The Legend Of Bayman

Once upon a time, in a town not-so-far away, before historic districting came to Douglaston and the dedication of Aurora Pond in Udalls Cove, there were baymen homesteading throughout northeast Queens, squatting on land and living off the sea.

Still, you won't see anything written about them in local history books and could probably pass the remnants of their homes as you walked around Aurora and Old Oak Ponds without ever knowing someone lived there.

But one local history buff is proudly keeping their story alive.

"Most of us take for granted or forget that before this area was developed and became a place for the more affluent among us, it was all wilderness and people actually lived off the land," said Bruce Stuart, vice-president of the Udalls Cove Preservation committee.

On a nature hike around Aurora Pond Park Monday morning, Stuart pointed to a patch of overgrown weeds, which had a stone wall hiding underneath.

"That's a foundation right there," Stuart said, adding, "Just think how many people pass these rocks without ever seeing them or realizing what they actually are?"

Stuart, envisioning what life may have been like for the bayman of Aurora Pond, briefly walked through the evolution of the area.

"Before there was the '' or any of those homes, he [the bayman] would have probably parked his boat somewhere along the water's edge and just walked up here to his house with whatever he had caught for the day," he said.   

And with a  that was at one time teeming with edible treats like the clams, which now bare its name, life was probably pretty good for the bayman.

"Things were definitely a lot simpler back then. He got up, fished, came home, ate, slept, then went out the next day to do it again," Stuart said.

Though Stuart speculates all that would likely have changed when the city exploded east, bringing with it pollution and development.

"I'm not exactly sure when the bayman would have lived here, when he left or even why—it was long before my time," he said.

Today, not a lot is known about the bayman and the life he would have led, leaving room for local lore to fill in the blanks.

"Most of what I know was passed down to me from my father. But I can picture the bayman heading out every morning on his boat for the day. It probably wasn't too bad," he said.