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The Ketcham House

⚓ Anchored At the Crossroad of OLD and NEW

🏠 A Country Home in the Big City, Queens, NYC

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A Special Home at a Major Crossroad...

In its almost 200 years, the stand-out Hollis Ketcham House, has seen many changes.
Photographed in 1922 by famed
photographer & NYC historian
Eugene L. Armbruster

"The Ketcham House"

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A Special Home at a Major Crossroad...

The Ketchams Move In.

From Walt Whitman's hometown, 23 year old David Ketcham buys the farm in 1849. He is a pillar of the community and is greatly involved in the administration, religion and educational systems. Ketcham's relatives are associated with George Washington and the 'Amityville Horror' house.

In its almost 200 years, the stand-out Ketcham House, has seen many changes.
1849
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A Special Home at a Major Crossroad...

The Ketcham Farm Is A Success!

By the 1850's, David Ketcham's family has grown with the birth of his daughter Elizabeth. The farm proves to be a grand success, and as it and the surrounding community continue to develop, Ketcham, his son Aaron O. and their families rightfully take their place among the area's leading citizens.

In its almost 200 years, the stand-out Ketcham House, has seen many changes.
1850's
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A Special Home at a Major Crossroad...

A Millionaire Takes Over

Alexander Campbell, a prominent pioneer in the milk industry who was the first to sell milk in a bottle container, fell in love with the beauty of the area and bought the many-acre Ketcham farm.

In its almost 200 years, the stand-out Ketcham House, has seen many changes.
1890
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A Special Home at a Major Crossroad...

The Foundation of a New Community

Ketcham's was one of two farms bought by Frederick W. Dunton of the Long Island Development Corp. railroad company that were used to create HOLLIS, Queens, one of NYC's oldest communities.

In its almost 200 years, the stand-out Ketcham House, has seen many changes.
1899
1890's

Even after the establishment of the railroad station and the district of Hollis , the old Ketcham farm still remained one the largest undivided properties in the area.

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Ketcham's
In
Farmhouse
is
Modernized!
What was modern and new in 1926, has become even more cherished almost 100 years later as a relic of an important past .

A Special Home at a Major Crossroad...

In its almost 200 years, the stand-out Ketcham House, has seen many changes.
1926
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The Original Gibson Girl

The international Fashion Icon lived in the Hollis

Ketcham House from marriage till her death in 1953

A Special Home at a Major Crossroad...

Amazingly, the Ketcham House, has been the home of several very distinguished individuals.

★

★

★

★

☆
Chief
instructor at
Bernarr MacFadden's
physical culture
school
☆ Chief instructor at Bernarr MacFadden's physical culture school

★
Star of
"Living Pictures"
stage
performances.

★ Star of "Living Pictures" stage performances.

☆
Posed for
"Diana" statue
that was atop
Madison Square
Gardens

☆ Posed for "Diana" statue that was atop Madison Square Gardens

★
Marilyn Monroe,
Zsa Zsa Gabor &
Lana Turner
all rolled
into one
Marilyn Monroe, Zsa Zsa Gabor & Lana Turner all in one
Details
Hits: 2300

Family Trees Take Root: Leaving Footprints on the Landscape of Hollis & Time

Family Trees Take Root: Leaving Footprints on the Landscape of Hollis & Time

From the Old Family Pioneers to the New Immigrants

David Ketcham x 2 + Our "Joy"

David Ketcham: The Patriarch

David Ketcham: The Patriarch

. . .

David W. Ketcham: The Grandson

David W. Ketcham: The Grandson

. . .

Our Joy & The New Immigrants

Our "Joy" & The New Immigrants

. . .

The Original Gibson Girl: Resident until 1953

The Original Gibson Girl

A Glamorous Chapter in the Ketcham House Story

May Callahan Flores - The Original Gibson Girl
May Callahan Flores, celebrated as one of the original "Gibson Girls" — the epitome of feminine beauty in early 20th century America
May Callahan Flores, Original Gibson Girl, Hollis Housewife... the Gibson Girl was to her day what a combination Marilyn Monroe–Zsa Zsa Gabor–Lana Turner is today... — Long Island Star Journal, 1953
1890s
Gibson Girl Era Begins
1931
Flores Family Acquires House
30+
Years as Owners
Frederick and May Callahan Flores at the Ketcham House
Frederick and May Callahan Flores — stewards of the Ketcham House for three decades

Frederick Flores, a successful home builder with an eye for architectural beauty, acquired the Ketcham House in 1931. His wife, May Callahan Flores, was no ordinary housewife — she had been one of the celebrated models who personified the iconic "Gibson Girl" image that captivated America at the turn of the century.

Created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson, the Gibson Girl represented the idealized American woman: confident, beautiful, and independent. With her upswept hair, elegant posture, and patrician features, May Callahan embodied this cultural phenomenon that graced magazine covers, advertisements, and the imagination of an entire generation.

For the next three decades, the Flores family called the Ketcham House home, bringing a touch of glamour and celebrity to the historic property in Hollis. May's presence connected this Queens farmhouse to the glittering world of early American popular culture — a fascinating bridge between rural history and urban sophistication.

The legacy of the Gibson Girl era lives on in the walls of the Ketcham House, where beauty, history, and community have always intertwined.

 Discover More About Our Famous Residents

 Read the Full Story & Leave a Comment

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The Ketcham House

Hollis, Queens, New York, USA

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