The 1661 Bowne House is celebrating Liberty 2020, the 375th anniversary of the 1645 Flushing Town Charter. The Charter guaranteed "liberty of conscience" to all residents of the Dutch village then called Vlissingen. This document inspired both the 1657 Flushing Remonstrance and John Bowne’s later appeal to the Dutch West India Company after his 1662 arrest for practicing his religion.

John Bowne (1627-1695), an Englishman for whom the historic house is named, cited the charter in his plea for religious freedom after being deported to Holland for allowing Quakers to worship in his home shared with his first wife Hannah, a Quaker minister. Bowne’s courageous stand was an important step to ensuring that Quakers and others in New Netherland enjoyed the freedom to practice the religion of their choice in their homes, and helped inspire the principles of liberty of conscience and religious tolerance later enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution.

This celebration will include presentations of research undertaken by the staff and volunteers of the Bowne House and Bowne House descendants into Flushing’s early history, including a weekly blog entitled Profiles of the Flushing Charter Signers. This blog will introduce Flushing’s founding document and feature biographical profiles of its 18 original signers.

If you have questions or sources to share, please contact the Bowne House Historical Society via the website or email office@bownehouse.org.

(Postponed)

On Wednesday, March 11, 18, and 25 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, the Bowne House Historical Society will offer tours that tell the story of the roles generations of little known Bowne/Parsons women played in the history of Flushing and the United States. Admission is $10 for Adults; $8.00 for seniors. Members of the Bowne House Historical Society are free of charge. www.bownehouse.org. For further information and for interviews, contact office@bownehouse.org or 718-359-0528.

Women’s History Month tours will focus on several Bowne/Parsons family women. Among them are Hannah Feake (1637-1678), the first wife of John Bowne, who was one of the earliest American female Quaker ministers. Visitors will also learn about John Bowne’s great-great granddaughters who, with other family members, founded and participated in the Flushing Female Association (1814) to provide education to African-American children.

On March 28, there will be a talk and slideshow “Restless Spirits: Three Generations of Women in Colonial Flushing and Beyond”by Kate Lynch, researcher, and Charlotte Jackson, Bowne House archivist. Discussion period to follow.

The speakers will discuss three generations of strong, unconventional women connected to the Bowne House. Elizabeth Winthrop, who defied Puritan society in life and love; her daughter Hannah Feake Bowne, one of the first American Quaker missionaries; and Hannah‘s daughter-in-law, Mary Beckett Bowne, who of her own volition crossed the ocean at age eleven to join William Penn‘’s new colony. In the 17th century, the frontier attracted bold women, while the new Quaker faith empowered them to speak for themselves and for God. The Bowne women of the 17th century embodied these heady currents. The speakers will share letters and other original documents to shed light on their still mysterious lives.

Where: The Bowne House, 37-01 Bowne Street, Flushing, NY

When: Saturday, March 28, 2020, 1:00-1:30 (Q & A to follow); Free with $10 Museum Admission for Adults, $8.00 for Seniors; Free for Members of the Bowne House Historical Society.