Bethpage - A Brief History

In 1687, Thomas Powell Sr. bought more than 15 square miles from local Native American tribes in a transaction known as the Bethpage Purchase. Powell named Bethpage because it was situated between the towns of Jericho and Jerusalem, just as the biblical town of the same name was situated. In 1699, Powell made a second purchase, the Rim of the Woods Purchase, which includes most of present-day Bethpage.

Thomas Powell’s son Richard and his wife Sarah owned and lived on a farm in Old Bethpage. Today, this is the only building that was originally located on land that is now part of the Old Bethpage Village Restoration.

Rowland Pearsall was one of the first settlers who bought his farmland from the Powell family. In addition to the Pearsall family, the noted families of the late 170’s were the Bedells, Whistons, Powells, and Stymuses. Joshua Hubbs came to Bethpage with his wife in the 1800s. The Hubbs House was constructed in 1820 and his one of the oldest homes in Bethpage. The Belle family are responsible for establishing the district’s first school which was built in 1858 on the grounds of the Pearsall farm. Powell Avenue School was constructed around 1911. It was given two additional sections in 1915 and 1923.

By 1859, large numbers of people settled the land and growth continued through the rest of the 19^th Century. At that time, most of the people made their living by farming. The central railroad of Long Island extended into Bethpage in 1841, an important event in the history of the town. The first statin was built near Stewart Avenue and a local post office was opened in 1857. Land speculators began to purchase large sections of land near the tracks and began building. That section was called Central Park.

Alexander McConochie could easily be called the “Land Baron of Bethpage.” He and his family controlled almost all of Central Bethpage for 40 years.  He owned property south of the LIRR between Stewart Avenue and Broadway and bought more east of Broadway and 70 acres of woodland.

The village’s first factory, Feuschel’s Pickle Works was established in the early 1880’s. About the same time, Central Park’s first hotel was built. It is still standing on Broadway, just north of the tracks.

In 1911, the Central Park Fire Company was organized and incorporated. In 912, Benjamin Yoakum purchased 1,368 acres of land and hired Deveraux Emmet to design and build an 18-hole golf course which opened in 1923. In 1931, the Long Island Park Commission purchased the Yoakum Estate and other area farms to create Bethpage State Park.

Bethpage was officially re-named from Central Park on October 1, 1936. In September 1989, the first Saturday of October was officially designated as Bethpage Day. Grumman Aircraft opened its first plant in Bethpage in 1936. It became the largest employer for Bethpage and Long Island at that time.

In 1940, the Zorn Bethpage farm was born. The Zorn family raised live chickens and sold them wholesale to various vendors. Zorn’s still stands today on Hempstead Turnpike. In 1951, William Nunley opened a 5.5 acres amusement park and restaurant. It would remain open until 1978. The renowned carousel housed there can now be found at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City.

Sources:

Hunt, Terence S. Bethpage: The Years of Development, 1840-1910. Oakdale Press, 1976.

Logerfo, John. Bethpage. Arcadia Publishing, 2015.