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Babylon

The last of Suffolk County's 10 towns to be formed, Babylon was born the way many political entities are born: out of resentment. Until the late 1800s, the southwestern corner of Suffolk was part of the Town of Huntington, and people referred to it as Huntington South. It was a designation that perturbed its residents, who felt neglected in town affairs. Finally in 1872, the residents of Amityville, Babylon and Breslau (now Lindenhurst) asked the State Legislature to separate Huntington into two townships. Their secessionist plea may have been helped by the weather. Of the 713 people who braved the cold on a particularly frigid day in January, 1872, 445 were from what then became Babylon. The town was officially formed on Jan. 3, 1873.