Our feathered friends of the night enjoy the comforts of Blue Heron Park throughout the year as they build nests and raise their young.
This Saturday they are offering a FREE photography class, "Digital B&W Photography". I'm so excited to see the park and learn about something I have a great interest in as well. A free day of exploration and learning.
Below is a list of the FREE activities going on in Blue Heron Park for the month of March. If you go to the website (linked above) there will be a full description of the activities listed here as well as future activities for the year.
MARCH
02 Doodlebug II - 1 pm
03 Birding - Barnegat - 9 am
04 Herbs/Edible Flowers - 2 pm
04 Natural Science Club - 2 pm
09 Doodlebug I - 1 pm
10 Birding - Mt. Loretto - 9 am
10 Kids & Kritters - 11 am
10 Krafty Kids - 1 pm
11 Explorers of the Wild - 2 pm
13 Chair Yoga - 3 pm
17 Digital B&W Photography - 1 pm
18 Spring Sing - 9:30 am
23 Doodlebug II - 1 pm
24 Kids & Kritters - 11 am
24 Krafty Kids - 1 pm
25 Spring Sing - 9:30 am
25 Early Spring Hike with Mike - 11:30 am
27 Chair Yoga - 3 pm
31 Birding - Conference House - 9 am
31 Spring Nature Walk - 2 pm
Kids really enjoy the park and I think this adult is going to feel like a kid again on Saturday. I'm thinking of it as a school outing, only I don't need a permission slip signed!
A friend of mine has some old family film of her as baby in the town of Travis. At the time you could see New Jersey from Travis and it's so beautiful, no highways, no industrial pollution, no city dumping grounds. And at the time Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty were filming Splendor in the Grass. The film was shot entirely in New York, exterior shots filmed in Staten Island and upstate New York, which was meant to be Kansas in the 1920s. Interior scenes were filmed at Filmways Studios in East Harlem. So in 1960, Staten Island still had that old fashioned touch and lots of land, passed for Kansas in a famous movie. It's hard to believe that now.
My friend was still in her baby carriage and her parents took her along with them to see the big movie stars and the set. I'm sure that was a big deal having a movie filmed in Staten Island. Two big movie stars right in the little town of Travis. Warren Beatty actually tickles my friend and does a little dance for her to make her laugh. Wild huh? Warren Beatty! I haven't seen the film in years but there's also a scene of Natalie Wood sitting in one of those director like chairs, movie star sunglasses and I kinda think that she was smoking. She was waiting for her next scene to be filmed. Even just sitting there, she didn't look like a "regular" person, she had that movie star aura, as did Warren Beatty. Such a beautiful woman, so sad her life was cut way too short.
My friend also has film from about the same time of horses running along the beaches of Staten Island, there was probably a few nice sized stables out there. Looks like something out of a movie but it wasn't, it was just a natural sight in those days. Can you imagine! Only 50 years ago or so. Even when I first moved here, seeing someone ride by on a horse was a big deal the first time, but I got used to it, it happened so often. Unfortunately it hasn't happened in years, I know there are still some stables and horses in certain towns, not as many, but we just haven't crossed paths in years.
If you live in New York or are planning to visit, come see Blue Heron Park or one of the many enchanted woods, and if you don't live in the area and are planning to visit, don't forget about Staten Island "the forgotten borough". Monacnong, the enchanted woods. I promise you there's lots of interesting history about Staten Island and so many beautiful parks and preserved nature areas. Go back in time, to an old New York.
Come to Monacnong our enchanted woods!
