Text size:

East Northport

`East' Was Added When the Trains Came

Beginnings: This community - at eight square miles the largest and most populous in the Town of Huntington - began as a farming area in the 1700s. The first tract of land was purchased in 1653 from Chief Asharoken of the Matinecocks, who had maintained hunting camps in the area. Part of the area was known as Clay Pitts for the clay that was first used by the Indians for cooking vessels and then by white settlers for making bricks.

The Revolution: The area was occupied by British troops from 1776 until the end of the war in 1783. The British plundered farms for provisions while patriots maintained a camp in Bread and Cheese Hollow, and under the direction of Maj. Jesse Brush until he was captured in 1780. There were frequent raids by Patriot soldiers who came from Connecticut in whaleboats. When the war ended, more settlers arrived and cleared land for farms.

Fields of Plenty: The major agricultural products in the early days were potatoes, cabbages and cucumbers, which were used to make pickles. The first pickle works was established by William Soper in 1892. Several others followed, including Rothman's Pickle Works, which remained in business until 1961 and could have 15,000 barrels of sauerkraut in production at the same time.

Turning Points: The community was composed of various small hamlets, such as Clay Pitts, until the late 1800s, when the Long Island Rail Road was extended to Port Jefferson and a second station was opened for Northport. Because there already was a station in the village, people began to call the area around the new station East Northport, even though the community itself was south of Northport. The new station attracted merchants who formed the area's first business district on Larkfield Road and Laurel Road. A stagecoach ran between the East Northport trains and Northport from 1868 to 1902, when it was replaced by an electric trolley. East Northport's biggest transformation came after World War II when farm fields were replaced by new housing developments.

Claim to Fame: The Northport VA Medical Center was founded in 1928 as the 1,000-bed Veterans Hospital in Northport. It put the community on the map and became a major employer. Now the facility has 520 beds.

Where to find more: ``East Northport - An Incomplete History,'' by Molly Schoen, published by the Rotary Club of East Northport.