New York

Around Central Islip focuses on this diverse and unique community's history.

Around Central Islip focuses on a modern renaissance village that evolved through numerous and diverse cultures. It was a small English settlement of the 1800s when ""Come to Central Islip, Good Work, Good Pay"" was advertised in the newspapers in Ireland. This brought an influx of settlers from nearly every county in Ireland. The area became known as ""Little Ireland in America."" At the turn of the century, Central Islip housed one of the largest psychiatric centers in the country. Village life centered around this establishment for many decades. Decentralization of the hospital in 1955 resulted in the abandonment of numerous buildings with a degenerative effect on the village; blighted neighborhoods became commonplace. The transformation brought about by the arrival of the New York Institute of Technology resulted in the community's revitalization and beautification. Today, Central Islip is a vibrant and dynamic community.

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.

A resort community once known as a ""playground for the wealthy,"" City Island rose to fame as a leader in boat manufacturing and gained international recognition for the victorious yachts it produced for the America's Cup races. Well-known shipyards on the island, including Nevins, Minneford, and Kretzers, weathered society's changing demands to cater to a new clientele of boat owners who required smaller vessels with lowmaintenance features. With over 200 vintage photographs accompanied by an insightful text, City Island and Orchard Beach traces the transformation of this European-styled community from the mid-1800s to the 1990s. This visual journey to the early days of the island focuses on the community's sense of purpose and its adaptability to the changes brought on by time and technology. Learn about the lives of the island's original settlers, tour its original homes and businesses, and discover the significant role that the area played in the Revolutionary War.

Well-known shipyards on the island, including Nevins, Minneford, and Kretzers, weathered society's changing demands to cater to a new clientele of boat owners who required smaller vessels with low maintenance features. With over 200 vintage photographs accompanied by an insightful text, City Island and Orchard Beach traces the transformation of this European-styled community from the mid-1800s to the 1990s. This visual journey to the early days of the island focuses on the community's sense of purpose and its adaptability to the changes brought on by time and technology. Learn about the lives of the island's original settlers, tour its original homes and businesses, and discover the significant role that the area played in the Revolutionary War.

New Castle documents the history of this New York community, from agricultural hub to suburban paradise.

New Castle: Chappaqua and Millwood chronicles the rich history of a northern Westchester town, located some 30 miles north of New York City. The present-day suburb was for almost two centuries an isolated agricultural area, and its chief products were milk and apples. The arrival of the railroads stimulated its growth and attracted affluent New Yorkers such as Horace Greeley to establish summer homes here. As farming declined toward the end of the 1800s, many farms were consolidated into large estates. In the 1900s, most of the former estates and remaining farms were subdivided into suburban residential neighborhoods. Families were drawn to the town by its reputation for religious diversity and outstanding public education.

The rich history of the Setaukets, Old Field and Poquott is revealed through 200 vintage images.

The Setaukets, Old Field, and Poquott is a rich collection of photographs, documents, and oral histories from the archives of the Three Village Historical Society and from generous residents. It reveals the bucolic old Setauket village center, with its farmers, craftsmen, and seamen who were the backbone of the community. This book portrays buildings that no longer exist and follows other structures, through the migration of the town center south and east, to their present location. It also shows aspects of village life in Old Field and Poquott, both established as residential communities in the early 20th century.

From a bucolic backwater to one of the most fashionable resorts on the East Coast, this is the history of New York's Southampton.

Settled in 1640 by a group of Puritans from Massachusetts, Southampton changed very little until the railroad line from New York City reached the village in 1870, focusing mainly on whaling. It was only then that wealthy New Yorkers discovered the rural hamlet on the South Fork of Long Island. By the turn of the century, Southampton was considered a definite "must'? on the list of everybody who was anybody. Over 200 photographs, many rare and previously unpublished, illustrate the changes that came to agrarian Southampton as successive waves of summer residents arrived, first to stay in farmhouses refurbished as boarding houses, then building their own sprawling summer "cottages.'? Drawn from local historical archives and private collections, these images will show how small-town life continued over the years in a place now world-renowned for its exclusive clubs, grand mansions, and celebrity residents.

Discover the activities and work carried on inside the Elmira Reformatory and the evolution of the criminal reform model through the lens of vintage images.

The Elmira Reformatory, established in 1876 in Elmira, New York, was a testament to the most interesting, most scientific, and most hopeful treatment of the convicted criminal that has ever been tried in the United States. It conformed to what were considered sound theories, and the results were good beyond all expectations. Its inception was due to the genius and experience of Zebulon R. Brockway, who had practical training in prison management and was profoundly acquainted with the nature of the lawbreaking class of the 19th century. Elmira Reformatory contains images of the work done at Elmira in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is a compelling view of the activities carried on inside the reformatory and the evolution of the criminal reform model.

Throughout history, Ontario County was regarded as an area of favorable influence. For this very reason, it had such iconic visitors as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Andrew Johnson, who are shown within the chapter entitled "Railway Classics." Also among the eminent persons who have appeared in the area in the past are Canandaigua native and automobile pioneer John North Willys, Geneva native and Secretary of the Treasury Charles J. Folger, and Phelps innovator Charles Lane, whose chief achievement was building one of the first fire trucks in Ontario County.

With carefully selected photographs and detailed text, Walden and Maybrook traces the history of the two villages from the Colonial era to the mid-nineteenth century. The book contains some two hundred images, many of which have never before been published. Highlighted are the hardworking individuals who helped the villages prosper-the knife makers, polishers, grinders, and hefters, the prominent businesspeople of Chesnin & Leis Clothing and Brook May coats, and the railroad personnel who worked at the roundhouse, the engine house, and the coaling trestle.

White Plains in the 20th Century explores the community's growth as the county seat of Westchester through historic images that span a century.

White Plains, located about 25 miles north of New York City, is the county seat of Westchester County and the birthplace of New York State. Its central location in Westchester made White Plains the hub of 18th-century stagecoach roads that ran from New York City to upstate New York and Connecticut. After the Revolutionary War and a famous battle, White Plains continued to grow into a large village connected to the city by train; its population exploded in the first decade of the 20th century thanks to European immigrants. In the 1920s, the population grew again, with professionals and commuters filling the new house and apartment developments created during a real estate boom. The city's last growth spurt was during the post-World War II baby boom, when urban renewal transformed the city into an imposing urban landscape. Through it all, White Plains has been a city with a diverse population in an affluent suburban county with strong governmental, business, educational, cultural, and commercial institutions.

Briarcliff Lodgeis a record of a New York landmark that disappeared from the landscape in a spectacular fire in September 2003.

When it opened in 1902, Briarcliff Lodgewas America's premier resort hotel. Located some thirty miles north of New York City, this magnificent Tudor-style building was surrounded by dairy barns and greenhouses, all built by Walter Law, the laird of Briarcliff Manor.

Here, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were hosted, as were Tallulah Bankhead, Johnny Weissmuller, Jimmy Walker, Babe Ruth, and other luminaries. The hotel business declined in the 1930s, here and at other nearby resorts, but Briarcliff Lodgecontinued in use as the home of the Edgewood Park Schoolfrom 1936 to 1954 and as the King's Collegefrom 1955 to 1994.

Rob Yasinsac is a lifelong Westchester County resident who documents neglected historic sites throughout the Hudson Valleyin an attempt to save them. He works for Historic Hudson Valley, serves as a trustee on the boards of the Westchester Countyand Irvington Historical Societies, and is a member of numerous other historical organizations.

In 1906, Cord Meyer Development Company purchased 600 acres in Whitepot and renamed it Forest Hills after its high elevation of rolling hills and proximity to Forest Park.

After the Russell Sage Foundation acquired 142 acres and Grosvenor Atterbury and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. partnered, the Forest Hills Gardens, founded in 1909, became America's earliest planned garden community. When Henry Schloh and Charles Hausmann of the Rego Construction Company came upon farmland in Forest Hills West, they renamed it Rego Park in 1923 after their slogan, "REal GOod Homes." Between the Tudor and Colonial landmarks, one can sense the footsteps of a few hundred notables who granted soul to the community and society. At the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, imagine the Beatles landing in a helicopter in front of screaming fans in 1964, or when Althea Gibson became the first African American to win a US national tennis title in 1957. Forest Hills High School was a cornerstone for notable alumni, such as composer Burt Bacharach; musical duo Simon & Garfunkel; Bob Keeshan, who portrayed Captain Kangaroo; and the first space tourist, Dennis Tito.

Chronicling the incomparable life of boxing and Saratoga Race Course legend John Morrissey.

John ""Old Smoke"" Morrissey was one of the most dynamic characters of his time. He went from a career as an undefeated bare-knuckle boxer, founded the Saratoga Race Course and eventually won elections to Congress and the New York State Senate. A poor, uneducated Irish immigrant, Morrissey became a leader in the Dead Rabbits street gang. He won fame as a fighter and fortune as the operator of a string of successful gambling houses.

Morrissey then took Saratoga Springs by storm, improbably resurrecting thoroughbred racing during the Civil War and opening his famous Club House, which was the most glamorous casino the country had ever seen. Author and National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame director of communications Brien Bouyea takes you on this fascinating journey and shows just how Morrissey did it all.

Tour the zoos and aquarium that came to be featured favorites in New York tourism and recreation.

Situated within the five boroughs of New York City are five zoos and one aquarium. New York City Zoos and Aquarium chronicles the establishment of the Central Park Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, the Prospect Park Zoo, the Queens Zoo, the Staten Island Zoo, and the New York Aquarium. Popular children's zoos are also featured. The city's first zoo opened in Central Park in the 1850s, while the newest zoo opened in Queens after the 1964 World's Fair. While each one of these facilities has many similarities, they all have their own unique attributes. All of the facilities are focused on education, conservation, and the care of the animals that now reside in natural habitats.

A special mood infuses the village. It is small-town America in spite of its proximity to New York City. When Riverside was Main Street, tranquility, individuality, decency, simplicity, and peace of mind were common. These same features still attract newcomers, who add greatly to the quality of life. They are here because of the trees and highlands, the diverse population, and the location between two splendid rivers. Old Riverside was made up of buildings that tended to be sturdy rather than architecturally distinguished. The solid working-class community had a newspaper that echoed the interests of the people. The economy featured a mix of small industries, retail shops, and service establishments. Regardless of how wages were earned, most people participated in village life.

The truth is out there, hidden in remote, tucked-away corners of the Hudson River Valley…Are you ready to uncover it?

In Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley, author Vin Dacquino strives to discover the true story behind three enigmatic folk legends: Sybil Ludington, Chief Daniel Nimham, and George Denny. Each was the central figure in a dramatic series of events; each became enshrined in local lore for their actions; each has had their true story obscured; and each may have left behind a spiritual residue. Follow Dacquino as he interviews local experts, explores areas where hauntings may have occurred--such as Carmel's legendary Smalley's Inn--and digs deep into historical archives to open new windows into the lives and possible afterlives of these three mysterious characters.