Belt Pkwy., Williams Court bet. E. 12 St. and Homecrest Ave
Directions via Google Maps This playground is named for the
surrounding neighborhood, a 20th century extension of the town
of Gravesend. Gravesend derives its name from either Dutch or
English colonists; the Dutch words Grafes and Ande, meaning “end
of the grove,” could refer to the eastern location of Gravesend,
but the name also might reflect the wishes of English settlement
founder Lady Deborah Moody (c.1583-1659). Gravesend was the name
of a city near her former home in England at the mouth of the
Thames River. Lady Deborah Moody was a wealthy widow when she
left England for America in 1639. Initially arriving in
Massachusetts, she was coldly received by the Puritans due to
her adherence to Anabaptism. According to the religion’s basic
tenets, followers could not hold government office, bear arms,
or perform childhood baptisms. Moody and her fellows were
expelled from Massachusetts in 1643 and traveled to New
Netherland in 1645 in search of a pla