Merriam Playground

W. 168 St. bet. Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd. and Merriam Ave.

Bronx

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

Francis W. Meriam (sic), the man for whom Merriam Avenue and Merriam Playground are named, owned land in this area in the mid-19th century. By the turn of the century, the name had been modified to read “Merriam”. The Native Americans who lived in this area called it “Nuasin,” which means “the land between.” The moniker referred to the land’s position between the Harlem River and an estuary that flowed where Jerome Avenue is today.