Bartending School in Maspeth, NY

The name “Maspeth” is derived from the name of Mespeatches Native Americans, one of the 13 main tribes that inhabited Long Island. It is translated to mean “an inundating tidal river” as determined by William Wallace Tooker or meaning “at the bad waterplace” relating to the many stagnant swamps that existed in the area.

The area known today as Maspeth was chartered by New Netherlanders and British settlers in the early 17th century. The Dutch had purchased land in the area known today as Queens in 1635, and within a few years began chartering towns. In 1642, they settled Maspat, under a charter granted to Rev. Francis Doughty, making Maspeth the first English settlement in Queens.

The deed that was signed between the Native Americans and the settlers was the first one signed on Long Island. As part of the deed’s signature, the “Newtown Patent” granted 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) to settlers. Conflicts with the Maspat tribe forced many settlers to move to what is now Elmhurst in 1643. The settlement was leveled the following year in an attack by Native Americans, and the surviving settlers returned to Manhattan.