Early settlement . The Broad Channel community is depicted in yellow on the largest island located within the
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge section. Prior to European settlement, the Jameco and Canarsie bands of
Lenape Native Americans frequented this area. During the 17th century, Dutch settlers established a community on the island and began harvesting oysters, clams, shrimp, and fish. Until the
American Civil War, most of Jamaica Bay's islands east of
Bergen Island and
Barren Island were not inhabited, including Broad Channel. The boundary line between the towns of
Flatlands, Brooklyn, and
Jamaica, Queens, ran through Jamaica Bay, cutting through Broad Channel, though the island was mostly part of Jamaica. After 1865, fisheries were developed in the bay, and by the late 1870s, the town of Jamaica indicated that structures had been built in the bay without the town's permission. The presence of the railroad led to the development of fishing villages with shacks, summer homes, boathouses, and stores. As part of the project, some other islands in Jamaica Bay were removed or connected to others. The waters and marsh islands of the refuge entirely surround the community.
20th century In 1915, the city leased Broad Channel Island, Goose Creek Island, and Raunt Island to Pierre Noel, who subleased it to the
Broad Channel Corporation. The Broad Channel Corporation in turn made 10-year subleases to private individuals for the development of summer bungalows and houses. There was public criticism of the lease after the public learned about the deal, which Pierre Noel, president of the Broad Channel Corporation, countered by pointing to $180,000 of improvements it had made, including digging a well to supply drinking water, building a power plant, adding landfill to reduce the need for houses on piles, and laying out streets on the island. Residents disputed the quality of these improvements, however, saying that the tap water was brown and not potable, that their houses had no electricity, and that there were no sewers on the island. The Broad Channel Corporation responded by saying the water was of the same quality as was available in the Rockaways and that it planned to install a filtration device to remove the iron from the tap water. It said that the streets had electric lights, and it said installing sewers was not possible on the island. For years, the only way to reach the island was by ferry or railroad, but in 1925, the North Channel Bridge opened, connecting the island to Howard Beach. The
Cross Bay Parkway Bridge also opened in 1925 (replaced in 1939, and again in 1970), connecting to the Rockaways. The railroad trestle across Jamaica Bay experienced around 30 fires between 1942 and 1950. One such fire, between
The Raunt and
Broad Channel stations on May 7, 1950, cut service on the middle section of the railroad line. The LIRR, then bankrupt, could not afford to repair the trestle, and the city of New York purchased the line in 1952, and it reopened as the
New York City Subway's
IND Rockaway Line in 1956. Parks Commissioner
Robert Moses announced his intention to build a park on the island in 1938; he planned recreation on the shore with a wildlife sanctuary on the north end of the island. In May 1944, Broad Channel's 4,000 residents, collectively living in 1,260 homes, secured an injunction that would prevent the city from evicting them by April 30, 1948. Later in 1944, the
New York City Board of Estimate indicated that it would give residents the right to purchase the land under their houses. However, this right was denied for many years. The city made many attempts to alter the island's purpose, but the local community resisted them all. Proposed changes included the construction of a commercial port and the extension of
John F. Kennedy International Airport. The health hazards prompted the city to again attempt eviction proceedings against Broad Channel's residents, which prompted them to protest, and the Board of Estimate ordered the residents' leases to be renewed the following year, despite the real estate commissioner's protests. The government of New York City finally granted Broad Channel residents the right to purchase their property in 1982. The
Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge replaced the dilapidated North Channel Bridge in 1993.
21st century In 1998, Broad Channel's Labor Day parade received negative media attention after video of a float that parodied the
racially motivated dragging death of an African American man was made public. Three white participants on the float, all city emergency workers, were later fired from their jobs as a result of the parade incident. They sued the city for wrongful termination, and their claims were upheld in federal district court in 2003, but the firings were upheld upon appeal in 2006. In August 2011, Broad Channel faced its first mandatory evacuation due to
Hurricane Irene. In the aftermath, two homes on Church Road between East 12th and 14th Road collapsed into Jamaica Bay due to the high storm tide. In October 2012, Broad Channel faced another mandatory evacuation due to
Hurricane Sandy. It sustained heavy damage with widespread flooding affecting most homes in the area, and in subsequent days, widespread prolonged power cuts and shortages of food and water were reported. Press reports indicated that at least parts of the neighborhood were flooded from time to time by high tides. The city proposed steps such as raising the streets and sidewalks by three feet. The street raising and new sea walls, installation of which were ongoing , serve to stop street flooding. Broad Channel remains as one of the New York City neighborhoods most vulnerable to flooding, and had the highest proportion of repeated flood-related insurance claims . == Demographics ==