Text size:

Sound Beach

Read All About It: Lots for Sale for $89.50

Beginnings: In contrast to the deep colonial roots of neighboring Miller Place, Sound Beach emerged at the end of the Roaring Twenties as a result of a New York City newspaper circulation war. The Daily Mirror bought more than 1,000 acres in 1928 - a decade before rail service in the area was discontinued for lack of business - and the next year began advertising 20-by-100-foot lots for $89.50. Other city sheets did similarly in San Remo, Mastic Beach and part of Rocky Point. Buyers showed up in Sound Beach lugging their groceries and other necessities because there were almost no services, only ``unspoiled desolation,'' as one local historian put it. Some pitched tents until they could build summer cottages. Life in the country was primitive - kerosene lamps, outhouses, no electricity or running water at first.

Coming of Age: Most of the original cottages were converted to year-round houses after World War II. Legal battles played out over public access to the narrow beaches at the foot of the cliffs on Long Island Sound. Sound Beach has long been known for reasonably priced housing and an off-the-beaten-path character. It has about 9,300 residents, and no schools of its own; school district lines run down the middle of the community, meaning that half of the children attend classes in Miller Place, half in Rocky Point. One of the most imposing buildings in the area is St. Louis De Montfort Roman Catholic Church, completed in 1978.

Kooky Landmark: The quiet business section is marked by a bright red, 4-foot-tall, smiling plaster tomato with outstretched arms and legs. The tomato sits atop Rubino's Restaurant.

Where to Find More: ``Miller Place and Sound Beach, A Historical Perspective,'' by Dagmar Von Bernewitz, Shoreham-Wading River Public Library.