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The formation of Huntington Station as a community is the result of two historical events:
1. The birth of Huntington as a town in 1653;
and
2. The Long Island Railroad extending east on Long Island in 1867.
1.THE BIRTH OF HUNTINGTON AS A TOWN 1653
The birth of Huntington as a town began on April 2, 1653 when three men Robert
Houldbrook, Robert Williams and Daniel Whitehead from Oyster Bay came along Oyster Bay Path
(present day Route 25A/Main Street) to bargain with the Indians to purchase some land.
In a land deal known as The First Purchase 1653 (see Indian Deed)
and for the price of:
6 coats; 6 kettles; 6 hatchets;
6 “howes”(hoes); 6 shirts; 10 knives;
6 fathoms of wampum;
{wampum- Indian currency made from clam shells found in the local area}
{a fathom- the distance measured from the tips of fingers of outstretched hands}
30 muxes; and 30 needles
{muxes- steel awls imported by the colonists} |
bought all the land extending from .
.TheLong Island Sound on the north, to
Cold Spring Harbor on the west(“from a certaine
river or creeke on the
west, commonly called by the Indyans
by y name of Nachaquatuck, and by the English as Cold Spring”)
Northport
Harbor on the east ( “to the stream at the
head of Northport Harbour the Indians call Opkatkowtycke”)
and what
was later called
Old Country Road on the South.n 1867, when
passengers arrived at the Huntington Railroad Station House
there was
nothing but open country northand south of the
tracks. The original station house was on-grade
and on the
north side of the tracks and west of New York Avenue.
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Originally, the Indians called this area Ketawomoke supposedly meaning “where the sea flows.”
There are many theories as to why the first settlers changed the name from Ketawomoke to
Huntington but it is generally agreed that they named it in honor of Oliver Cromwell who was born
in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England. Town records do show they did originally spell the name
of the town with a “d” and later substituted a “t”.
2.THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD NORTH SHORE RAIL LINE 1854
The Long Island Railroad North Shore Rail Line ended at Syosset in 1854, and
construction did not resume until 1867. Originally, the plan was to extend the railroad through
Cold Spring Harbor and on to Huntington Village. The survey was made and the actual grading was
done just west of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Cold Spring Harbor.
In our Town Records dated October 12, 1867, the trustees adopted a resolution giving the
Long Island Railroad Company a right-of-way over the town property. Apparently a disagreement
between the railroad and the landowners resulted in the Long Island Rail Road extending the line to
the so-called “upper valley” just two miles south of the village instead, and continued the present
line onto Northport.
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Photograph
Huntinton Depot-early 1900's
Huntington Station
West Side of New York Avenue
In 1867, when passengers arrived at the Huntington Railroad Station House there was
nothing but open country north and south of the tracks. The original station house was on-grade
and on the north side of the tracks and west of New York Avenue.
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| In 1909-10, New York Avenue was bridged by the railroad and became an underpass. A new
station was built again on the north side of the tracks but this time east of New York Avenue on
its present site. |
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Huntington's original business dealing was in coal and lumber and Huntington Harbor
provided cheap and convenient water transportation. Now, the railroad, extending to the
Huntington Station area, provided a more dependable service, less affected by ice and wind as
with the harbor. The new town of Huntington Station became the headquarters for firms in these
types of businesses. With these new businesses came the hope of prosperity. Although less than
a mile of stores, Huntington Station formed a close knit group of men and women in a variety of
businesses. More about the history of the Long Island Railroad
HUNTINGTON STATION GETS IT'S NAME
The first post office in what we now call Huntington Station was in the Railroad Station House
and was established July 24, 1890 and the area was originally named “Fairground.”
1910 POSTCARD
"Scene at
Lloyd Neck Huntington
New York"
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1910 POSTCARD
Back View
Note postmark
"AUG
29
1910
8am"
"FAIRGROUND
NEW YORK" |
A. S. Pettit was the first railroad agent and became the first postmaster. In 1898, Pettit moved
the post office to his new place of business, near the railroad station on the west side of New York
Ave. Both the post office and grocery store business were operated by A. S. Pettit and his wife Hattie |
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On August 12, 1912 an application was made to change the name of the post office and with
it the name of the growing community became known as “Huntington Station”
The Long Island Rail Road Station was the town's most significant structure from which the
town eventually took its name. It is the one remaining structure that symbolizes the location of the
Town of Huntington Station.
In the wake of destruction around the station, it is a lasting symbol
of the spirit of the kind of people that formed our town.
That is why today, the local community the Town of Huntington and
the Long Island Rail Road have joined forces to beautify the one hundred year old station house in
the heart of Huntington Station. (See FOHTS )
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