Dix Hills

Roads Led to Growth in Dick's Hills

Beginnings: The community takes its name from Richard, or Dick, Pechagan, a Secatogue who controlled the hilly area in colonial times. Settlers began building cabins and setting up farms in the 1680s. And on May 2, 1700, Pechagan sold what was known locally as Dick's Hills to the trustees of the Town of Huntington for a few bottles of rum and some coats and axes. Over the years, the spelling was changed from Dick's to Dix.

The Revolution: Most residents were Patriots with many local men enlisted in militia units. The Gilbert Carll Inn on Jericho Turnpike was a training center for local soldiers until the English occupied the area in September, 1776. After that, the soldiers resorted to guerrilla warfare, ambushing English and Hessian troops marching on the turnpike.

Turning Points: As transportation improved over the years, the population jumped. In 1817, Jericho Turnpike was completed through the area as an old east-west coach road was widened, straightened and improved; tolls were charged every five miles. In 1842, the Long Island Rail Road reached the area and the nearby Deer Park station was built. In 1950, the Northern State Parkway came through, triggering a postwar housing boom and erasing many farms and nurseries. The Long Island Expressway followed seven years later with similar results.

Claims to Fame: In 1908, William K. Vanderbilt II and other investors completed the 35-mile-long Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, America's first limited-access and concrete highway. The section running through Dix Hills is still in use, flanked by large landscaped homes. These weren't the first large houses constructed in Dix Hills. During the Gold Coast era, the Goulds, Vanderbilts and Baruchs set up large estates and hunting lodges in Dix Hills. Development of Pilgrim State Hospital, the world's largest mental hospital, began in 1928. Its first units opened in 1931 and by 1935 it housed nearly 9,000 patients.

Where to Find More: Huntington town historian's office or the Huntington Historical Society.