Councilmember Sandra Ung, fellow elected officials, and community leaders joined the Olde Town of Flushing Burial Ground Conservancy on Saturday to co-name the intersection of 164^th Street and 46^th Avenue as “Olde Towne Burial Ground Lane.”

“The co-naming of 164th Street and 46th Avenue may not be significant given the turmoil in the world, but it’s a step forward from past injustices,” said Maureen Regan, who co-chairs the Conservancy with Robbie Garrison. “With due respect to this site, it’s not only righting wrongs, but an honor today to recognize its importance, to know where it came from, and what a group of people can do. It is deservedly celebrated with this naming as Olde Towne Burial Ground Lane.”

Councilmember Ung sponsored the legislation in the City Council to co-name the intersection, an effort that was spearheaded by the Olde Town of Flushing Burial Ground Conservancy. 

“Olde Towne Burial Ground Lane will forever stand as a testament to our commitment to acknowledging the past and ensuring that the memory of those who rest here is never forgotten,” said Councilmember Sandra Ung. “This is more than just a change in signage, it is a powerful declaration of our city’s values and will hopefully help future generations understand the importance of recognizing and rectifying injustices. We aren’t just renaming a street, we are rewriting a narrative.”

“I am proud to be a long-time supporter for the preservation and greater recognition of the Olde Towne Burial Ground and this street co-naming further underscores the extraordinary historical significance of this site,” said U.S. Rep. Grace Meng. “Thank you to all who have played a role its restoration and preservation, especially the efforts of the late Mandingo Osceola Tshaka, a constituent who I was honored to work with over the years. I also commend Councilwoman Ung for working to make this co-naming a reality. I look forward to Olde Towne Burial Ground Lane inspiring generations for many years to come.”

“For far too long, the hundreds of people who are buried in this sacred ground had not been given the recognition or respect they deserved. But with the recently dedicated memorial and now with today’s street co-naming, their legacies are finally being honored and remembered in the way they should have always been,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Thank you to Councilmember Ung for her leadership and the relentless advocacy of all those community leaders who have pushed for the proper memorialization of the souls buried here.”

“The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground is a powerful landmark that pays tribute to African Americans, Native Americans and other New Yorkers who paved the way for future generations,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “I am proud to have worked during my tenure as borough president with the Conservancy and mayor’s office to preserve the sanctity of the site. I thank Councilmember Sandra Ung for today’s street co-naming, an important, visible acknowledgement of the Burial Ground’s significance and place in our history.” 

“The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground has a long history of neglect and desecration that has only recently been reversed thanks to the sustained efforts by a small group of dedicated residents determined to see it restored,” said State Senator John Liu. “From the late Mandingo Tshaka, who first brought this issue to my City Council office back in 2003, to the Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground Conservancy, whose continued advocacy brings new investment every year, the Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground today stands as a place of reflection and honor for those African and Native American residents of our community who were unceremoniously buried here so long ago. Thank you to Councilmember Ung for her work to continue this legacy with today’s street co-naming that will ensure this hallowed ground is memorialized for future generations.”

“This is a historic moment for our community. For too long, countless people, often from marginalized communities, were buried in this area without a proper ceremony or lasting marker by which we could remember them,” said Assemblymember Ron Kim. “Today’s renaming ceremony is the culmination of many years of efforts by all of us to not only restore this site but memorialize those who claim this location as their final resting place. I thank Councilmember Ung for all that she has done to make today possible.”

In 1840, the town of Flushing purchased a piece of property on the north side of 46^th Avenue between 164^th and 165^th streets for use as a pauper’s burial ground. Over the years, approximately 1,000 people were buried there, mostly of African American or Native American descent. The final burial took place in 1898, the same year the five boroughs were consolidated into the City of New York.

In 1914, the land was transferred to the Parks Department, and it sat undisturbed until a playground was built over the burial ground in 1936. The bodies were never removed, and news articles written around the time quote people who said they saw bones being pulled from the ground.

The site was still a playground in the 1990’s when the late Mandingo Osceola Tshaka learned of the site’s history as a cemetery. His advocacy on behalf of the burial ground led to its inclusion of the State and National Registers of Historic Places and prompted archaeological studies. 

In 2006, the playground was transformed into a memorial space, and in 2010 the space was officially renamed Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground. In 2021, a central memorial was dedicated. It includes the names of 320 people who are known to have been interred there.