Dutch colonial history
In 1645, Flushing was settled by Europeans on the eastern bank of Flushing Creek under charter of the Dutch West India Company and was part of the New Netherland colony. The settlement was named after the city of Vlissingen, in the southwestern Netherlands, the main port of the company.
In its early days, Flushing was inhabited by English colonists, among them a farmer named John Bowne. John Bowne defied a prohibition imposed by New Amsterdam Director-General Peter Stuyvesant on harboring Quakers by allowing Quaker meetings in his home. Landmarks remaining from the Dutch period in Flushing include the John Bowne House on Bowne Street and the Old Quaker Meeting House on Northern Boulevard.
The Flushing Remonstrance, signed in Flushing on December 27, 1657, protested religious persecution and eventually led to the decision by the Dutch West India Company to allow Quakers and others to worship freely. As such, Flushing is claimed to be a birthplace of religious freedom in the new world. [2] (Wikipedia)
Boundary
| Name at the time | Change | Start Date | End Date | Boundary Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vlissingen | Town chartered | 1645-12-19 | 1662-04-23 | Flushing_Vlissingen_1645-12-19_1662-04-23 |
| Flushing | Claimed by Connecticut by royal charter. | 1662-04-23 | 1664-03-12 | Flushing_Flushing_1662-04-23_1664-03-12 |
| Flushing | Assigned to Yorkshire shire | 1664-03-12 | 1683-11-01 | Flushing_Flushing_1664-03-12_1683-11-01 |
| Flushing | Assigned to Queens County | 1683-11-01 | 1691-10-01 | Flushing_Flushing_1683-11-01_1691-10-01 |
| Flushing | Maritime limits extended in East River | 1691-10-01 | 1789-04-01 | Flushing_Flushing_1691-10-01_1789-04-01 |
| Flushing | Recognized as a town by state law. | 1789-04-01 | 1898-01-01 | Flushing_Flushing_1789-04-01_1898-01-01 |
