Turtle Playground (Queens) facts for kids
Turtle Playground is a fun park located in Flushing, New York. You can find it at 138th Street, right next to the Horace Harding Expressway. The City of New York got the land for this park in 1954. This happened when they were getting land ready to build the Long Island Expressway.
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History of Turtle Playground
How the Park Land Was Acquired
The land where Turtle Playground now sits was bought by New York City in 1954. This was part of a process called "land condemnation." This means the city needed the land for a big public project, which in this case was building the Long Island Expressway.
The Area Around the Park
The area around Turtle Playground is part of Flushing, a neighborhood in Queens. This section was once known as Queensboro Hill. Before it became a neighborhood with homes in the 1920s, Queensboro Hill offered amazing views of Queens.
South of the playground, you'll find two old cemeteries: Mount Hebron Cemetery and Cedar Grove Cemetery. These cemeteries are on land that used to be a large estate called Spring Hill. This estate belonged to a colonial governor named Cadwallader Colden. His grandson, Cadwallader David Colden, also lived there and was even the Mayor of New York from 1818 to 1821. The estate was turned into a cemetery in 1893.
From Kiddy Playground to Turtle Playground
This park, which is about a third of an acre, was first called Kiddy Playground. But in 1997, its name was changed to Turtle Playground. This new name was chosen by Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern.
The name change happened after the playground got a cool new makeover. During this renovation, new play equipment was added, along with swings and game tables. The most exciting new additions were fun turtle sculptures for kids to play on!
Why Turtles?
The name "Turtle Playground" was inspired by these new sculptures. It also connects to real turtles that live in the city. The snapping turtle is a very tough animal that can live in city parks. You can find snapping turtles in the lakes of nearby Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and Kissena Park.
