History

The locality known as Ravenswood was situated between Astoria and Hunter’s Point. At the present time the entire section is known as Astoria.

Ravenswood was named after Rev. John S. Ravenscroft, Bishop of North Carolina in the mid-1600. Originally called Ravenscroft, the name was changed after the bishop’s admirers realized the bishop would not be honored by such a sparsely settled area. Ravenswood’s Indian name was Matona Everardus Bogardus, a minister of the Dutch church acquired this section from the government of New Netherlands. Ravenswood was first settled by Captain Francis Fyn in 1651. With the coming of the English the title to the land passed to Jacob Blackwell under the new governor.

The Blackwell house was believed to have been built in 1664. During the Revolutionary War it was the home of Colonel Jacob Blackwell who died in 1785. It is said that George Washington stopped here on the retreat from the battle of Long Island.

As early as 1871 Ravenswood was brought into prominence by an act passed by the State Legislature incorporating the “New York and Long Island Bridge Company”; surveys were made at that time for a bridge from about 79th street, Manhattan, to Ravenswood.

The Ravenswood public library has been moved from Public School 83 to the office of James Sheridan at Webster Ave and Hamilton St. It was becoming inadequate at the school and Mr. Sheridan offered part of his office which was much larger than the school.