Dean Playground

Dean St. to Bergen St. between 6 Ave. and Carlton Ave.

Brooklyn, 11217

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

Bounded by Dean Street and Bergen Street between 6th Avenue and Carlton Avenue, this playground takes its name from Dean Street. Dean Street, in turn, is named for Silas Deane (1737-1789), a Revolutionary War statesman. Born in Groton, Connecticut in 1737, Deane was educated at Yale College (now Yale University). He settled in Wethersfield, Connecticut, where he worked as a merchant and a lawyer. Elected in 1772 to the Connecticut colonial assembly, Deane soon became involved in the American revolutionary cause. In 1774, he became a delegate to the Continental Congress. Two years later, Congress sent him, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), and Arthur Lee (1740-1792) to France to secure the support of the French.