He’s ready to make history.
Author and educator Jason Antos was this week named the new Queens Borough Historian — and at age 44, he’s the youngest ever. Probably.
Unfortunately, one of the few historical records he doesn’t have is the exact ages of his predecessors, so he can’t be sure if he’s set the record — but the lifelong Whitestone resident is still ready to delve into the borough’s past as deeply as he can as he takes over a post that he calls a “dream come true.”
“I’m very honored that I was chosen,” Antos told The Post Thursday.
“Even though everyone has a background from someplace else, [we have] a shared history. We all share the history of Queens, and that’s something that we all should take part in and research, and enjoy. Queens’ history belongs to everyone.”
Antos is nearly half the age of his predecessor, 80-year-old Jack Eichenbaum, but it’s not clear if Antos is officially the youngest Queens Borough Historian — his predecessors apparently weren’t stellar at keeping records with such information.
The lifelong Whitestone resident has ruled as the Queens Historical Society’s executive director since 2021 and has pumped out seven books over the last two decades that focus on the borough’s niche history — with the self-explanatory titles including “Jackson Heights,” Queens: Then and Now” and “Shea Stadium.”
Borough historians are volunteers tasked with not only preserving historical government records, but also creating programs that encourage everyday New Yorkers to relish in the minute, lesser-known history of their neighborhoods.
“I tell people, ‘The spot where you’re standing, something very, very historic could have occurred right there — and there’s no evidence except in the research.’ And then we bring these stories and the documents and the photos to the people,” said Antos.
One of his own favorite pieces of lesser-known history is how the people of Newtown — now known as Elmhurst — were instrumental in laying the groundwork for the British to take over the land from the Dutch.
“It was what they call a bloodless revolution,” explained Antos, explaining that people from other surrounding colonies in Connecticut and Massachusetts slowly started filing into Newtown until it weakened the Dutch’s stronghold on the land.
By the time the British arrived, there was no forced transition — the land was essentially handed over.
“People from Newtown always have the revolutionary spirit and this progressed into to a century later when the Revolutionary War was fought.”
Antos hopes to ignite a love for history by “bringing local history to the masses of Queens” — including one initiative to bring a hyper-local curriculum that could be implemented in the borough’s schools
“The kids are just they’re so fascinated by it — to see the old photographs and the maps and to realize that there was like this whole world that existed before them,” said Antos, a public school substitute teacher, adding that it was the same reason he got interested in history himself.
“I saw that there was this whole society that existed and just doesn’t exist anymore, in terms of different types of jobs, different types of infrastructure, the way the borough looked, topographically speaking. There’s just so many changes and the diversity of the borough is forever evolving.”
Antos also hopes to carry on the legacy of Eichenbaum, who had been the borough historian for 13 years — and took Antos under his wing as the two worked alongside one another at the Kingsland Homestead, an 18th-century farmhouse that serves as the Queens Historical Society’s headquarters.
“I got to serve with someone I looked up to. Jack was such a giant in this field, and it was an honor to know him and talk with him. He was a mentor to me,” said Antos.
It took 21 months for the Borough President’s Office to fill the role after Eichenbaum died from a stroke in December 2023, which Antos pointed out is surprisingly typical of conducting the drawn-out process.
A shortlist of Queens braniacs was invited to submit a package of their work, and was subject to review from “multiple academic and institutional stakeholders across the city.”
“During the selection process, Jason exhibited a sound vision for the role, showcased extensive institutional connections and was highly recommended by many respected stakeholders,” Chris Barca, communications director for the borough president, told The Post.
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