Razing of the old Samuel Renne farmhouse, said to be one of the last pre-Revolutionary landmarks in Queens, was under way today. The two-story frame structure at the southwest corner of Queens Boulevard and 57th Ave., Elmhurst, was built in 1762 for Samuel Renne and his bride, Mary, daughter of Capt. Samuel Fish.
After the Battle of Long Island in the Revolutionary War, General Howe occupied the house and, in the Summer of 1776, wrote his report to King George of England describing his defeat of the colonial forces.
The property is now owned by D. Hevia, a Cuban tobacco planter, of Richmond Hill. Various tenants have leased the house, but it has fallen into a state of disrepair. No plans have been announced for another building to be erected on the site.
The Long Island Historical Society has for some time had a sign erected on the mall in the center of Queens Boulevard at 57th Ave., directing passersby to the landmark and describing its history. The house is mentioned in Hossing’s The Pictorial Field-book of the Revolution.
