Farmingdale, Long Island, New York---Then and Now
**The OLD days of Long Island....Wide Open Spaces, here a Nursery
As a 30 year resident of this town, I've been here longer then our new Mayor...For anyone familiar with Long Island, I moved all the way from Wantagh (The Gateway to Jones Beach) to arrive at what I consider the exact middle of Long Island...Farmingdale. We are neither the prestigious North Shore nor the trendy South Shore but are right in the middle, bordering two Counties, Nassau and Suffolk.
**Our Columbus Day Fair, Main Street and Conklin, Farmingdale, Long Island, 2007
My personal facts that I know is that Farmingdale used to be called the Town of Hardscrabble. It was purchased from land already acquired in our neighboring town of Bethpage, New York (some may remember a post I did there about the US Open returning to Bethpage next year). My "block" had exactly TWO houses on it originally, mine and the one right next door and the rest were-potato fields - and Pickle Farms. At one time Farmingdale and it's surrounding towns were home to more then 30 pickle farms! One of the "Owners" of our blocks, of Dutch Decent, is actually buried with his family on the block.
The style of homes varies here quite a bit from the older "cottages" of which I own one to the newer and very expensive new homes that go up all over town. The land is now allowed to be constantly sub-divided and with the possible exception of my home, there are no longer "starter" homes available in our lovely town. The wide open spaces, for the most part are gone by the ongoing construction of new homes and businesses. Some of the homes in "early" Farmingdale were built together-Queens type style as they were attached. It is the way people were used to living. That's the unofficial version of Farmingdale.
**Farmingdale Memorial in Farmingdale Village
Here's the historical facts: Once known as Hardscrabble (although no one knows exactly why), a man named Thomas Powell purchased 15 square miles of land from three native American tribes in 1687. Wise move. These became the areas of Farmingdale, Bethpage, Old Bethpage, Melville, N. Massapequa and Plainview. Our potato farms are long gone although we have some interesting facts about Farmingdale. These areas of Long Island really became popular when the Long Island Rail Road included a stop here in 1841. Little by little the potato fields and pickle factories that filled the area began to go and in 1902 they built a large Agricultural Collage, now SUNY Farmingdale University.
**Old Bethpage/Farmingdale Golf Course
Golf brought class to the area in the Farmingdale/Bethpage area with the building of The Farmingdale Golf Course which already had one US Open here and is scheduled to have another US Open next year. One of our most treasured residents, Chief Deputy Peter J. Ganci of the FDNY was lost in the tragedy of 2001.
**Peter Ganci, St. Killian's Church, Farmingdale, NY
Still, Santa comes every year with treats for the children and Main Street retains its share of fairs and small town stores and shopping. We have our fairs and Main Street, just like any little town. It may be a bit unusual that some of the early settlers are buried with their families on the blocks they lived on...but that was Suburbia long ago. And here it is today...pictures from around town on "old" and new...Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.
**The extra special QUIET Residents of Farmingdale :)
**If Pictures say a thousand words:
**Older Architecture: Farmingdale Methodist Church
*Carole Provenzale has been a Certified Feng Shui Consultant since 1997 and is the Founder of Feng Shui Long Island, providing Feng Shui Consultations on site for New York City (Manhattan) and all of Long Island.
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