EDITOR’S NOTE
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — At 102, Norma McGhie — the oldest living descendant of Sandy Ground — carries a century of memory, much of it rooted in the once-thriving free Black settlement on Staten Island’s South Shore that shaped her childhood, her family and her voice.
Now, living in Manchester, New Jersey, McGhie is far from the narrow roads and tight-knit rhythms of the community she grew up in. But through her words, especially her poem “Family Day,” Sandy Ground remains vividly alive.
A legacy rooted in Sandy Ground
McGhie’s connection to Sandy Ground runs deep through generations. A member of the Landin family, she is the granddaughter of Robert and Rebecca Gray Landin, whose lineage traces back to some of the community’s earliest Black settlers.
Her grandmother, Rebecca Gray Landin, moved to Staten Island from Manhattan at about age 7 after her mother, Rebecca Gray, remarried Reverend Isaac Coleman, the sixth pastor of the Rossville AME Zion Church. Through that marriage, her mother became Rebecca Gray Coleman.
The family settled in the historic Woodrow Road house in 1864, which was granted landmark status by the city in 2011. McGhie’s mother, Bertha Landin Wallen, was raised in the home, continuing the family’s long connection to the house across multiple generations.
Family oral histories trace the lineage through generations of Coleman, Gray, Landin and Wallen descendants who lived and built their lives in Sandy Ground.
According to an oral history recorded by McGhie’s first cousin, Yvonne Taylor, with the New York Preservation Archive Project, the family tree extends through at least seven generations. Those ties were built through land ownership, church life and close family bonds.
The family’s history also reflects a broader pattern in Sandy Ground’s development, as the Landin and Coleman-Gray lines were part of the early migration of Black oystermen from Maryland to Raritan Bay, drawn north by opportunity, land ownership and the oyster industry.
A childhood in Sandy Ground
Born in Sandy Ground in December 1923, McGhie lived there until she was 17 or 18, before moving to accommodate her father’s work — first at the New York Stock Exchange, and later as a streetcar driver.
“My father worked in New York, and commuted back and forth from Staten Island,” recalled McGhie. “It was more convenient for us to move.”
Settled in the 1820s, Sandy Ground is the oldest continuously inhabited free Black settlement in the country and was one of New York’s earliest communities where Black Americans could own land and build independent lives. Drawn to the oyster-rich waters of Raritan Bay, African American oystermen moved to this self-sustaining village filled with tradespeople, families and faith.
At the center of it all stood Rossville AME Zion Church, a spiritual and cultural anchor that brought the community together and remains significant to descendants today.
For McGhie, Sandy Ground wasn’t history. It was home.
“We played Hide and Go Seek, kick the can, jump rope and Ringolevio,” shared McGhie.
Those simple moments are echoed in her poem, which reads like a time capsule of that life, one filled with laughter, labor and deep community ties.
She remembers the names — Pedros, Moodys, Sargents, Roches — not as distant figures, but as neighbors and friends. It was the kind of place where children moved freely from yard to yard.
A town with a name
Even as the community thrived, its name didn’t sit right with those who lived there.
“We just hated the name Sandy Ground for some reason. I don’t know why,” recalled McGhie. “It made our town seem not nice, like a shanty town.”
Instead, many referred to the area as “Pleasant Plains,” a name that felt more fitting for the close-knit vibrant community, they knew. Today, the area is more commonly identified as part of Rossville.
Memories of the schoolhouse
One of McGhie’s most vivid childhood memories is the little red schoolhouse, a place where she spent countless hours with friends.
“We had a wonderful time there,” recalled McGhie. “We skated, jumped rope and we just played. It was a very nice school.”
Years later, that memory was marked by loss. In April 1963, a massive fire swept through the community, destroying more than 100 homes, including the schoolhouse.
More than 1,500 firefighters battled a daylong blaze, facing extremely dry ground, critically low water pressure, and strong winds gusting up to 45 mph that allowed the flames to spread across the area. By the end of the day, roughly 500 people were left homeless, and damages totaled $2 million.
Though she no longer lives in Sandy Ground, McGhie’s connection to the community remains strong. She stayed in contact with friends and relatives following the news of the blaze and calling those still in the neighborhood as the fire unfolded.
“It just broke my heart when it burned down,” said McGhie.
Even from afar, McGhie felt the loss deeply. The schoolhouse wasn’t just a building. It was a cornerstone of childhood joy, learning and community.
Memory as preservation
Today, Sandy Ground is a fraction of what it once was, tucked between modern developments and busy roadways. Yet its legacy remains, preserved through landmarked homes, a historic cemetery, and ongoing efforts to restore its physical and cultural footprint.
For McGhie, preservation isn’t just about buildings. It’s about memory.
She recalls berry-picking and selling sweets, church programs at Rossville AME Zion Church, choir singing, piano lessons and trips to Coney Island — along with the simple joy of neighborhood games.
Reflecting on her upbringing, McGhie put it simply:
“It was a great place to grow up. It was a close-knit community. Everybody knew everybody. The church was the center of everything.”
While McGhie remembers Sandy Ground as a close-knit and vibrant community, work is now underway to preserve what remains of the historic landmarks.
At Rossville AME Zion Church, members are working to replace unsafe rear steps, repair the building’s crumbling facade, and upgrade aging features inside the sanctuary, including seating, carpeting, and the sound system. Accessibility improvements, such as installing an elevator, are also a priority to better serve the congregation.
Beyond the church, overgrown vegetation and hazardous trees near the Baymen’s Cottages — historic homes owned by the congregation — must be cleared, while the cemetery requires ongoing maintenance to remain safe for visiting families.
Looking ahead, church members would like to restore the cottages so they can be opened to the public as educational spaces, preserving Sandy Ground’s history for future generations.
For descendants like McGhie, the hope is simple — that Sandy Ground will be remembered.
To donate, visit: rossvilleamezionny.org/giving, select “other” and write in “preservation and restoration” efforts. To volunteer, call: (718) 356-0200.
MORE SANDY GROUND COVERAGE
- A nearly 200‑year‑old Staten Island community is calling on the public to help save it
A homecoming to history: Pastor returns to Staten Island historic church
‘I Wake Up … and I Say, Thank You, God’: Cousins return to America’s Oldest Free Black Settlement’
Hidden in plain sight: Could this historic free Black community be Staten Island’s next Richmond Town?
‘It’s home’: Family says Staten Island church’s deeper value can’t be found in history books
