The Queens County Board has its monthly meeting at 8:00 PM
on the third Thursday of the month (except July and August)
in the Men's Club at St. Mel's Church,
154th Street & 26th Avenue, Whitestone.

QUEENS COUNTY lies on the western end of Long Island, extending fourteen miles from the East River on the west to Lakeville Road at the Nassau border on the east, and fifteen miles from Long Island Sound on the north to the Atlantic Ocean on the south. Queens is the largest of the boroughs of New York City. As large as Brooklyn and the Bronx together, the Borough accounts for 37 percent of the territory of the city. It also has the most waterfront, facing on the East River, Newtown Creek, Long Island Sound, Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

Before the coming of the first Europeans, Queens was the home of various Indian tribes belonging to the Algonquian peoples. The Indians were attracted to sites along the coast that offered abundant fresh water, timber for building and natural shelter from winter storms. The Long Island Indians were a peaceful lot, living in small bands; they had progressed to an agricultural way of life.

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

There were two divisions of the AOH in Queens County in 1877. By 1884 the Queens County Hibernians had doubled their strength to 4 divisions. Participation in the New York County St. Patrick's Parade, however, was undoubtedly sporadic in the 19th century. Access to Manhattan was via ferry only. Moreover, Queens County Hibernians in that era held their own parade in the vicinity of Long Island City. This changed in 1909 when the Queens County Hibernians, 1000 strong, had the distinction of being the first persons to cross the Queensborough (59th Street) Bridge from Queens to Manhattan to join the New York County Parade at 45th Street and Fifth Avenue. Queens County Hibernians continued to parade around the streets of Long Island City and environs on St. Patrick's Day before joining the parade in Manhattan in 1928. Thereafter, it seems, the practice was discontinued.

The Queens County Hibernians were led across the bridge in 1909 by their County President, Peter J. Mc Garry, a civic leader who was instrumental in having the bridge opened on the day of the parade. Mr. Garry subsequently became a New York State Senator and was the Grand Marshal of the New York County Parade in 1926.

The Queens County Hibernians were known as the "Silver Grays" in 1909 because the preponderance of their members at that time were in their seventies. The Nickname remains appropriate as the average age of the Queens County Hibernians today remains above the age of the onset of gray hair.

Queens County has supplied four Grand Marshals of the New York City Parade. They were:

PETER J. MC GARRY, Queens County Board President. 1926 Parade

JOHN (PAT) CLANCY, Queensborough President. 1961 Parade

MICHAEL FLANNERY, President Division 10, Queens 1983 Parade.

DOROTHY HAYDEN-CUDDAHY, Division 14, Queens, LAOH, the first Lady Grand Marshal 1989 Parade.

Please e-mail your comments and suggestions. Thank you.

Your comments are always welcomed.
Thank you for visiting Queens web site.
Mike Kearney (Past County President)

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