Hauppauge

An Industrial Park Where Farmland Was

Beginnings: The area around the headwaters of the Nissequogue River was dubbed Hauppauge by the Indians; it means ``overflowed land'' in the Algonquian language. With the arrival of the Europeans, ownership of the area was divided between the Towns of Smithtown and Islip. On the Smithtown side, the land was owned by founding father Richard Smith and then handed down to other family members. But the first settler was Thomas Wheeler, who built a small house at the intersection of Hauppauge (Route 111) and Townline Roads before 1740. The area became known by the Revolution as The Wheelers. That name stuck until 1843, when it reverted to Hauppauge. The earliest development was near Wheeler's farm. He was followed by other settlers with still prominent local names such as Blydenburgh. These settlers farmed the land and cut trees for cordwood.

Turning Points: In this century, the early farmsteads began to be developed. In 1907 Joseph Blydenburgh's home at Hauppauge and Townline Roads was purchased by the Brooklyn Industrial School Association, which sent 257 children to spend their summers there. Re amed Locustdale, the facility operated for 47 years. Other farms gave way to county and state office buildings and commercial structures. Though Riverhead remains the Suffolk county seat, Hauppauge, because of its location, has been the practical center of county government since 1960s. It is also now home of the largest industrial park on Long Island and the second largest in the country, with more than 1,350 companies.

Where to Find More: ``Smithtown, New York 1660-1929'' by Noel J. Gish, at the Smithtown Public Library.