Mariners Harbor, Staten Island

Mariners Harbor is a neighborhood located in the northwestern part of New York City's borough of Staten Island.

Erastina was the first rail station built here in 1886[1] and named for Erastus Wiman, the promoter who helped the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to enter New York via Staten Island.

Vacant land nearby was used for staging Buffalo Bill’s “Wild West Show”, generating over 10,000 additional passengers from the St. George Ferry Terminal over the new rail line.

There are three other stations along the North Shore branch of the Staten Island Railway at Lake Avenue, Harbor Road, and Arlington.

The western portion of this line was rebuilt, and is now used by freight trains traveling between New Jersey and the Howland Hook Marine Terminal in Port Ivory.

Mariners Harbor was home to large shipping and dry dock companies in the first half of the 20th century, including Bethlehem Steel, which owned a considerable portion of land in the area with headquarters along the waterfront on Richmond Terrace across from Mersereau Avenue and Brewers Dry Dock.

Bethlehem Staten Island built United States Navy Destroyers during World War II.

On the corner of Richmond Terrace and Lockman Avenue is the Fellowship Baptist Church, which was founded by community leader Rev.

The church has a large black congregation and has gained considerable political influence, being visited by New York City mayors David Dinkins, Rudolph Giuliani, and Michael Bloomberg on multiple occasions during their terms of office.

[4] The portion of the neighborhood west of Harbor Road (both north and south of the railroad tracks) eventually became predominantly Black.

Mariners Harbor is patrolled by the 121st Precinct of the NYPD, located at 970 Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10314.

[14] The United States Postal Service operates the Mariners Harbor Finance Station at 2079 Forest Avenue.

Mariners Harbor is the thirteenth branch of The New York Public Library on Staten Island and serves roughly 30,000 people.