Farms of the Past on Staten Island
In conjunction with the Museum of the City of New York's Exhibit " From Farm to City: Staten Island, 1661-2012 " we will display some photos (courtesy of The New York Public Library) of old farms on Staten Island on our Blog . Agriculture played a distinctive and important part of Staten Island's economic growth, from Native Americans who farmed the land to the colonization of the Island by the Huguenots and the English. Farm life was a constant battle with nature, taming the landscape to create farm fields, the cutting of forests and the clearing and draining of the swamps and marshes for pasture for domesticated animals. Horses were a dominant feature, used for the plowing and transport of produce. Many farms also had fruit orchards growing various types of apples, pears, peaches, and figs. Manhattan was the primary market for the 18th and 19th century Yeoman Farmer of Richmond County. The only remaining working farm on Staten Island is the Decker