Frederick Dunton as portrayed by a student from the Immaculate Conception School of
Jamaica Estates, NY.
My name is Frederick Dunton and I was born on June 9, 1851 in Newton, New Hampshire. My mother was the sister of Austin Corbin, a wealthy millionaire who was the first president of the Long Island Railroad. I left school after reaching the age of twelve and started to make my own way in life and became a clerk in a country store and was later employed in the post office. I came to New York, and entered the office of my uncle, Austin Corbin. In a few years I was given charge of the business in the West and in Europe, and crossed the ocean on many different excursions in the interest of my uncle's business.
I became the president of the "Bicycle Railroad" which was a monorail system of travel. I was able to build a one-mile long track but the idea did not find much approval and it was abandoned. Maybe someday in the future they will build a monorail track in Queens.
In the 1880�s I because interested in real estate and wanted to build good houses and sell them to desirable citizens on easy payments. In 1884 as I was traveling on the railroad eastward I noticed from my railroad car window a beautiful green area of rolling hills. I was able to purchase 136 acres of that green farmland and divided it into lots for sale. I laid out the curving streets and gave them Latin or Spanish names, such as Rio, Como, Marengo, etc.. I reserved a big lot for myself at the southern edge on Dunton Avenue and built a big and beautiful mansion called Hollis Hall with views all the way to the ocean. I named this area Hollis.
I also started the town of Dunton, which was located south of Atlantic Avenue and west of Van Wyck Boulevard and also the town of Morris Park, which was also south of Atlantic Avenue and located south of the village of Richmond Hill. Those towns are now part of Richmond Hill.
Among my accomplishments was in helping found the Bank of Jamaica, my election in 1869 and re-election in 1896 to the Board of Supervisors of Queens County, and my election as supervisor of the Town of Jamaica.
Presented May 22, 2004 by The Richmond Hill Historical Society, Maple Grove Cemetery, and The Immaculate Conception School of Jamaica Estates, NY (Dr. Charlene Jaffie, principal).
Copyright © 2004 Carl Ballenas & Nancy Cataldi.
No claim to Old Kew Gardens [.com] color photograph.
No claim to Old Kew Gardens [.com] color photograph.
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