Bowne Park

Bowne Park is a 11.79-acre neighborhood park in the Murray Hill section of Flushing, Queens, bounded by 29th and 32nd Avenues and 155th to 159th Streets. The park is named for the Bowne family, early Flushing settlers whose most famous member, John Bowne, played a pivotal role in establishing religious freedom in colonial America.

In 1662, John Bowne defied the Dutch colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant's ban on Quaker worship by hosting religious meetings in his Flushing home. Bowne was arrested and deported to the Netherlands, where the Dutch West India Company overruled Stuyvesant and affirmed the principle of religious tolerance. The Bowne House, built in 1661, still stands in Flushing as a museum.

The park features a pond, walking paths, athletic facilities, a playground, and mature shade trees that create a pleasant, established atmosphere. The pond attracts waterfowl and provides a focal point for the park's passive recreation areas.

Flushing has become one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the world, with enormous Chinese, Korean, South Asian, and Latino populations alongside its older established communities. Bowne Park serves this extraordinary diversity with a green space that is used by residents of every background.

Bowne Park connects the modern multicultural neighborhood of Flushing to its foundational role in American religious liberty. The principles that John Bowne fought for, tolerance and freedom of conscience, are lived daily in a park that serves one of the most diverse communities on Earth.