Creek and Land Changes, 20th Century

Shanty Creek to the east of the island was filled in 1930 for industry and roads. The original and locally important Maspeth Avenue Bridge fell into disrepair by 1876 and was never replaced; the Grand Street Bridge was constructed farther south. The changes altered local transit and physical connections within Queens.

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Decline and Parcelization

Property owned by the Furman family was gradually sold off by 1899 as industrial expansion continued. The farmland gave way to factories and transportation infrastructure, erasing much of the previous landscape and social environment.

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Early Ownership and Settlement

The island held various names including Smith and Mott before 1815, when Garrit Furman purchased it. Furman, a judge and poet, built a mansion on the island overlooking Newtown Creek. He was renowned for "The Maspeth Poems," including a satirical "Petition of a Shell-Fish," highlighting environmental concerns amid rapid infrastructure development such as the opening of Maspeth Avenue (an important turnpike in the area).

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Environmental and Cultural Legacy

Although Furman’s Island no longer exists as an island—subsumed by landfill and development—its history is memorialized through local landmarks like Arbitration Rock and in historical and environmental literature. Garrit Furman’s poems, both humorous and prophetic, reflected local concerns about urban development and ecological impacts, offering valuable cultural insights.

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Environmental Impacts and Restoration Efforts

The industrial legacy left Newtown Creek heavily polluted, and Furman’s Island was central to this historic contamination. New York City and environmental groups have initiated restoration and reclamation projects, targeting improvements in habitat quality, water treatment, and ecosystem services to repair decades of anthropogenic damage.

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From Countryside to Polluted Industry

The Newtown Creek area, including Furman’s Island, became one of the most polluted industrial zones in NYC due to decades of waste dumping and manufacturing runoff. Names like “Furman’s Island” became associated with industrial blight rather than rural tranquility, mirroring the physical and environmental transformation of Queens and Brooklyn.

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Indigenous Roots and Early Colonial Era

Before European settlement, Furman’s Island was part of the territories frequented by Lenape peoples who used nearby creeks, marshes, and uplands for fishing and seasonal habitation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Dutch and English colonial authorities disputed jurisdiction of the island, with Queens County ultimately being assigned ownership in 1769 based on arbitration involving placing a glacial boundary marker, known as Arbitration Rock—now preserved at the Vander Ende-Onderdonk House.

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Industrial Transformation and Environmental Change

In the mid-19th century, Furman’s Island shifted from a semi-rural retreat to an area of industrial activity. Beginning in 1855, Peter Cooper established a bone-processing plant nearby, producing ink, soap, glue, and gelatin. This spurred additional industrial growth including oil refineries, tanneries, fertilizer factories, and acid works. The island’s rural character quickly vanished as pollutants and manufacturing transformed the landscape.

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Notable Residents and Stories

Garrit Furman himself was a notable figure—the combination of judge, poet, and civic leader whose estate was the island’s centerpiece. His work, including “The Maspeth Poems,” documents early environmental anxieties and social life, marking Furman’s island as once a social hub amid wilderness and emerging urban change.

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Squatter Settlement and Farm Era

The island was also home to squatters such as Sandy Gibson, who farmed and fished there from 1840 into the late 1890s. John Clark ran a small trading post supplying food to passing ships and residents. These characters helped preserve a vestige of traditional ways amid growing urbanization.

Furman's

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LOCATION

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HISTORY AND CULTURE

Major

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Islands

Uncover the unique character and hidden corners of the harbor.

Community Organizations

Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy

NYC Department of Parks & Recreation

Articles and Books

ARCHIVAL: NYC Municipal Archives

Gotham Unbound by Ted Steinberg

PODCAST: “Hidden Waters of New York” - Urban History Podcast, Episode on New York Island Histories

“The Entire History of New York City” - YouTube, 2024

“ECOLOGICAL CITY - Art & Climate Solutions Action Project” - Earth Celebrations

“The Thirteen Tribes of Long Island: The History of a Myth” - Strong, J. (PDF)

“A Brief History of Cobble Hill” - Cobble Hill NYC Historical Society

“Brooklyn Bridge Park History” - Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation

“Timeline of Brooklyn” - Wikipedia (used with caution, for historical summary)

“Furman Island Isn’t What It Used To Be” - NewYorkShitty.com, 2008

“Furman Island, Queens” - Hidden Waters Blog by Nick Fava