Opening from On This Site - Native Long Island

Newtown: Settlement, War and Reserved Native Rights

Newtown was a colonial town in western Queens, centered near present-day Elmhurst. English settlers obtained Dutch government grants, then further Native agreements under English rule. Named officials and settlers expanded claims over land where Native rights had remained reserved. Colonial grants and Native land agreements were different acts. Their sequence shows how settlement expanded, while reserved rights and continuing communities challenge a story of simple disappearance. Where is Newtown, and whose colony was it? Newtown was a colonial town in western Queens, New York City; its village center became part of present-day Elmhurst. The larger town stretched toward the East River and Flushing Creek. Mespat and Middleburgh were earlier settlement names in this district, not separate European countries. English settlers established communities here within New Netherland, the colony...