Huntington Station

A Downtown Grew Up Around a Station

Beginnings: There wouldn't be a Huntington Station if the Long Island Rail Road hadn't built a Huntington station. In 1867, the railroad extended its tracks to the hills south of Huntington and built a depot surrounded by farmland. By the turn of the century, there was still only one house north of the station, but eventually a thriving downtown evolved. The hamlet was originally called Fairground - the name came from a racetrack a mile from the station. So when a post office was established in the railroad station on July 24, 1890, it was called Fairground. But in 1912 the name of the post office and the community was changed to Huntington Station. In 1909-10, the railroad created the current underpass on New York Avenue and a new station was built on the east side of New York Avenue north of the tracks.

Designated Driver: The first street transit system in Huntington was a horse-drawn stage that operated between the train station and Halesite starting in 1867. ``Uncle Jesse'' Conklin drove the route for 56 years, missing only one train and that occurred only because it was the first time he decided to carry a watch. He never carried the watch again.

Turning Point: Much of the business district was demolished and replaced by parking lots in a mid-1960s urban renewal project that also included a public-housing project to the west of the train station. In 1970, the 260-unit Whitman Village was built there as a private cooperative.

Vanished Landmark: Most of the original businesses and homes were modest, but there was one Gold Coast mansion, the home of H. Bellas Hess, owner of one of the country's largest mail-order catalog businesses. The Italian-style stucco mansion burned down in 1958. The 150-acre property is now occupied by the Big H shopping center and Huntington High School.

Where to Find More: ``Portrait of a Small Town'' by Alfred V. Sforza, Maple Hill Press, 1996.