Images of America

This sleepy farming community of long ago would go on to gain acknowledgement as the county seat and the very heart of Nassau County.

Two hundred years ago, Mineola was comprised of a few farm homesteads in a loosely bordered area on the Hempstead Plains. After a series of various names, the townspeople settled on "Mineola'? which is derived from the Algonquin word meaning "pleasant village.'? In 1839, the addition of a railroad junction on the Long Island Rail Road's main line would forever change the landscape. The village of Mineola was soon recognized as an ideal place for farming, commerce, aviation, and residential life. Theodore Roosevelt, William K. Vanderbilt Jr., Glenn Curtiss, J.P. Morgan, and Henry Fonda are but a few of the famous personalities who came and left their mark on Mineola's history.

In this photographic history of Valley Stream, author Bill Florio documents vividly the long and illustrious history of this Nassau County village.

Located near the south shore of Long Island at the gateway to Nassau County, the village of Valley Stream has grown from a bucolic farming community in the 1840s to a dense suburban hub full of history and diversity. Consisting of communities named Foster's Meadow, Rum Junction, Skunk's Misery, and Hungry Harbor, the town saw nightlife and leisure blossom after Merrick Road was built and the South Side Railroad pulled in. The village incorporated in 1925, finding itself a center of industry as the location of the Ridgewood Reservoir's conduit pipe, Curtiss Field, Bulova Demco, and later, the birthplace of Snapple. Over the years, Valley Stream gained attention through many of its attractions, including the William R. Gibson Houses, Hoffman's, the Pavilion Royal, Green Acres Mall, the Rio Theatre, Valley Stream State Park, and Itgen's Ice Cream Parlour.

Around Bronxville brings to life more than one hundred years of carefully planned community and architectural development, including fine homes, apartments, houses of worship, and the once famous Hotel Gramatan that was demolished in 1972.

By the time the railroad arrived in 1844, the small rural community of Underhill's Crossing--soon to be renamed Bronxville--was already attracting prominent New York City families. Some came seeking permanent homes; others a summer retreat. Half a century later, believing that the future of their charming hamlet would be best served by organizing as a village, a handful of local taxpayers voted to incorporate. This community along the New York and Harlem Railroad, 15 miles from New York City, was about to become one of the most desirable residential suburbs in the metropolitan area. The book offers a visual tour of Bronxville's early ""downtown""; William Van Duzer Lawrence's art colony, Lawrence Park; and neighboring Lawrence Park West, the home of Sarah Lawrence College. Over 200 photographs, combined with explanatory text, recapture the ambiance of people, places, and events of a past era and offer a glimpse into the private lives of some of the community's more notable residents, such as Elizabeth Custer, widow of General Custer, and the families of Jerome Kern and Joseph P. Kennedy.

Babylon by the Sea focuses on a seaside community that was once rich in salt marshes and attracted many of the area's first settlers.

Originally called Sumpawam, it was purchased from Native Americans in 1670. The township was formed from South Huntington and named Babylon in 1802 by Mrs. Conklin, a staunch advocate of the Bible. Babylon includes the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville, and the hamlets of North and West Babylon, Copiague, Deer Park, Farmingdale, and Wyandanch. This vibrant community evolved from a humble beginning of farming, fishing, and whaling into an attractive resort community. The area was unknown until the nearby barrier beach, Fire Island, gained prominence as a summer resort. The South Shore line of the Long Island Railroad gave the seaside locality impetus when the train reached Babylon in 1867. Hotels and boarding houses sprang up around town and beside the sea. Among the pleasure seekers were many wealthy New Yorkers who came in quest of the invigorating air and relaxation outside the city. The trip from New York took just over an hour; a trolley would meet the visitors and transport them to the Great South Bay. For many years, the South Shore Railroad was the only electrified train, and Babylon became the point of convergence for travelers bent on speed. The village also witnessed the birth of radio and wireless communication when Marconi contacted ships at sea from Babylon.

Explore the history of the education in this cloistered community, both spiritual and cultural, offered at the Chautauqua Institution in NY State for over 125 years.

The Chautauqua Institution, located on Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State, is both a cloistered community and a world-renowned educational establishment. Founded in 1874 as a summer camp for Methodist Sunday school teachers, Chautauqua is synonymous with the ideas of spiritual growth, educational study, and intellectual stimulation in conjunction with recreation in an outdoor setting. For over 125 years, Chautauqua has remained an educational and cultural mecca for the common man. Chautauqua Institution, 1874-1974 is a compendium of Chautauqua's growth from its inception at Fair Point to its centennial celebrations. Each chapter's brief introduction acquaints the reader with historic highlights followed by pages of fascinating facts and intriguing images, ranging from rudimentary tents to the grande dame of hotels, from Victorian cottages to Greek-pillared halls. This array of architecture forms the backdrop for countless individuals who were responsible for bringing the founders' vision to fruition and who were the backbone of the Chautauqua Movement.

Plainview-Old Bethpage presents an intriguing story of two vibrant Long Island communities that share a colorful 300-year-old history.

They were once quaint farming communities that almost overnight found themselves facing seismic cultural changes. In just 10 years, from 1950 to 1960, the combined population of Plainview and Old Bethpage soared from 2,000 to over 33,000. Plainview-Old Bethpage presents a journey back in time to the Native Americans, the settlers who followed, the farmers who worked the land, and the thousands who came to make a better life for their families. Discover why every town surrounding Plainview-Old Bethpage has a railroad station but it does not. Read about the resident who raised a Confederate flag during the Civil War and drew the ire of his neighbors. Ride along with race car drivers as they hurtle along dirt roads at breakneck speed. Learn about the deadly brawl on Election Day in 1890, the infamous Plainview kidnapper who got the electric chair, and a local company's role in molding a national memorial to Vietnam veterans.

Through hundreds of scarcely-seen photos and archival materials, the fascinating story of Endicott-Johnson, the company town it built, and the groundbreaking foundations of Square Dealcapitalism come to life.

The Endicott-Johnson Corporation emerged from the modest Lester Brothers Company, manufacturers of boots and shoes, that began in 1854. It was created through the tenacity and vision of great American entrepreneur George F. Johnson. Johnson rose from abject poverty to ownership of one of the largest shoe industries in the world. The village of Endicott was built by Johnson c. 1901, and the Triple Cities of Binghamton, Johnson City, and Endicott made up a classic shoe town USA. At its peak, during the 1920s and 1930s, EJ employed twenty thousand people. The monumental impact of corporate policies on life and the local landscape survived long after company doors closed.

Endicott-Johnson combines nostalgia, insight, stories, and memories from area residents. This volume offers a comprehensive view into the lives of early-twentieth-century factory workers and the men who guided the corporation into the annals of industrial history. The EJ brand of ""welfare capitalism"" resulted in a company town where employee benefits nearly overshadowed the making of shoes and where intense loyalty to the company still exists. Revolutionary labor-relation policies and a benevolent relationship between corporation and community made EJ an example of a ""square deal"" business.

The historic village of Cold Spring lies on the east bank of the Hudson River, about 50 miles north of New York City.

Located in the heart of the scenic Hudson Highlands, indeed at the deepest point of the Hudson River, Cold Spring is a tiny village, but jam-packed with history. The central area of Cold Spring is on the National Register of Historic Places as the Cold Spring Historic District due to its many well-preserved buildings from the 19th century.Around Cold Springfeatures images of Cold Spring, the neighboring hamlet of Garrison, and the village of Nelsonville. Many of the photographs date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and depict street scenes, patriotic celebrations, and historic or architecturally significant buildings like mansions, churches, and schools. Photographs, postcards, and other visual materials further illuminate the story of Cold Spring and its surrounding area.

Take a virtual ride on the Staten Island Ferry, back when the fare was just 5 cents. With over 200 rare and historic images, the curious story of Staten Island comes to life, revealing a fascinating history.

Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, is still remembered fondly for the 5¢ Staten Island Ferry ride to Manhattan. The rolling hills of Staten Island greet ships as they enter the Narrows of New York Harbor and sail beneath the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. The island's ever-evolving history dates back to days as a hunting ground of the Lenape Indian tribe. Today, it is a thriving suburban community. In this volume, the reader will explore the roots of this historic island, tour its streets, and meet some memorable Staten Islanders--Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of one of the largest fortunes in America; Governor Daniel Tompkins, who served as vice president of the United States under President Monroe; and Alice Austen, one of the pre-eminent women photographers of the nineteenth century. Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi and inventor Antonio Meucci created a legacy on the island, as did the oystermen from Snow Hill, Maryland, who founded Sandy Ground. The reader also glimpses historic charitable organizations such as Sailors' Snug Harbor and Mount Loretto and visits the living village known as Historic Richmondtown.

Discover the transformation of the small community of Breslau, built by German immigrants, to the vibrant village of Lindenhurst, New York.

The 1867 advent of the South Side Railroad provided the transportation infrastructure for a new Long Island community conceived by Irish immigrant Thomas Welwood and Prussian immigrant Charles Schleier. Specifically marketed to German immigrants, the city of Breslau was dedicated in 1870. Welwood and Schleier encouraged business and manufacturing growth, providing local employment and economic stability. The gentlemen planned a model community, but their business dealings were not as harmonious and ended in years of litigation. Although thriving, in 1891, the community sought to discard the name Breslau, and residents chose the name Lindenhurst, honoring the proliferation of local linden trees. In the early 20th century, local business prospered, the population blossomed, and the community built by German immigrants strove to demonstrate their American patriotism when the United States joined the war against Germany.

The Babies Hospital, now known as Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, was founded in 1887 by Drs. Sarah and Julia McNutt in a brownstone on Fifty-Fifth Street and Lexington Avenue.

The hospital is the first freestanding children's hospital in New York City and the fourth oldest in the United States. However, the hospital traces its roots to the establishment of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, then King's College, more than 250 years ago. In 1929, the hospital relocated to a new 204-bed facility as part of the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. The New York Times referred to the new Babies Hospital as "the last word in hospital design and equipment." Under the leadership of Rustin Mcintosh from 1931 to 1960, the hospital became a beacon for discovery and innovation, assembled a department of noted subspecialists, and was one of the first children's hospitals to develop programs in neonatology, surgery, radiology, neurology, hematology-oncology, and psychiatry.

Michael Weiner, MD, Hettinger professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, is a vice chair of pediatrics, former director of the Division of Pediatric Oncology, and an author of Living Cancer: Stories of an Oncologist, Father, Survivor and a Philanthropist. Stephen E. Novak has been the head of Archives & Special Collections at Columbia's Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library since 1997. The images in the book come from the rich photographic resources of the library.

The Nassau County Police Department was created in 1925 out of an urgent need for a professional law enforcement agency to provide swift, reliable, and trusted protection for its citizens

During those unprecedented times, Greater New York was rapidly encroaching on Nassau County's western border, and the escalating crime rate in this bucolic island setting was due in large part to the Volstead Act, which ushered in the mob-infused Roaring Twenties, with its related violent and turbulent unrest. After the rebellious 1920s and the Great Depression followed a long dark period of global hostilities and impending threats of homeland invasions from foreign enemies in World War II. The founding members of this department, equipped with little other than their dedication, bravery, fortitude, and self sacrifices, established a strong foundation for one of the finest police departments in the country today.

The East River captures the history of New York's premier waterway. The river, a Native American life source, spawned communities from Brooklyn to Harlem.

Its shipyards and docks projected American enterprise around the world. The waterfront, an industrial and commercial dynamo, forged a continent. The dreams of immigrants who arrived and lived on its banks created this nation. The river's strong currents guarded prisons and hospital quarantines while keeping secret legends of gold on its bottom. The sinews of a great city are knitted by more than a score of its tunnels and bridges. Today, a renaissance draws people to this river, the heart of New York.

In 1911, the operators of Coney Island's Luna Park premiered a miniature, radically banked racetrack for staged automobile races that seemed to defy gravity.

For a fee, patrons would watch from the perimeter of the 85-foot wooden saucer as daredevil drivers raced on the steep angle of the tiny track. The attraction created a sensation and was quickly copied with a show that featured motorcycle riders performing breathtaking stunts. When portable versions were made available, every traveling carnival owner in the United States rushed to have one. Motordromes with perfectly vertical walls soon followed, which permitted riders on their Indian motorcycles to climb, sometimes to a height of 20 feet, with nothing but centrifugal force between them and a trip to the trauma ward. And when full-grown lions were added to pursue riders in the arena, no one could resist buying a ticket! The ""Wall of Death,"" a name these shows received in 1917, remained a staple attraction on American carnival midways until the 1970s.