Pleasant Plains is a neighborhood located on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. It is bordered by Woodrow to the north, the

Lower New York Bay Lower New York Bay is a section of New York Bay south of the Narrows (the strait between Staten Island and Brooklyn). The eastern end of the Bay is marked by two spits of land, Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Rockaway, Queens. The waterway bet ...

to the south, Richmond Valley to the west, and Prince's Bay to the east. The neighborhood is represented in the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...

by Joe Borelli. Situated on the island's South Shore, Pleasant Plains has a population of 5,000 according to the 2000 census. It was named by officials of the Staten Island Railroad Corporation, the original owners of what is now known as the MTA

Staten Island Railway The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is a rapid transit, railroad line in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Staten Island. It is owned by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (SIRTOA), a subsidiary of the Metropol ...

. When the railroad line was extended to Tottenville in 1860, a station crossing Amboy Road approximately two miles north of Tottenville was named Pleasant Plains. Eventually, the name "Pleasant Plains" was applied to the community which soon sprung up around the station.

History

In 1882, a farm southeast of the railroad station was purchased from the Bennett family by the Reverend John Christopher Drumgoole, founder of the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin. He started the mission in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

in 1871 originally to aid homeless newsboys. Subsequent parcels were added for a combined area of . The formal name became The Mission of The Immaculate Virgin at Mount Loretto but was and still is referred to solely as "Mt. Loretto". An

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

for boys and a working farm was established on the site. At one time it was the largest farm in New York State. In 1888, Father Drumgooles successor began construction on St. Elizabeth's Building, a six-story

Georgian Style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...

building to be used as a girls' orphanage with a capacity of 350 children. It was destroyed by fire in March 2000 as a result of arson. The building had been abandoned and neglected for a number of years. A parcel of land south of Hylan Blvd. was sold to The State of New York. The park named, "The Mount Loretto Unique Area" is maintained by the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation. The state park adjoins Lemon Creek Park, which is partially in Pleasant Plains. The Pleasant Plains' portion includes a fishing pier at the foot of Sharrotts Ave. The park contains . high red clay bluffs overlooking Prince’s Bay, part Outer New York Harbor, they are part of the

terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called an end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front e ...

the southern terminus of the

Wisconsin Glacier The Wisconsin glaciation, also called the Wisconsin glacial episode, was the most recent glacial period of the North American ice sheet complex, peaking more than 20,000 years ago. This advance included the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, which nucleate ...

which receded 10,000 yrs. ago. They are the tallest ocean-facing bluffs in New York State. On the highest section of these bluffs The Prince's Bay Lighthouse was built in 1864. The lighthouse has attached living quarters. In 1978, 126 acres (510,000 m²) on the north side of the property were converted into the Cemetery of the Resurrection by the church's

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New York (state), State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York ...

, which needed to open a new cemetery on Staten Island as most of the burial plots at the island's existing Catholic cemeteries had already been used. In 1973, the Church of St. Joachim and

St. Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's na ...

was destroyed by fire. The exterior of this church was used in the

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

scene from ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

'' the year before. In 2004 a 12-acre (49,000 m²) tract at the northeastern corner of the mission's property, which had been the site of a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

maintained by the Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary, a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

order of nuns, was sold to residential developers for

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

19 million, despite steadfast opposition from local conservation activists. Part of the mission property became the Mount Loretto Unique Area. The commercial core of this community centers around the intersection of Bloomingdale Road, Amboy Road and Pleasant Plains Avenue. Like many of the South Shore's old commercial cores, it is experiencing a mild, yet noticeable rebirth.

Transportation

Pleasant Plains is served by the

station of the same name near Amboy Road/Bloomingdale Road. It is served by the local bus on Amboy Road and Bloomingdale Road. Express bus service to and from

is provided by the on Amboy Road and Bloomingdale Road.

Education

The

New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (more commonly known as New York City Publ ...

operates public schools. Public school students living in Pleasant Plains are zoned for Tottenville High School, which is located in the Huguenot neighborhood of Staten Island. Private school options include Staten Island Academy, a non-religious private school serving grades pre-k3 to 12th grade. Additionally there are numerous Catholic school options such as Saint Joseph By the Sea High School, a co-educational school, Monsignor Farrell High School, an all-boys school, and Notre Dame Academy, which is an all-girls school with an elementary school and High school. The main campus of South Richmond High School, a special education school, is in Pleasant Plains.Fioravante, Janice.
If You're Thinking of Living In/Charleston, Staten Island; Neighborhood That Grew From a Clay Pit
" ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. June 2, 2002. Retrieved on September 20, 2012.

References

External links

/ St. Elizabeth's Building
{{Coord, 40, 31, 26, N, 74, 12, 56, W, display=title Neighborhoods in Staten Island New York (state) state forests

History

Transportation

Education

See also

References

External links