Steuben Playground
overview
Many New York City public parks and playgrounds are named in honor of prominent figures in New York City and American history.
Steuben Playground, in Brooklyn, inadvertently honors an LGBT individual.
Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus, Baron von Steuben by Ralph Earl, c 1786. Source: Yale University Art Gallery.
Steuben Playground sign. Source: newyorkshitty.com.
History
Many New York City public parks and playgrounds are named in honor of prominent figures in New York City and American history. The NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project compiled a list of public parks and playgrounds named after gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals, several of which intentionally honor an LGBT individual. This list includes Steuben Playground, in Brooklyn.
This playground was officially named in 1987 after a hero of the American Revolution, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben, thus inadvertently honoring a gay man of the 18th century. In 1763, after 17 years in the Prussian military, von Steuben was dismissed, possibly due to the scheming of a rival. After service elsewhere, he attempted to join the army again in 1777, but an anonymous complaint was filed alleging his homosexuality. (Many historians today agree that von Steuben was, in fact, homosexual). In Paris that year, he met Benjamin Franklin, who, though likely aware of these rumors, knew that George Washington was desperate for an officer to assist in instilling discipline and training in the rag-tag Continental Army. Franklin provided von Steuben with letters of introduction to Washington and leaders of the American Congress. Von Steuben began his service at Valley Forge and was made an inspector general in 1778 by Washington. He succeeded in instilling discipline in the soldiers, developing one standard of drills for the troops, and raising morale. In 1779 he codified his regulations into a training manual. Von Steuben’s service is widely credited as a critical factor in the American army winning the Revolutionary War. After the war, von Steuben became an American citizen and first moved to Manhattan, and was later awarded a pension and properties in New Jersey and New York State.
Land for the Steuben Playground was acquired through condemnation by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation as part of the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Connecting Highway (now Brooklyn-Queens Expressway). This park was unofficially called Steuben Playground for years prior to its official naming.
Entry by Jay Shockley, project director (September 2021, last revised December 2025).
NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.
Sources
Erick Trickey, “The Prussian Nobleman Who Helped Save the American Revolution,” Smithsonian, April 26, 2017.
Erin Blakemore, “The Revolutionary War Hero Who Was Openly Gay,” History, June 14, 2018 (updated January 31, 2025), bit.ly/4pkU83E.
“Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Gay Revolutionary War Hero,” Homo History, May 24, 2014.
Harry Schenawolf, “Baron Von Steuben: Gay Warrior Who Taught Washington’s Army How to Fight,” Revolutionary War Journal, July 25, 2015.
“LGBT History Month: Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben: Gen. Washington’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Case,” Philadelphia Gay News, Oct. 25, 2012.
Petula Dvorak, “Was this Revolutionary War hero America’s first openly gay general?,” Washington Post, June 20, 2025.
Richard Bell, “The Underappreciated True Story of the Brash Prussian Military Officer Who Whipped the Patriots Into Shape at Valley Forge,” Smithsonian, September-October 2025.
“Steuben Playground,” NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, on.nyc.gov/3u6faaE.
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