Tour the Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead This Weekend

This weekend you’ll have an excellent chance to experience a bit of Queens history—the Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead is opening their doors on Saturday, November 1 at 3 p.m. for a guided tour or the house and grounds, part of which is a cemetery serving as the final resting place for 132 Riker family descendants. This house is one of the oldest in NYC, and is the oldest private residence in Queens.

It was built in 1665 by Abraham Riker, who arrived in the are when it was called New Amsterdam. This is the same name associated with Riker’s Island, the road to which is not far from the property line.

I took this tour in 2007 and it was fabulous; here are some photos from that time. I was fortunate enough to meet Michael Smith, late husband to Marion Duckworth Smith, at the time; unfortunately he passed on in 2010.

The house is located at 78-03 19th Road, technically in East Elmhurst, but just over Astoria’s eastern border. Tickets for the tour are $25 and you can buy them at the door, and an RSVP at info@rikerhome.com is recommended.

Get a Rare Look Inside 350-Year-Old Queens Home and Backyard Cemetery [DNAinfo]