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LI Firsts

Twenty Milestones for Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties

1. Gardiners Island: First English settlement in New York State was Gardiners Island, purchased by Lion Gardiner in 1639.

2. South Jamaica and Southold: The first cemeteries, begun in 1640, were Prospect Cemetery off Jamaica Avenue, and the Old Burying Ground off Route 25A.

3. Fire Island: The Dutch ship Prince Maurice, the first recorded shipwreck, sank in 1657.

4. East Hampton: Clinton Academy, the first chartered academic institution in the state, was founded in 1784.

5. Sag Harbor: The first newspaper, the Long Island Herald, was published in 1791.

6. Sag Harbor: The first book - "A Plain and Serious Address to the Master of a Family on the subject of Family Religion," by Philip Doddridge - was published in 1791.

7. Montauk: The first lighthouse in New York State, built in 1796, was the Montauk Lighthouse.

8. Southold: The first incorporated library was founded in 1797.

9. Sag Harbor: Sag Harbor Fire Department, the oldest volunteer company, was established 1803.

10. Huntington: Silas Wood published the first history of Long Island, "A Sketch of the First Settlement of the Several Towns on Long-Island," in 1824.

11. Eatons Neck: The first life-saving station opened in 1849.

12. Greenport: First National Bank of Greenport, the first commerical bank, opened in 1864.

13. Southampton: The Parrish Art Museum, the first art museum, opened in 1898.

14. Robert Moses State Park: The first state park was Fire Island State Park, authorized in 1908 and later renamed for Robert Moses.

15. Mineola: The first airport was Mineola Flying Field, established in 1909.

16. Farmingdale: The state School of Agriculture was the first public college in 1912.

17. Garden City: Adelphi moved here from Brooklyn in 1929 and became the first private four-year college.

18. Valley Stream: The first drive-in movie theater opened in 1938.

19. Garden City: The first major shopping mall was Roosevelt Field in 1956.

20. Commack: The Long Island Ducks hockey team, the first sports franchise, began playing in 1959.