A new Staten Island ferry boat will be named in honor of a landmarked borough community that was founded by freed black slaves in the early 19th Century.

Mayor de Blasio got a big cheer during a town hall meeting on Staten Island Tuesday night when he announced that the second of the city’s three new Staten Island ferry boats will honor Sandy Ground, which is among America’s first free black settlements and located on the South Shore.

The announcement was in response to a petition led drive by Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-Staten Island) that collected more than 500 signatures to name the boat the Sandy Ground.

The three new 4,500-passenger boats are expected to begin setting sail in two years.