In Honor of Village Founder John Lewis Childs

By Carisa Keane

While plans for Floral ParkÕs Spirit Weekend, expected to be held Sept. 21-23, are near completion, so are plans for a "short but history-making" program honoring village founder John Lewis Childs. The historical society will be unveiling the villageÕs first authentic historical marker at his original home on Tulip Avenue Sept. 23 to celebrate the prominent figure in Floral ParkÕs history.

The marker, which is currently being completed by a company located upstate, will be the first of several the village hopes to acquire over the years, according to Floral Park Mayor Ann Corbett.

"ItÕs fitting that we honor him with an official marker which we hope will be the first of a number of markers to be placed around the village by the Floral Park Historical Society," Floral Park Mayor Ann Corbett said. "We want to thank the Floral Park AARP Chapter for their $500 donation toward the sign."

John Lewis Childs was the Village of Floral ParkÕs first president as well as a New York State Senator. His name and reputation throughout the world as the leading mail order flower seed merchant really put Floral Park on the map, Corbett said. In fact, he is responsible for choosing the name Floral Park.

Before Europeans settled, the area that is now Floral Park marked the western edge of the great Hempstead Plains. It was initially known as Plainfield. Until the Civil War the area consisted mainly of scattered farms. The community began to take shape in the early 1800s thanks to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Jericho Turnpike, both of which came through what had then become known as Hinsdale and served farmers. Hinsdale served more than two dozen flower farms after the war.

In the mid-1970s Childs came to Hinsdale intent on promoting both his seed company and the village. He suggested changing the name Hinsdale to Floral Park. His mail order business was then set up using Floral Park as the return address. His business was so successful that the Floral Park Post Office was built primarily to handle the enormous volume of his mailings. Under ChildsÕ guidance, the village was incorporated in 1908.

Well into the 1920s, dozens of flower farms blanketed the area. The beautiful array of flowers along the route greeted LIRR commuters. Eventually, however, a real estate boom put an end to those fields of flowers, making way for residential neighborhoods. The streets of todayÕs Floral Park still carry the names of those flowers.

Corbett said "itÕs appropriate that it [the marker] highlights the home and office of John Lewis Childs, founder of the Village of Floral Park and a prominent figure in our history."

"The marker will be unveiled Sunday, Sept. 23, at noon on Tulip Avenue between the post office and the Landmark building. "This is Spirit Weekend and it is appropriate since John Lewis Childs exemplified the spirit of Floral Park," she said.