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Baldwin

Piles of Clam Shells Tell of First Inhabitants

Beginnings: Meroke Indians were the first human inhabitants of the South Shore between the Rockaway peninsula and the Seaford area. Piles of clam shells found alongside Milburn Creek indicate Indians lived in the Baldwin area at some time. Records of the first European settlement are unclear, but by 1660 the area was called Hick's Neck, in honor of English settler John Hicks. The community got its start in 1686, when the Town of Hempstead gave John Pine permission to build a mill. It soon became the focus of what was then called Milburn, but in 1855 the hamlet changed its name to Baldwinsville in honor of Francis P. Baldwin, a state assemblyman and Queens County treasurer. Because an upstate village was already named Baldwinsville, the post office shortened it first to Baldwins and then to Baldwin.

Turning Point: By 1830, an inn run by John Lott attracted sportsmen from New York City and was the center of port activity for the Town of Hempstead. Use of the port declined, but Baldwin was on the map for recreation, and the hamlet grew as plank roads and then the railroad made it more accessible. By 1890, the community had three hotels and several boarding houses. A real estate boom in the late 1920s rapidly expanded the hamlet.

Claims to Fame: The first American monoplane may have been invented by two Baldwin brothers, Albert and Arthur Heinrich, in 1910. Actor Gabby Hayes was a Baldwin native, as is film director Jonathan Demme.

Where to Find More: ``Hick's Neck - The Story of Baldwin,'' published by the Writers' Program of the Works Project Administration in 1939; the Baldwin Fire Department 110th Anniversary Yearbook, published in 1996. Both available at the Baldwin Public Library.