In Bayside, Dermody Triangle's Civil War Monument

Many of Queens’ original roads from the 19th century and even earlier survive, although they are couched in the modern Queens numbering system. Rocky Hill Road originally ran from Flushing to what is now Queens Village, skirting the northern edge of Flushing Cemetery and following the routes of 46th Avenue, Bell Boulevard, Luke Place, Springfield Boulevard and Braddock Avenue, ending at Jericho Turnpike/Jamaica Avenue. Today, a very short stretch at 48th Avenue just west of the Clearview Expressway retains the old name.

At 48th Avenue and 216th Street, where Rocky Hill Road made a right turn, you’ll find one of Queens’ oldest memorials. It’s in a grassy area named Dermody Triangle, seen in the above photo taken during the summer.

Here you’ll see a large uneven boulder in the center, inscribed “For a Better Union 1861-1865.” The triangle honors Captain William Dermody, an outspoken abolitionist who was mortally wounded at the Civil War Battle of Spotsylvania, VA in May 1864.

This is the site of one of NYC’s oldest war memorials. The stone was placed here in 1866, when

“…this site was dedicated to the memory of Captain Dermody by a ceremonial meeting of a Union and Confederate veteran, each planting a special tree: a maple to represent the North and a sycamore to represent the South. The trees were to grow together as a symbol of the communal hope for a better union. To this effect, a monument was placed in the square with the inscription ‘For a Better Union 1861-1865,’ which remains there today. Every Memorial Day, the Bayside Historical Society lays a wreath at the park to commemorate Captain Dermody and those who fought in the Civil War.” Via NYC Parks

Kevin Walsh’s website is Forgotten New York. His new book, written with the Greater Astoria Historical Society, is Forgotten Queens.