The Nassau County Historical Society will host “Long Island Dirt: Recovering our Buried Past through Historical Archaeologies,” a talk on the archaeology of the two Native American Indian reservations on Long Island — the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton and the Unkechaug’s Poospatuck Reservation in Mastic, set for Sunday, September 19th. [Read more…] about Uncovering Long Island’s Native Past Through Archaeology
Nassau County
NY Islanders New Home Has A Fine Sporting Pedigree; Manice Mansion Once Stood On UBS Arena Grounds
UBS Arena, the $1.5 billion multi-purpose facility being built next to Belmont Park race track in Elmont, Nassau County, NY, is expected to be home of the New York Islander hockey in the upcoming 2021–22 NHL season. The location has a storied history.
The Westchester Racing Association raced in that county at both Jerome Park and Morris Park, prior to their move to Long Island. The privately held Westchester Racing Association was able to acquire several farm properties, the most notable being the former Oatlands Estate of William DeForest Manice.
The new racing facility, which would become Long Island’s Belmont Park, was comprised of 400 acres north of the Hempstead Turnpike and 160 acres on the south side. [Read more…] about NY Islanders New Home Has A Fine Sporting Pedigree; Manice Mansion Once Stood On UBS Arena Grounds
Belmont’s Terminal Course Survived Dark Days of Horse Racing
Steeplechase and hunt racing have long annals in the Empire State, and with more interest recently in turf racing, some long forgotten aspects of this history in New York are interesting to explore.
A dedicated turf and steeplechase venue, known as Belmont Park Terminal Course, operated on the Queens/Nassau County boundary from 1907 to 1927. [Read more…] about Belmont’s Terminal Course Survived Dark Days of Horse Racing
British Forts on Long Island
David Griffin has turned his architectural eye to the landscape of Long Island and to the history of the Revolutionary War-era fortifications built by the British.
His book, Lost British Forts of Long Island (History Press, 2017), documents the painstaking results: twelve locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties with evidence of our occupied past. Using maps, eye-witness accounts, and present day research, Griffin has uncovered much of what has been hiding in plain sight. [Read more…] about British Forts on Long Island
Fall Trout Stocking on Long Island Complete
DEC Region 1 has completed the fall trout stocking of waters throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. A total of 7,850 brown trout were released in late October and early November, according to DEC. [Read more…] about Fall Trout Stocking on Long Island Complete
GHHN Receives $50k Conservation Grant
Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN) has partnered with the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation for $50,000 to provide dedicated funding for Nassau and Suffolk County museums through the 2020 Conservation Treatment Grant Program. [Read more…] about GHHN Receives $50k Conservation Grant
Camp Upton on Long Island
During the First World War, one of sixteen Army cantonments (temporary camps) was located on Long Island. Camp Upton was established on 9,000 acres in the wilds of Suffolk County in 1917.
The Camp would train 40,000 soldiers for the war, and when it was over, it was torn down and auctioned off, only to be rebuilt twenty years later when the United States entered the Second World War.
The site of the camp in Yaphank is now the home of Brookhaven National Laboratory. [Read more…] about Camp Upton on Long Island
The Revolution of ’28 Talk, Booksigning In Nassau County
Robert Chiles is set to speak about his recent book, The Revolution of ’28: Al Smith, American Progressivism, and the Coming of the New Deal, at the East Meadow Public Library in East Meadow, Nassau County, on Tuesday, December 18 at 1 pm.
Chiles will discuss Governor Alfred E. Smith’s rise to statewide and national prominence, the 1928 presidential campaign, and Smith’s relationship with Long Island. Books will be available at the event. [Read more…] about The Revolution of ’28 Talk, Booksigning In Nassau County
Robert Moses and Long Island, June 10
“The Land of Moses: Robert Moses and Modern Long Island” has been set for Sunday, June 10th at 2 pm at the Community Church of East Williston, Long Island, NY.
The speakers, Joshua Ruff and Jonathan Olly, are the co-curators of an upcoming exhibition on Robert Moses, which will open at the Long Island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages in Stony Brook on June 22. [Read more…] about Robert Moses and Long Island, June 10
Summer Local History Course at Nassau Community College
Nassau Community College and the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation has announced a week-long immersive field study course focused on local history taking place from June 11-15 at Nassau Community College. [Read more…] about Summer Local History Course at Nassau Community College