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Vintage Postcards of Bayside, New York

Crocheron House
© Bayside Historical Society

Crocheron House

Crocheron House was located at what is now Crocheron Park (adjacent to the Cross Island Parkway) at the foot of Crocheron Avenue.

The hotel had its beginnings in 1850 as Bayside House. Ownership passed to Joseph Crocheron in 1865 who promptly changed the name to Crocheron House. Records indicate that Crocheron's ancestors first settled in Bayside as farmers around 1695.

The Crocheron House was a popular resort in the 19th Century. It was frequented by many celebrities and Tammany Hall politicians as they enjoyed the resort atmosphere and celebrated clam bakes offered by the hotel. According to many accounts, the infamous William "Boss" Tweed (1823-1878) took refuge at the Crocheron House after his escape from the Ludlow Street Jail in 1875. A year later, in 1876, he fled to Spain but was arrested by the Spanish police and returned to New York. Tweed died in prison of pneumonia in 1878.

The Crocheron House was destroyed by fire around 1908 and the property remained unused for nearly 20 years. In 1924 the City of New York purchased the land as well as an additional 45 acres next to it. By 1936 the area was renamed Crocheron Park.
 

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