Then & Now

THEN AND NOW

Village’s Bully Throwbacks to Teddy’s Era

TEDDY ROOSEVELT'S beloved village, Oyster Bay, holds on to reminders of the early 1900s, when Sagamore Hill -- three miles east -- was the Summer White House.

THEN AND NOW

Pumping Good Service, Even Now

IN 1936, an attendant in a white coat checked under the hood of one of the cars that had pulled up to the gas pumps at the Golden Rule Service Station in Floral Park. No self-service in those days.

THEN AND NOW

‘Chain Your Dogs,’ Folks

SPECTATORS CAME to Floral Park in buggies and horse-drawn farm wagons to see motorcar daredevils charge down Jericho Turnpike in the first Vanderbilt Cup Race on Oct. 8, 1904.

THEN AND NOW

Still Waving Goodbye To a Ship Out of Luck

I N THE 19TH CENTURY, the Blue Point Beach on Fire Island was an equal opportunity wreck site. Raging gales drove ships of every type and nation onto the outer bar, some never to be seaborne again. One such luckless vessel was the German tanker-steamer Gluckauf, driven aground on March 25, 1892, or the same date in 1893 (accounts vary).

THEN AND NOW

Today’s Lesson, Class, Is History

KINDERGARTEN isn't what it used to be. Gone are the ruffles and bows, the sailor suits and Mary Jane shoes. As for waltzing together? Oh, come on.

THEN AND NOW

Turning This Whole Town Upside Down

I N 1778, when British forces occupied the area after routing Gen. George Washington in the Battle of Long Island two years before, Lt. Col. John Simcoe, head of the Queen's Rangers, became an uninvited guest in the Oyster Bay home of patriot Samuel Townsend. Apparently expecting an attack from Connecticut, Simcoe drew up the sketch of his defenses, shown bottom right.

THEN AND NOW

Where Steamboats And Trolleys Met

BABYLON'S STEAMBOAT DOCK was a hub of resort activity in 1910. The trolley -- previously horse-drawn but newly electrified -- brought escaping city-dwellers from the railroad station, some to sojourn in the Boynes Hotel, top right, whose wraparound porches overlooked the Great South Bay. Other visitors were ferried across the bay to the ocean beaches.

THEN AND NOW

For Lots of Reasons, This Island Is a Plum

THE TROOPS LINED UP in front of the guardhouse at Fort Terry on Plum Island in 1913 represent some of the many different inhabitants of the island over the years.

THEN AND NOW

In Bayport, Huge Estates Were a Cottage Industry

WITH THE COMING of the railroad to eastern Long Island in the late 19th Century, wealthy New Yorkers discovered the Great South Bay and were soon turning farmland there into huge estates with summer "cottages" rivaling those of Newport, R.I.

THEN AND NOW

Life Can Be A Walk in the Park

A PRESIDENT fished here, captains of industry cantered down its bridle paths and thousands of Long Island families have made it their favorite picnic park during the past 75 years. Belmont Lake State Park in North Babylon was carved out of the 1,100-acre estate where, starting in 1868, financier and diplomat August Belmont bred thoroughbreds. After his death in 1924, his widow, the actress-playwright Eleanor Robson Belmont, sold most of the estate to a subdivider. But 158 acres -- including the mansion, lake and main farm buildings -- were soon acquired by New York State under master park planner Robert Moses.

THEN AND NOW

Alice V Gets a Festive Launch

THE ALICE V has had many lives since it was first launched in 1908, and it's about to have one more.

THEN AND NOW

Landmarks Gone With the Wind

ON THE PATH called Burma Road that leads from the communities of Saltair and Kismet to the Fire Island Lighthouse, hikers today see mostly sand, sky and grazing deer.

THEN AND NOW

A Graceful Old Station’s Arrival

W ITH PLUMES of smoke and deep-throated whistles, the westbound train chugged into Sea Cliff, a welcome sight to these straw-hatted, stout-hearted commuters in 1900.

THEN AND NOW

Old Jones’ Pools Still Draw Crowds

IT COST JUST 30 cents to get into the pool at Jones Beach in 1957, and bathers like those in the photo at the right flocked to the turnstiles at the south entrance of the West Bathhouse for a refreshing no-surf dip.

THEN AND NOW

As Time Goes By At Nassau’s Hub

HEMPSTEAD VILLAGE, known as the Hub, has been a-changing, sometimes slowly, sometimes in rapid stages.

THEN AND NOW

Fire Island ferries have crisscrossed the bay and the years

FOR MORE than a century, ferry boats have been transporting pleasure-seekers to the South Shore barrier beaches. Few places on earth have the lure of the longest of these islands, the 32-mile sandbar known as Fire Island. More than a half-million passengers are now ferried each summer to Fire Island's sun-drenched communities, where the absence of cars is part of the sweet-life appeal.

THEN AND NOW

A Church Moves On; A School Site Survives

A pioneer motorist had the road to himself and no parking problem as he tooled down Port Washington's Main Street, past the newly minted Main Street School and the Methodist Church in about 1910. His only problem might have been dodging the trolley that ran to Mineola from 1908 until banished by the automobile in 1920.

THEN AND NOW

A Firehouse’s Revival

ONLY A FEW photographs of Bay Shore's Second Avenue Firehouse still exist, but the one shown here was instrumental in helping local architect Anthony Szekalski restore the 100-year-old building to its former glory.

THEN AND NOW

Vehicles Smaller, But Cost the Same

JUST WHEN the forward march of technology seems unstoppable, here's a set of photographs showing that newer can be simpler. In this case, it's the building on East Main Street in Patchogue that, back in the 1950s, housed a Cadillac and Oldsmobile dealership. These days, four-wheel horsepower has been replaced by two-wheel pedal power, as the storefront, basically unchanged except for the removal of the gas pumps and car signs, is now home to the Long Island Bicycles store. A woodstove retailer also shares the space.

THEN AND NOW

Politician's Base Just a Memory

CHARLES D. MILLER was born in New York City in 1881, but by the time he was a teenager he made his home the 100-acre estate that his father co-owned in what was then Smithtown Branch, now known as Village of the Branch.

THEN AND NOW

An Old-School Legacy of Grit

IN 1928, when the old photo of the Smithtown Branch High School baseball team was taken, Long Island high school kids followed the exploits of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for the Yankees, Dazzy Vance of the Dodgers and Freddie Lindstrom of the Giants. The photo was taken on the steps of the New York Avenue building.

THEN AND NOW

Long-Ago Map, Faraway LI View

Early Long Island Mapmakers didn't have the advantage of an eye in space, but this comparison of old and new shows that even with their rudimentary tools, cartographers could produce a useful representation of the Island.

THEN AND NOW

Building on Faith

AFTER A CENTURY SERVING Roman Catholic parishioners in Center Moriches, the old St. John the Evangelist Church on Montauk Highway was razed in 1998 and replaced with a larger building. The move was not without controversy. Preservationists wanted to keep the old church, built in 1898, and build a new one next to it. But church leaders said that replacing the old building, which seated 225, with a new sanctuary seating 700 was the only option.

THEN AND NOW

Spared Pavilion Barges Into Club

IN THE 1940s, developer Walter Shirley began selling plots in the Brookhaven community that bears his name. Among the attractions was the pavilion he built on what was then known as Fire Island Beach, now Smith Point County Park.

THEN AND NOW

A Fixture on Main Street in Bay Shore

ULMSCHNEIDER'S drug store, which appears in the photo above, taken around 1900, was a fixture on Main Street in Bay Shore.

THEN AND NOW

Parade No. 50 for Rocky Point

ONE OF Long Island's most venerable traditions is the Rocky Point St. Patrick's Day Parade, which holds its 50th procession Sunday, March 12, beginning at 1 p.m. As many as 30,000 people are expected to line the 2 1/2-mile parade route, according to Hugh McCarrick, one of the event organizers.

THEN AND NOW

Memories Are Always in Stock

O N MARCH 22, 1914, James Agnew wrote a letter to his mother in Ireland, telling her about his new and unexpected business venture.

THEN AND NOW

Grangebel Park, Lawyer’s Legacy

GRANGEBEL PARK was built as a private reserve by lawyer Timothy Griffing, who named it after his daughters GRace, ANGEline and maBEL. The water tower -- modeled on a French castle -- was constructed in 1892 to provide water for downtown Riverhead. The 100-foot structure, topped by an observation tower, was for a time the tallest structure on the East End. It looked like stone but actually was made out of wood.

THEN AND NOW

Building Atop The Ashes

IN MAY, 1952, fire swept through storefronts on Main Street in Greenport, heavily damaging the Katz men's clothing and children's apparel store and a jewelry store. Though the distinctive Reeves building survived the fire and remains -- it now houses two businesses -- the building on the left was replaced.

THEN AND NOW

C. Moriches: A View With Rooms

AROUND THE TURN of the century, Center Moriches was known for a number of hotels and boarding houses that catered to vacationers.

THEN AND NOW

What's That On the Roof?

BACK IN THE 1950s, drivers zipping along Montauk Highway in Mastic were sure to notice the car sitting atop Poje's Sweet Treat, a soda fountain and stationery shop at the corner of Prospect Place.

THEN AND NOW

A Canal Runs Through It

THE BRIGHTWATERS Grand Canal was the centerpiece of an ambitious planned community constructed between 1908 and 1918 by Brooklyn developer Thomas Benton Ackerson and his three brothers. Ackerson, known as T.B., used to sail on the Great South Bay, and he bought about 1,700 acres extending from the bay to Pilgrim State Hospital for development. For a decade, the Ackerson brothers filled in swamps, dug the 175-foot-wide canal, put in roads and lakes, and built about 100 homes, ranging from $3,500 bungalows to $20,000 mini-mansions. But financial difficulties dogged the development.

THEN AND NOW

Reflecting On Pond Memories

IN 1925, ROBERT MOSES convinced New York City to dedicate 2,200 acres of city water supply properties in Nassau for state park and parkway purposes. Of that, 903 acres became Hempstead Lake State Park.

Our Towns

This special online section combines community profiles with historical snapshots and maps from the turn of the century. Clicking through the section reveals just how much Long Island and Queens have changed over 100 years.

Search Classifieds

JOBS   SHOP   CARS   HOMES

Listings, directories and deals

• Apartments
• Items for Sale
 • Dating
• Pets
• Travel Deals
 • Grocery Coupons
• Events

Classifieds get results! - Place an Ad

News on the Web

Top stories
National news
World news
Sports news
Business news
Entertainment news
Blogs

Powered by Topix.net

Pages of History