Flatbush

History

In the 16th century, western Long Island was inhabited by the Canarsee people, who called it Sewanhacka. The Canarsee and related Lenape tribes lived semi-nomadic lives, moving seasonally to follow food sources. Their crisscrossing trails through the area formed some of the early roads for the modern region. One of their primary settlements was located roughly at the current intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Kings Highway, named Keskachane or "council fire". Henry Hudson is reported to have landed on the island in 1609. Hudson was an Englishman working for the Dutch East India Company, and the Dutch established trading posts and settlements in their new colony of Nieuw Nederland thereafter, buying up land from the Canarsee (who did not share the Dutch's view of property rights, viewing the sales not as final but essentially leases.) One of the Dutch settlements was Midwout (alternatively Midwoud or Medwoud,) Dutch for "middle wood". Midwout was established inland, in a forested area bounded by hills to the north and flat open spaces to the south, which had been managed by the natives for cultivation and game purposes. The geography was created by the ancient glacier that once covered the area, leaving behind as it retreated the hills of the terminal moraine and a large outwash plain beyond. Midwout was settled between 1630 and 1636, and received a patent of township by 1652. In the following years it would also be known as Vlachte Bos or Flackebos ("wooded plain"), and the various names and spellings of the town were used interchangeably for nearly a century. A church was built in 1654, replaced by another structure in 1698. The early settlement was enclosed by a palisade wall for protection. By 1658, it was the location of the courts and seat of Justice for the…

Most-observed species

• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  116
• Red-eyed Vireo

  Vireo olivaceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  115
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  105
• White-throated Sparrow

  Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  103
• Clay-colored Sparrow

  Spizella pallida (Swainson, 1832) · Aves
  89
• Lincoln's Sparrow

  Melospiza lincolnii (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  87
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  85
• Chipping Sparrow

  Spizella passerina (Bechstein, 1798) · Aves
  80

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2026-04-01
  10 km N of Bon Accord, Canada