‘The recognition it deserves’: NYC mayor commissions new ferryboat, named for historic Sandy Ground
A new Staten Island ferry boat honoring the historic Sandy Ground community was commissioned on Feb. 25. Mayor Eric Adams joined other city officials and members of the Sandy Ground Historical Society to unveil the Sandy Ground name. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — An underrepresented chapter of American history received major recognition by city leaders Friday as dozens gathered to commission the Sandy Ground, a new Staten Island Ferry vessel named for an African-American community in Rossville that is considered the nation’s oldest continuously inhabited free Black settlement.
“Today is a very special day,” noted Julie Moody Lewis, president of the Sandy Ground Historical Society, a direct descendent of the land’s first Black settlers. “It has taken years of effort to document the contributions of Sandy Ground and keep its importance alive. To have those contributions recognized by the DOT in commissioning this ferry boat, making Sandy Ground a permanent piece of fabric in the quilt of the city of New York – it makes me happy to know that those efforts to preserve, protect and remember Sandy Ground were not in vain.”
Julie Moody Lewis, president of the Sandy Historical Society, addresses attendees at the commissioning ceremony. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams led the commissioning event, calling the Staten Island Ferry one of the most “underestimated ways of commuting in the city.”
Mayor Eric Adams joined other city officials on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, as a ceremony marked the official commissioning of the new Staten Island Ferry named The Sandy Ground. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
Sandy Ground was originally settled in the early 1800s and was once full of 150 Black-owned homes, each one built and centered around the Rossville African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church, which historians believe was an important stop along the Underground Railroad.
“The naming of this boat gives Sandy Ground the recognition it deserves,” noted Sylvia D’Alessandro, executive director of the Sandy Ground Museum and Historical Society. “There is such rich history there and I am so very excited that this boat will serve as a daily reminder of that history.”
Sylvia Moody D’Alessandro, Sandy Historical Society executive director, breaks the ceremonial champagne bottle to commission the Staten Island Ferry named The Sandy Ground with NYC Mayor Eric Adams. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
Founded in 1828, before Staten Island was part of New York City, Sandy Ground was first known as Harrisville and later Little Africa. According to D’Alessandro, who has compiled a book of Sandy Ground history, the land was settled by Moses and Silas Harris, who “understood the value of the property and how it would help them be a part of America.”
Local proponents of the site hope the ferry commissioning can reverse that stigma.
Former Council member Debi Rose, who petitioned for the Sandy Ground naming during her time in office, spoke during the commissioning ceremony. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
“When I found there were going to be three new ferry boats named, I felt it was important that there be a ferry boat that had some significance to the contributions of African Americans from Staten Island,” Rose continued. “Thousands will now see and be reminded of Sandy Ground on a daily basis, giving it the recognition it deserves.”
This plaque detailing Sandy Ground’s history will be mounted on the new ferry boat. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
A state-of-the-art, $85 million, 4,500-person boat, the Sandy Ground is the second of three new ferries that will enter service this year, collectively known as the Ollis-class vessels. Together, the three boats represent a transformative upgrade for the nation’s busiest municipal ferry system: The three new ferries are larger, more modern, and better equipped for extreme weather than the existing fleet. They will feature popular design elements of past Staten Island ferries, phone charging outlets, and comfortable seating, as well as an oval upper-deck promenade that will, for the first time, serve as an outdoor “walking track” for riders.
“With the naming and dedication of the Sandy Ground, along with the adoption of the entire state-of-the-art Ollis-class fleet of ferries, which have received international acclaim, the New York City Department of Transportation not only honors the legacy of the diverse community that calls Staten Island home, but shows their passionate commitment to the safe and secure operation of the busiest ferry service in the country,” said Captain Zeita Merchant, commander, New York Sector, U.S. Coast Guard. “I am especially honored as the first African American captain of the Port of New York to soon sign the official certificate that will forever etch the Sandy Ground’s legacy in New York Harbor.”
U.S. Coast Guard Captain Zeita Merchant spoke at the commissioning of the new Sandy Ground Staten Island Ferry. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
The Sandy Ground is expected to be in service by this spring. The first boat in the class, the Staff Sergeant Michael H. Ollis, took its inaugural ride earlier this month. The final Ollis-class ferry is expected to be commissioned later this year.
