Ramblersville, ca. 1905. Established in the late 1880s Ramblersville was a small fishing station on the north side of Jamaica Bay, built up on either side of Hawtree Creek. The area had long been a temporary fishing outpost for fishermen, both Dutch and native, who boated in. Constructed of homes on stilts connected by a raised boardwalk, Ramblersville was originally reached by the New York, Woodhaven and Rockaway Railroad (later the LIRR). When the LIRR added a Ramblerville stop in 1899, passengers often stepped out of the train into as much as a foot of water. Referred to in its early years as "a Venice on stilts" and "a bit of old Holland," by the turn of the century the marshy area had a number of full-time residents. Though formally a part of Queens, the community thought of themselves as independent. The New York Sun wrote that the area was, "without government, politics, police, churches or regulations of any sort save good will to each other." The tiny neighborhood still remains, with residents living on the creek and traveling between homes on wooden paths. Given its proximity to JFK airport though, the quiet hamlet is no doubt louder than it once was.