Revolutionary War on Long Island

By 1775, eastern Long Island was well settled and an important agricultural district. The Gardiners on Gardiner’s Island were the first white settlers in that area. For many years, the farmer on eastern Long Island drove their sheep and cows to pasture on the hills of Montauk for the summer. There were concerns about their livestock and they requested protection for them against the British. John Hulburt lived in Bridgehampton and raised a company of minute men to guard the stock. After hearing a patriotic sermon, he then raised a company of twenty-one men from the steps of the church and recruited more on his way back to Montauk. By the end of the week, he had 68 volunteers and they were one of the first companies organized in New York State. They were eventually incorporated into the Third NY Regiment. The women of some of the families got together and created a flag with thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen six pointed stars for them.

The New York Provincial Congress was not positively inclined to independence. Upon reading the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, New York delayed its approval after discussion. On June 11, 1776, John Jay submitted a motion that stated, ‘that the good people of this colony have not, in the opinion of this [New York] Congress, authorized this [Continental] Congress to declare this Colony to be and continue independent of the Crown of Great Britain.” The delegates of New York consistently refrained from voting for any measures aiming at independence.

The Battle of Long Island was fought in Brooklyn in August, 1776. General Sir William Howe, commander of the British army, set up camp on Staten Island in June of 1776. On August 22, thousands of British troops were ferried across the Narrows and landed at DeNyse’s Point. There was no opposition as the British secured a beach head. On August 27, the Battle really began. By August 29, General Washington knew he had to retreat. On August 30, the Patriots were forced to withdraw and Long Island was left in British hands.

In order to find out what was going on, Washington organized a spy ring on Long Island. Some of the members were Robert Townsend, a merchant; Austin Roe, a tavern keeper; Abraham Woodhulll, a farmer; and Caleb Brewster, a whaler.  This group became known as the Setauket or Culper Spy Ring. One of the accomplishments of this spy ring was uncovering Benedict Arnold’s act of treason.

The colonies declared their independence on July 4, 1776, but it wasn’t until 1783 that it was fully assured. The last of the British red coats left Long Island in November of 1783.

Sources:

Flick, Alexander C. The American Revolution in New York. Ira J. Friedman, 1967.

Halsey, Carolyn D. The Revolution on Long Island. 1988.

The Grumman Story

The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation was founded on January 2, 1930. When it opened, the company had no plant, no product, no customers, no contracts, and barely enough money to meet its modest payroll. Its genesis came from the sale of the Loening Aircraft Engineering Company’s manufacturing plant. The employees left from the sale decided to begin their own business. Roy Grumman was only twenty-five when he joined Loening. He took with him some of the key members of the Loening team including Leon A. Swirbul, William T. Schwendler, and Ed Poor.

They decided, in order to get immediate business, the new company would repair and rebuild Loening amphibian craft already in service. In order to make this happen, they planned to enlist about a dozen skilled mechanics from Loening. On December 5, 1929, the initial investors in the company signed a subscription agreement covering two classes of stock. They needed to find a space. Jake Swirbul found the first plant in Baldwin. In addition to the repair work, Grumman actively worked on a proposal for a small Navy contract to help keep the company afloat. Their main goal was to design and build an airplane for any military branch; preferably the Navy.

On February 26, 1930, Roy Grumman, Jake Swirbul, and members of the Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics held their first discussion on a proposal for what was termed a High Performance Two-Seater Fighter. That plane became the XFF-1. Grumman moved to a new plant in Valley Stream in November, 1931 before settling into Farmingdale in November, 1932. By 1934, Grumman had become a major factor in the country’s aeronautical industry. By 1936, Grumman had outgrown the space in Farmingdale. The building in Farmingdale was old and vulnerable to termites. They finally decided on an irregular rectangle of 120 acres in Bethpage.

In 1960, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded Grumman its first major aerospace contract, the development of the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory (OAO) series of spacecraft. Grumman was acquired by the Northrup Corporation in 1994

Sources:

“Our Heritage” http://www.northrupgrumman.com/AboutUS/Our Heritage

Thruelsen, Richard. The Grumman Story. Praeger Publishers, 1976.

Charles "Mile-A-Minute" Murphy

On June 30, 1899, Charles Murphy would set a world record bicycle ride of one mile in 57. 8 seconds while being paced by a Long Island railroad train. Before he made his famous ride, he had asked railroad companies all over the country to let him ride his bicycle behind a train. Murphy rode behind a specially built railroad car with a wooden hood added to slow down the wind pressure. Planks were laid over the ties for a distance of three miles for the event. At the start of the ride, the engine shot off by mistake, causing Murphy to expend a tremendous amount of energy trying to catch up.

He covered the first quarter mile in 15.15 seconds, and passed the half-way mark in 29.25 seconds. The three-quarter post was passed in 43.45 seconds. When the ride was ended, the engineer turned off the steam for the train, forgetting that Murphy’s great speed would keep him from stopping. Fortunately, there were several men at the rare of the train to pull him onto the coach.

In his words, he said, “I was riding against hope, and expecting the worst. As I raised my head, I could see that the earlier feeling of despair and disappointment on the faces of the officials had given way to a feeling of confidence and success.”

A plaque was unveiled at the South Farmingdale train station on October 13, 1938. That day’s festivities included contests, a parade, football game, and a dance. Led by the high school band, the parade included an official car with Mr. Murphy, Acting Mayor Fred Murray, and Judge Willis Carman.

Charles Murphy died at Queens Hospital on February 17, 1950. In addition to his famous ride, Murphy held more than 1,000 prizes in other bicycle events.

Sources:

“Mile-A-Minute Murphy, Famed Cyclist, Dies at Queens Hospital.” Farmingdale Post. February 24, 1950.

Murphy, Charles. “Mile-A Minute Day – Here Next Saturday, Murphy Tells of Ride.” Farmingdale Post. September 29, 1938.

Murphy, Charles M. “Murphy Tells of First Half of Bike Ride.” Farmingdale Post. September 14, 1938.

“Plaque is Erected in Honor of Charles Murphy Saturday.” Farmingdale Post. October 13, 1938

The Mineola Fair

The Mineola Fair is one of the oldest operated fairs in New York State. An act authorizing public markets and fairs was adopted by New York State in 1692. On November 11, 1817, a meeting was held to consider creating an organization devoted to farming and rural economy. The agricultural society was created on June 12, 1819 and began sponsoring yearly fairs until it dissolved in 1822. The New York State Agricultural Society was formally founded in 1832. On October 13, 1842, the first Queens County Agricultural Society held its first Fair and Cattle Show. These tents fairs were usually held in September or October. Due to the constant worry about bad weather and the insecurity of the tents, the society determined it needed a permanent fairground. On April 3, 1866, forty acres of land on the Hempstead Plains near Mineola was given to the Queens County Agricultural Society.

The Society was able to host its twenty-fifth fair at the new fairgrounds in 1866. For nearly 85 years, the fairgrounds served as the home of the Agricultural Society. In 1899, the year Nassau County was created from Queens County, Governor Theodore Roosevelt delivered an address there. The last time the fair was held in Mineola was 1952. The fair then moved to the Roosevelt Raceway until the end of the 1960s

 In 1961, the fair officially became the Long Island Fair. When the fair interfered with the racing schedule, the Fair was moved to its present home at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration. Since 1985, the fair has been held in a recreation of the original 1866 fairgrounds.

Source:

Hammond, Gary R. The Mineola Fair: Mirror of a Country’s Growth. Reprinted from The Nassau County Historical Society Journal, 1999.

Brief biography of Kate Mason Williams Hofstra

Kate Mason Williams was a born in 1859. She met William Hofstra in Leadville, Colorado and they married in New Orleans. Kate was seven years older than William, but had been married and widowed at an early age. They decided to build a home of their own and came to New York.

The Hofstras bought the land for their home in 1903 in Hempstead, New York. The estate was approximately fifteen acres and was bordered by Fulton Avenue, a tree-lined thoroughfare that took them to the heart of Hempstead. Large estates and farms lay north and south of the avenue. In addition to the main house, there was a barn, greenhouse, garages, caretaker's cottage, and a small steam-heated structure, which was built for Mrs. Hofstra's cats.

She was Vice President of the Bide-a-wee Home Association in New York City from 1903 until her death in 1933. Mrs. Hofstra was President of the Atlantic Cat Club and offered the Hofstra Challenge Cup at the Madison Square Garden cat shows. Her fondness for animals prompted Mrs. Hofstra to leave ten thousand dollars to Bide-a-wee in her will. In addition, she left enough money to care for those pets that survived her. This included twenty-five cats, four dogs, and three parrots. Her housekeeper was to be entrusted with the care of the pets, and was willed a stipend, as well as enough money to build her own home, for this purpose.

When Kate’s husband died in 1932, he left her most of his estate. Kate died sixteen months later. Her will designated the property to be a memorial to her husband “for public, charitable, benevolent, scientific, or research purposes.” Following a suggestion from former Hempstead superintendent Truesdel Peck Calkins, the executors of her will established an extension branch of New York University on the Hofstra property. The two year school opened in 1937 and became an independent four-year college two years later. The college received an endowment of $700,000 from her estate in 1940.

Sources:

“Mr. & Mrs. Hofstra Founding a University.” http://www.hofstra.edu/library/libspc/libspc_archives_hofstras.html

Naylor, Natalie A. Women in Long Island’s Past. History Press, 2012.

East Farmingdale Volunteer Fire Company History

The East Farmingdale Volunteer Fire Company was organized in 1926. The first Chief was Joseph Pfost, Sr., who served from December of 1926 to December of 1927. The department was created when the East Farmingdale area would no longer be protected under the contract by the Fire Department of the Incorporated Village of Farmingdale. The Company works under the auspices of the Town of Babylon.

The Fire Company was able to obtain a loan from the First National Bank of Farmingdale for $5,000 to erect a fire house on Maplewood Avenue. At the time, they only had a hose wagon for their only apparatus. The original name of the Company was the East End Volunteer Fire Company; its current name was changed in 1959. The fire house was moved to an expanded headquarters on Conklin Street which can house twelve pieces of fire equipment, kitchen facilities, a recreation room, and a second floor containing a meeting hall and offices. Two sub-stations were also built; one on Wellwood Avenue and the other on Melville Road.

The first official meeting was held on September 25, 1926.  They were granted a Certificate of Incorporation on August 13, 1926. At the October meeting, it was decided that the uniform would only be worn for Company social affairs, parades, and funerals. Their first fire was recorded on December 13, 1926.

At the May 7, 1958 meeting, a motion was made to form a committee to look into changing their name. It was announced at the February 2, 1959 meeting that 100% of the membership had signed the resolution for the name change. The name change was made official on May 4, 1959.

Sources:

A History of the East Farmingdale Fire Company 1926-1995. 

Lawrence B. Sperry

Lawrence Burst Sperry was born in Chicago on December 22, 1892, the third child of Elmer and Zula Goodman Sperry.

He built his first airplane glider during his school days in the attic of his home. After finishing school, he joined his father’s company and became a licensed pilot and undertook field work of applying a gyroscope to an airplane.

In 1914, the Republic of France issued a notice of a Safety Contest to be held.  The Sperry’s entered an improved gyrostabilizer in the contest. When Lawrence arrived in Paris, he and his mechanic installed the device on a Curtiss flying boat. On June 18th, 1914, Lawrence’s parents joined the thousands lining the Seine River to watch the competition. Like the rest of the spectators, they were awed when in a flight over the jury of experts Lawrence let go of the controls and stands up with his hands high over his head, and the plane remained level. The Sperry’s heard a gasp from the crowd when the mechanic walked out on the wing and again Lawrence let go of the controls. The Sperry’s joined in the roar of approval as Lawrence throttled the engine and the plane automatically went into a glide. When Lawrence landed safely, the jury realized that it had witnessed one of the most convincing demonstrations in aviation, and it awarded the Sperry’s a 50,000 franc prize.

In late 1915, Lawrence journeyed to England, where he conceived of a three-way gyrostabilizer to steer bombing planes, and also arranged for Sperry Gyroscope to manufacture aircraft compasses. When he returned home, Lawrence developed the first amphibious flying boat in history. He also investigated the problems of night flying by adding lights to his flying boat, and went on to make night flights of up to 80 miles.

He returned to America in 1916 and engaged in many and varied activities. He demonstrated the possibilities of the aerial torpedo to the Navy Department. He made several night flights in 1916, the first in the United States. He also built the first amphibious flying boat and the first to land a plane by the use of skids.

Sperry’s manufacturing operations outgrew its two factors and a third plant was built in Farmingdale.  The building was constructed on the corner of Rose and Richard Street. Employing about sixty men, the company produced amphibious Navy triplanes, aerial torpedoes, and the Verville Sperry racing monoplane, which was was constructed within three months.  

Lawrence Sperry was lost on December 13, 1923 while crossing the English Channel in his Messenger Plane at the age of thirty. He had planned to fly from Croydon Airport to Amsterdam. The normal route was to follow the railway to Ashford in Kent, and then on to Folkstone, before crossing the English Channel to France. It seems Sperry mistakenly followed a second railway that diverged southward and westward to Hastings. His plane was spotted five miles east of Hastings. His engine misfired and lost power, forcing Sperry to land on the water. At some point, he pulled off his flying boots, struggled out of his flight suit, and struck out towards shore. His body was found on the shore at Jury’s Gap on January 11, 1924.

Sources:

Farmingdale’s Story: Farms to Flight. Junior Historical Society of Farmingdale, L.I.

“Lawrence Burst Sperry Sr.” http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/sperry-sr-lawrence-burst/

Smith, Victor N. “The Last Flight of Lawrence B. Sperry.” Journal of American Aviation Historical Society. Spring, 1983.

The Sperryscope. C.D. Jobson, Editor. The Sperry Gyroscope Company.

January-February, 1924. Vol. 4, No. 6