37-01 BOWNE STREET, FLUSHING NY 11354 718.359.0528
Written by Jeremy Woodoff, Bowne House Trustee
During Spring 2024, the movement and dial of the Bowne House Collection’s Anthony Ward Tall Clock were removed from the case for servicing. It was apparent that the clock had not run in many years.
Read moreBy Ellen M. Spindler, Bowne House Collection Volunteer
Learn about a suite of Empire and Chippendale style furniture from the office of Mayor Walter Bowne (1770-1846), a prominent descendant of John Bowne, that is on view in our 1669 parlor. Mayor Walter Bowne (“Bowne”) is noted for his civic contributions to New York City in the early 1800s.
Read moreBy Ellen M. Spindler, Bowne House Collection Volunteer , with research assistance provided by Charlotte Jackson, Bowne House Archivist
Learn about the Cadwallader Colden daybed in the Bowne House collection. According to Bowne House accession records, this daybed was made of beechwood in the William and Mary style, dated 1710-1740, and was located in the parlor bedroom. Those same records describe the daybed as having belonged to Cadwallader Colden, governor of the New York Province, a proprietary British colony, immediately prior to the Revolution.
Read moreBy Emily Vieyra-Haley, Bowne House Educator and Ellen Spindler, Bowne House Collection Volunteer, with research assistance by Charlotte Jackson, Bowne House Archivist
Upon entering the original room of Bowne House, known as the 1661 room, one piece of furniture which immediately catches the eye is the high chest along the far wall. It is estimated to have been built in Flushing between 1700 and 1725 and is made of red gum. A high chest (also known as a highboy) is a low set of wide drawers with another, narrower set of drawers set on top.
Read moreBy Elise Helmers, Bowne House Executive Director, with research assistance from Charlotte Jackson, Bowne House Archivist
We shine a spotlight on a daybed that has become a symbol of the legacy of religious tolerance at the Bowne House. In addition to its historical importance as both functional and decorative object, the centuries-old lore of the daybed is connected to one of the most significant events associated with the home and its early residents: George Fox’s visit to the Bowne House in 1672.
Read moreBy Charlotte Jackson, Archival Consultant to the Bowne House and Ellen Spindler, Bowne House Collection Volunteer
One Bowne House artifact that always fascinates visitors is the wooden crutch with which John Bowne’s father Thomas allegedly fought a bear. The story of the crutch has been passed down through Bowne family tradition.
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