ST. GEORGE’S ASTORIA VILLAGE

In many ways the stately brick edifice, St. George Episcopal Church, is the centerpiece of Astoria Village. There has been a St. George Episcopal parish in Astoria since 1825 when its site was donated by landowner Robert Blackwell; its original church was on Franklin Street, today’s Astoria Boulevard. After that edifice burned down in 1894, the present brick church at 27th Avenue and 14th Street was raised in 1903-1904.

In many ways the stately brick edifice, St. George Episcopal Church, is the centerpiece of Astoria Village. There has been a St. George Episcopal parish in Astoria since 1825 when its site was donated by landowner Robert Blackwell; its original church was on Franklin Street, today’s Astoria Boulevard. After that edifice burned down in 1894, the present brick church at 27th Avenue and 14th Street was raised in 1903-1904.

St. George’s isn’t the only item of interest here. Before the 20th Century, churches of all denominations maintained cemeteries for their congregants on their grounds. If you know where to look, St. George’s churchyard is still there, but you need to walk up a driveway and peer over a fence alongside a dumpster to see it. The historic cemetery contains remains of early settlers in the area, the Blackwells and Trowbridges. It used to be attainable from 14th Street, but after a senior center was built alongside St. George’s, the decision was made to make the entrance more hidden. Until recently I was able to enter the churchyard but the gate is kept locked now, and I didn’t want to risk trouble by climbing over it.

Several years ago my pal Heather Quinlan, now working on a documentary about a lost cemetery belonging to the African Methodist Church in Port Richmond, Staten Island, wandered into the St. George churchyard as I had done a few times before, and we were met with an individual who claimed that photography is desecration. The cemetery was not fenced off at the time, but I’d bet that the fence went up because of us!

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10/15/25