Do you know how New Dorp Lane on NYC’s Staten Island got its name? In this post, you’ll find the answer and much more about the fascinating history of this road.
As you might already know, New York City has a very long history. Human beings have been living in the area for at least 13,000 years.
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans to North America, there were many thriving cultures of Native Americans already living in the greater New York City region, including the Lenape people.
The fact portions of what is now known as the United States had been previously claimed as territory of European countries other than the United Kingdom often receives only a cursory mention in the history textbooks of many American schoolchildren. However, in New York City, it cannot be ignored.
More than 150 years prior to the Revolutionary War, New York City spent about 40 years under the control of the Dutch as a part of “New Netherland“. During this time, thousands of Dutch-speaking residents of the Netherlands came to settle in New York City and other parts of the broader region.
This leads us to exactly how New Dorp got its “unique” name.
Where did the name New Dorp come from?
New Dorp Lane got its name from the Dutch word “Nieuw Dorp”, which means, literally, “new city”. This town was called Niew Dorp because there was a “The Village” (Het Dorp) that was established a few years prior in 1637.
You can try it yourself on Google Translate. Plug “nieuw dorp” into the box as Dutch, and request that it translate to English.
And yes, there was also an Oude Dorp. You guessed it – it means “Old Village”, and the road between the settlements at New Dorp and Old Dorp was Old Town Road, which still exists.
You’ll get “New Dorp”, no doubt.
Now you understand why I wrote in the introduction that the name “New Dorp” is “unique”. It is, unless you know what it means.
Of course, the actual New Dorp Lane, along with the neighborhood, is very unique. It has been around for quite a while as an important part of Staten Island.
How old is New Dorp Lane?
The exact age of New Dorp Lane is not known exactly, but it is at least 350 years old. The image below shows a photograph of the Britton Cottage, built around 1670 on New Dorp Lane.
The cottage has since been moved to a spot near Court Place on the north side of Richmond Road. The modern location for the cottage is a much better place for its long-term conservation, as the previous location was almost on the beach (corner of New Dorp Lane and Cedar Grove).
Sources
Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. Britton Cottage CA 1678, New Dorp Lane, New Dorp, Staten Island, N.Y. Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-cc2f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Conclusion
I hope that this post has helped you learn what you wanted to know about the origin of New Dorp Lane’s interesting name. If you have any questions about something you read here, or if you would like to share a story about New Dorp Lane, please join in the discussion below.
Thanks for reading!
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