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East Rockaway

Victims of Shipwrecks Buried by Villagers

Beginnings: Once it was called Near Rockaway because it was the section of the Rockaway peninsula closest to Hempstead. English settlers migrating from New England in the 1640s bought the land from a tribe called Rockawanahaha, meaning ``People of a Sandy Place,'' as it surely was.

First Bakery: In 1688, Joseph Haviland built a tidewater gristmill and a nearby bakery to supply farmers and tradesmen with bread. It was the first public oven in New York State. Townspeople could bake their own for 3 cents a loaf. The Old Grist Mill, a community gathering place for two centuries, was moved in 1963 to Memorial Park, where it is now a museum that's open weekends in the summer.

The Revolution: Near Rockaway produced some of Long Island's staunchest Loyalists, including Col. Richard T. Hewlett, Isaac Denton and Isaac Smith. There was even a plot to kill George Washington when he came through Long Island during the war, but the Loyalists were talked out of it.

The Bristol and Mexico: Two of the worst shipwrecks on Long Island occurred in the winter of 1836. The Bristol from England was battered on the rocks here, and seven weeks later the Mexico, carrying Irish immigrants, suffered the same fate. Villagers buried 193 victims of the two disasters in the Sandhole Cemetery and raised money to erect a monument on the spot called Mariner's Grave.

Turning Points: Near Rockaway was a flourishing seaport on Hog Inlet (now East Rockaway Inlet) with packets carrying oysters and farm produce to New York City, until 1869 when the Long Island Rail Road came through, drawing business to Pearsall's Corners, now Lynbrook. Trains were called Huckleberries because they were so slow and made so many stops that passengers could alight and pick huckleberries. Near Rockaway got its first post office and new name in 1869. The village was incorporated in 1900 with a population of 969 and its own police force, which merged with the county force in 1930.

Where to Find More: The Old Grist Mill Museum at Woods and Atlantic Avenues contains village artifacts and historical material.