Introduction to Farmingdale
Farmingdale sits near the eastern end of what was the Hempstead Plains-the vast, treeless prairie then covering what is now central Nassau County. Englishman Thomas Powell purchased about 15 square miles, including the area that became Farmingdale, from the Marsapeque Indians for 140 pounds in 1695. He and his children divided the land into lots and began more than a dozen decades of agriculture in the area.
Over time, a gristmill, a tavern and a few other businesses were established. The community that formed called itself Hardscrabble. Whose idea that was remains unknown.
Real estate speculator Ambrose George opened a general store in Hardscrabble in 1841 and bought several acres of land. He changed the name of the hamlet to Farmingdale by 1845, subdivided his land and laid out streets. Within a few decades, industry began to locate in Farmingdale, including a lumberyard, a brickworks and at least six pickle factories. The bricks were used for buildings as near as Garden City and as far as Chicago.
The village incorporated in 1904. The farms provided an impetus for the state to establish the Agricultural and Technical College in 1914. Many of the remaining farms were bought out in the years after World War I, when aircraft companies - particularly Liberty - looked for manufacturing space. The industrialization resulted in the doubling of the village's population by the mid-1930s. The last open spaces were taken by the post-World War II building boom.
Interesting event: Charles Murphy's famous Mile-A-Minute bicycle ride - a publicity stunt in which Murphy tried to keep up with a Long Island Rail Road train and wound up setting a bicycle speed record - took place in Farmingdale.
Where to Find More: "Farmingdale: A Short History From the Ice Age to the Present,'' by Dorothy Vining, published in 1983, and other material available at the Farmingdale Public Library.
Based on excerpts from a Newsday summary (copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.)
For a list of community phone numbers,
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Farmingdale sits near the eastern end of what was the Hempstead Plains-the vast, treeless prairie then covering what is now central Nassau County. Englishman Thomas Powell purchased about 15 square miles, including the area that became Farmingdale, from the Marsapeque Indians for 140 pounds in 1695. He and his children divided the land into lots and began more than a dozen decades of agriculture in the area.
Over time, a gristmill, a tavern and a few other businesses were established. The community that formed called itself Hardscrabble. Whose idea that was remains unknown.
Real estate speculator Ambrose George opened a general store in Hardscrabble in 1841 and bought several acres of land. He changed the name of the hamlet to Farmingdale by 1845, subdivided his land and laid out streets. Within a few decades, industry began to locate in Farmingdale, including a lumberyard, a brickworks and at least six pickle factories. The bricks were used for buildings as near as Garden City and as far as Chicago.
The village incorporated in 1904. The farms provided an impetus for the state to establish the Agricultural and Technical College in 1914. Many of the remaining farms were bought out in the years after World War I, when aircraft companies - particularly Liberty - looked for manufacturing space. The industrialization resulted in the doubling of the village's population by the mid-1930s. The last open spaces were taken by the post-World War II building boom.
Interesting event: Charles Murphy's famous Mile-A-Minute bicycle ride - a publicity stunt in which Murphy tried to keep up with a Long Island Rail Road train and wound up setting a bicycle speed record - took place in Farmingdale.
Where to Find More: "Farmingdale: A Short History From the Ice Age to the Present,'' by Dorothy Vining, published in 1983, and other material available at the Farmingdale Public Library.
Based on excerpts from a Newsday summary (copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.)
For a list of community phone numbers,
click here.
If you would like to add or edit a listing on the Community Contact List please call my office at (516) 739-1700.
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Photo Gallery
Sen. Kemp Hannon Best In Town Photo Contest, Levittown Library. Sen Hannon and Polina Jimenez, Bethpage HS.
Sen. Kemp Hannon visited the Farmingdale Street Fair. L-R Matthew Mitus and Scott Eckstein, at rear L-R eric Eckstein, Wendy Buccaria, Cub Master and Sean Mitus, all from the Cub Pack 57, Farmingdale.
Sen. Kemp Hannon attended Assemblyman Joseph Saladino's Summer Reading Challange Holloween Party at the Farmingdale Library.
Sen. Kemp Hannon attended thre Kiwanis Club of Farmingdale annual Field of Honor dedication at the Farmingdale Library. Members of The VFW Post 516 and members of the Kiwanis Club at the field.
Opening Day for Farmingdale Little League Baseball, Allen Park.