Pictured from left to right are Kimberly Ramcharitar, Cassidy Alie and Lia Lewis. The Aquinas Honor Society students were on hand for the "Images of America: Jamaica" book signing and to provide attendees with some background on the Jamaica, Queens, area.
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Young Historians Have C0-Authored Two Acclaimed Publications on Queens Areas
Jamaica, N.Y. - The exceptional and gifted young people featured in the first installment of From The G-Man's "Leaders of Tomorrow" series, the students of the Aquinas Society at the Immaculate Conception School, held a book signing on August 7 at the famed King Manor in Jamaica, New York.
The group co-authored and published two books with renowned historian and Aquinas Honor Society moderator Carl Ballenas in 2010 and 2011: "Images of America: Jamaica Estates" and "Images of America: Jamaica". The recent book signing was for the latter publication. Both books were published by Arcadia Publishing and provide a historical perspective of the Jamaica area dating as far back as the colonial period.
"Working with the students has been a fulfilling and rewarding experience," said Ballenas.
"They put in a great deal of time and effort gathering information from the archives and researching on the Internet. Google has definitely become their best friend," joked the moderator.
"These kids are amazing. I couldn't be any prouder of them, and I look forward to publishing more books with them in the future."
Ballenas also noted that he and the students hope many Queens-based schools will someday use their publications in classrooms to teach other students about Jamaica's extensive and rich history.
The Aquinas Honor Society students, who range from 11 to 15-years-of-age, also erected an historic plaque in Jamaica Estates and wrote the text. On October 13, they will receive an award from the Archivist Round-Table of New York City - for educational use of archives in the city of New York.
Here are just some of the facts that were uncovered by the students and published in "Images of America: Jamaica".
There were six movie palaces in Jamaica. The Jamaica opened in 1913, The Rialto, which became the Savoy, opened in 1918, The Merrick opened in 1921, The Hillside in 1926, The Alden in 1928 and the Valencia in 1929.
Inside the pedestal of the Civil War Monument in Jamaica, there is a box with the names of all soldiers, white and black, who fought in the Civil War.
The first Jamaica fire department had 13 volunteers and started in 1797.
Jamaica Avenue was originally an Indian trail used for the trading of skins and furs for wampum…In 1790 George Washington wrote in his diary, “Jamaica Road is more sandy and appears to have less strength, but still good and productive.”
Jamaica Hospital started out as a temporary hospital. The first fund raiser for the hospital was held in 1883 and raised $179.40.
Idlewild was once a community and golf course created near Jamaica Bay in the 1920s. In 1946 and 1947, the City of New York claimed eminent domain and moved the people from their homes. Today that area is known as John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Rufus King purchased his Jamaica house in 1806. He helped draft and signed the Constitution, was ambassador to England and spoke out against slavery decades before the Civil War.
The community of Cambria Heights, Jamaica, was established in 1923 and named for the Cambria Title Savings and Trust Company that financed the development.
The first King Kullen supermarket opened on Jamaica Avenue on August 4, 1930, and the Smithsonian Institute recognizes King Kullen as America’s first supermarket.
"Images of America: Jamaica Estates" and "Images of America: Jamaica" are available on Amazon.com via the following links:
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