As part of the America 250 commemoration, the Greater Astoria Historical Society invites the public to see the Historic Blackwell Door on display at Advance Masonic Temple, 21-14 30th Avenue in Astoria, on select summer dates.
Believed to date to 1765, the Blackwell Door once belonged to the Blackwell family stone house in Ravenswood. During the British occupation of Queens in 1776, British forces carved the “Arrow of Confiscation,” also known as the crow foot mark, into the door to claim the property for the Crown. That mark remains visible today.
At eight feet tall and weighing roughly 400 pounds, the door is one of Astoria’s most remarkable surviving colonial artifacts and a rare witness to Queens’ Revolutionary-era history.
The exhibit will be open from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on:
Saturday, July 4
Sunday, July 5
Saturday, July 18
Sunday, July 26
Sunday, August 2
Sunday, August 9
Sunday, August 16
Sunday, August 23
Sunday, August 30
Visitors may also choose to register for Hallet’s Cove in the American Revolution: A Walking Tour, led by Alan Arichavala of the Greater Astoria Historical Society. The walking tour is optional, is not included automatically with exhibit viewing, and is available by separate Eventbrite reservation only. The tour begins at Socrates Sculpture Park and concludes at Advance Masonic Temple.
Exhibit Location
Advance Masonic Temple
21-14 30th Avenue
Astoria, New York
Walking Tour Start Location
Socrates Sculpture Park