Centereach

Legendary Gold Solidified a Family

Beginnings: Until 1927, Middle Country Road in Centereach was a two-lane dirt road where teenagers played baseball every Sunday afternoon. It took longer for middle Island communities such as Centereach to evolve. The earliest settlers congregated in the more populous seaside communities on the North and South Shores.

Still, founding families - all farmers - such as the Hawkins clan saw opportunity in the undeveloped land originally known as West Middle Island. Born in 1750, Eleazer Hawkins was a prosperous sea captain and farmer. According to family tradition, Hawkins discovered an abandoned ship full of gold on one of his voyages, a booty that would allow him to purchase large farms for each of his nine sons. In the 1860 census, six of the 75 heads of household still bore the Hawkins name.

For much of the 19th Century, Centereach was known as New Village. In 1916, residents were forced to choose a new name as New Village was already taken by another town upstate. Centereach seemed a logical choice, considering the hamlet was smack dab in the middle of the Island.

Turning Point: By the 1950s, the real estate market was ripe for low-cost homes. Entrepreneurs filled the bill in Centereach with developments such as Cedarwood Park and Dawn Estates. In 1967, Bernard Kaplan, whose firm built Dawn Estates, looked back to consider why they had such success. ``Land prices were low, speculation hadn't yet taken place, and we could sell them a home for $7,000, a price they could pay,'' Kaplan said. In three decades, Centereach's population exploded, from 628 residents in 1940 to nearly 20,000 in 1970.

Claim to Fame: Forest fires were a constant concern for Centereach residents. With a single fire truck and a modest wooden firehouse, the Centereach Fire Department was founded in 1933. Today, the community has 17 fire trucks, three ambulances and a 4,800-gallon water tank at its disposal. In 1977, a 43,000-square-foot firehouse was erected, dwarfing the puny fire station of yesteryear.

Where to Find More: ``The Chronicle of Centereach,'' by Luise Weiss and Doris Halowitch, Middle Country Public Library, 1989.