A & P (also known as the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company) was located at 42 West Merrick Road in the 1910s. Around 1915, an A & P store was located at 71 South Main Street. In 1916, an A & P branch opened at 28 Nassau Road in Roosevelt. In 1924, A & P was located at 6 Church Street. Later, A & P had a store at 56-59 West Merrick Road.
Later, the supermarket was moved to 403 Atlantic Avenue. This location became a CVS pharmacy around 1988.
Sources:
CVS [advertisement]. Newsday. January 10, 1988, E52.
Jelke Goodluck Margarine [advertisement]. Hempstead Sentinel. September 25, 1924, 9. Accessed April 23, 2018. fultonhistory.com.
"Roosevelt." Nassau County Review. June 2, 1916, 1. Accessed April 23, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1916-06-02/ed-1/seq-1/.
To Let [classifieds]. Nassau County Review. January 8, 1915, 4. Accessed April 23, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1915-01-08/ed-1/seq-4/.
Smith's Home Made Bread [advertisement]. Nassau County Review. December 26, 1913, 7. Accessed April 15, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1913-12-26/ed-1/seq-7/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, April 15, 2018.
Richard (Dicky) Allyn Abbott (1923-1986), also known as Beanie, was a commercial fisherman in Freeport. Born in Brooklyn, Abbott moved to Freeport and lived at 336 Park Avenue. He graduated from Freeport High School in 1941.
In 1948, Abbott purchased a 55-foot North Carolina built Gannett style dragger. He was said to be one of the first commercial fishermen to fish the canyon.
Sources:
Ancestry.com
Scopinich, Fred Jr. " Memories of Freeport's Waterfront." The Leader. August 16, 2007, 15. Accessed September 2, 2020. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071065/2007-08-16/ed-1/seq-15/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 2, 2020.
Coles Abrams (1843-1927) was a Freeport boat builder. His boat yard was located on Woodcleft Canal. In 1902, Abrams built a marine railway, possibly one the first on Woodcleft Avenue.
In 1896, Abrams build a 45-foot steamer with a 12 horsepower engine for Wallace H. Cornwell. Abrams built a sharpie boat in 1887. In 1900, his boat yard built a 30-foot Herreshoff model racing catboat for E. A. Dorlon. In 1903, Abrams built two 25-foot steamers for Pflug & Ackley of Hempstead and W. Ellison of the Point Lookout pavilion. That same year, he laid the keel of a 29-foot steamer for John Whaley, outfitted a life saving launch Isabel owned by Frank Seaman with a seven horsepower engine; and converted the sloop Fellowcraft, owned by Captain William Raynor, into a power boat. In 1904, Abrams built for John Slade a 30-foot naphtha launch; a 46-foot yacht for A. B. Cartledge of Philadelphia; and a 35-foot yacht for Lorimer A. Cushman of New York; built a 22-foot cat boat for Village President James Dean; and rebuilt a 27-foot steam yacht for pleasure fishing for Ernest Wrightmeir of New York.
Abrams was a Civil War veteran. He lived in a house located at 20 Franklyn Square and was a well respected Freeporter. In 1882, while both he and his wife were ill, his neighbors gave the couple $40 and a basket of food.
Daniel B. Combs, a former apprentice of Abrams, eventually took over Abrams' business.
See Also:
Sources:
"Boat Building at Freeport." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 13, 1904, 47. Accessed June 5, 2019. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/53410736/?terms=%22boat%2Bbuilding%2Bat%2Bfreeport%22.
"Freeport Notes." The Brooklyn Times Union." September 26, 1887, 2. Accessed June 4, 2019. newspapers.com.
"Island Note." South Side Signal. January 7, 1882, 3. Accessed June 5, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031038/1882-01-07/ed-1/seq-3/.
"Marine Railway." South Side Observer. September 19, 1902. Accessed August 31, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031784/1902-09-19/ed-1/seq-3/.
"A New Thirty Footer." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 25, 1900, 6. Accessed June 3, 2019. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50384378/?terms=new%2Bthirty%2Bfooter%2Bcoles%2Bfreeport.
"Queens' Quota." South Side Signal. August 22, 1896, 2. Accessed June 5, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031038/1896-08-22/ed-1/seq-2/.
"Signs of Spring." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 12, 1903, 13. Accessed June 5, 2019. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/53406037/?terms=%22signs%2Bof%2BSpring%22%2Bfreeport.
"Village Talks." The Hempstead Sentinel. April 14, 1904, 1. Accessed June 5, 2019. fultonhistory.com.
"War Romance Ends in Death." Nassau Daily Review. February 17, 1928, 5. Accessed June 5, 2019. fultonhistory.com.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 6, 2019.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, August 31, 2019.
Acme Boat Building Company (also known as the Acme Boat-Building & Engine Works) was located on Sportsman Avenue in the 1910s. In 1914, it was reported that Acme made boats for J. Norman Lynde of The New York Herald, Frederick Keller of Baldwin, and H. Lyon Smith of Freeport. Its advertisement stated that it had a fully equipped machine shop for the repair of boat engines.
Sources:
Acme Boat-building & Engine Works [advertisement]. The Nassau Post. May 6, 1914, 2. Accessed June 6, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1914-05-06/ed-1/seq-2/.
Acme Boat Building Co. [advertisement]. Nassau County Review. April 11, 1913, 2. Accessed June 6, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1913-04-11/ed-1/seq-2/.
"Building Boats Despite Tardy Season." The Nassau Post. July 11, 1914, 3. Accessed June 6, 2019 http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1914-07-11/ed-1/seq-3/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, July 3, 2018.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, June 6, 2019.
Adams Street was originally named King Street.
Source:
Zimmerman, Charles J. "What Ever Happened To Randolph, Claude and Jerome?" The Leader. October 15, 1992, 24
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 29, 2016.
Adolph Levy and Son was a men's clothing store in Freeport located on South Main Street. Adolph Levy established the store in 1884. In 1912, the store moved from Fulton Street (now Merrick Road) to the Levy Building on South Main Street.
Click her for images related to Adolph Levy and Son.
See Also:
Source:
Hazelton, Henry Isham. The Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens Counties of Nassau and Suffolk Long Island, New York 1609-1924 (Volume 5). New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1925.
Littleton, Martin W. My Partner-In-Law; The Life of George Morton Levy. NY: Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, 1957.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, July 6, 2016.
See:
Bennington Park (includes links to additional biographies)
Bennington Park Oral Histories
Black History Month in Freeport (short videos)
See Also:
The National Center for Suburban Studies (Hofstra University)
Airdome theaters were fenced-in, open-air theaters that operated during the summer. Freeport had several airdomes during the 1910s. These theaters showed movies and sometimes featured vaudeville acts. Because these theaters were open to the elements, patrons had to contend with damp seats and mosquitoes. Some of the owners of these airdome theaters in Freeport were Louis P. Stone, Jennie and Charles Reitmeyer, C. A. Edwards, Henry Dunbar, Frank Nugent, Rose and Arthur Baylan, and Rube Welch.
See Also:
Sources:
"Local Topics." Nassau County Review. May 13, 1910, 1. Accessed January 17, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1910-05-13/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Theaters." Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film. edited by Barry Keith Grant, vol. 4, Schirmer Reference, 2007, 239-247. Gale Virtual Reference Reference Library. Accessed January 16, 2018. http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2587600194/GVRL?u=frlopacplus&sid=GVRL&xid=42da0509.
"Yes, I Remember Freeport." The Leader. September 07, 1967, 15. Accessed January 16, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1967-09-07/ed-1/seq-15/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, January 17, 2018.
Al's Accordion Academy was opened at 26 Church Street by Al Goetz in 1952. Goetz had formerly been associated with Jack Kahn Music Company in Freeport. The Academy had exclusive rights for the sale and distribution of Titano accordions on Long Island. Music instruction was also given for the guitar, clarinet, saxophone, Hammond organ, trumpet, drum, violin, and piano.
Al's Accordion Academy had a recording studio on the premises.
In 1957, Bill Layton was the Academy's director.
Click here for material related to Al's Accordion Academy.
Sources:
Al's Accordion Academy [advertisement]. The Leader. December 12, 1957, 20. Accessed June 28, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1957-12-12/ed-1/seq-20/.
Al's Accordion Academy [classified advertisement]. The Leader. October 30, 1958, 15. Accessed June 28, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1958-10-30/ed-1/seq-15/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 28, 2021.
Albert Canal is located in the Meister Beach residential development in Freeport, between Lester Avenue and Irving Avenue. Meister Beach was developed by Albert Meister around 1929.
In 1930, the canal was given to the Village of Freeport by Nation Wide Home Builders.
See Also:
Sources:
Village of Freeport Board Minutes, 1930.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 10, 2018.
Alex Adam & Daughters was a florist shop located at 53 West Merrick Road in 1928. The family also had a location at 298 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, NY.
This florist shop was established by Alexander Adam (circa1868 to circa 1946) and was operated by his daughters Jessie, Mabel, and Anne. The family also included a brother named William.
In the 1950s, Paul E. Henderson was the owner of the florist.
Click here for material related to Alex Adam & Daughters.
Source:
Alex Adam & Daughters [advertisement]. The Leader. November 8, 1956, 21. Accessed July 9, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1956-11-08/ed-1/seq-21/.
"Miss Jessie Adam Dies; Buried at Bay Shore." The Leader. March 27, 1952, 3. Accessed March 27, 1952. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1952-03-27/ed-1/seq-3/.
Voyageur, 1928 (Freeport High School Yearbook).
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, December 27, 2016.
Updated July 9, 2021 by Regina G. Feeney.
Alex. Heimburger's Pharmacy was owned by Alexander Heimburger and was located at 16-18 Merrick Road. It was also referred as Alexander Heimburger's Drug Store. The pharmacy sold toilet articles, "pure drugs and chemicals", cigars, stationery, and candy at "city prices." It also had a soda fountain. Leona's Beauty Parlor operated from Heimburger's drugstore in 1910 and 1911.
Click here for images related to Alex. Heimburger's Pharmacy.
Sources:
"Auction Foreclosure Sale." South Side Messenger. September 20, 1912, 5. Accessed December 28, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn96083504/1912-09-20/ed-1/seq-5/.
"Boy Wanted for Drug Store" (classified ad). Nassau County Review. May 20, 1910, 4. Accessed December 28, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1910-05-20/ed-1/seq-4/.
Business Section of Merrick Road, Freeport, N.Y. (postcard). Accessed December 28, 2016. http://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15281coll12/id/370/rec/8.
"Leona's Beauty Parlor" (advertisement). Nassau County Review. April 21, 1911, 5. Accessed December 28, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1911-04-21/ed-1/seq-5/
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, December 28, 2016.
Alexander Avenue was named for Alexander Rhodes, a bayman on Merrick Road; he later sold land to W. Newton Bennington.
See Also:
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg, May 23, 2016.
All American Fishing Club (also known as the All-American Fishing Club) was located 10-12 South End Place. The club built a 70' x 35' clubhouse on South End Place (previously known as Harding Court) in 1922. The $7,000 structure included a pier that cost $1,000. The original club had 20 members and was headed by Charles Martin. The club purchased the property for their clubhouse from Pettit Inc.
During Prohibition, the club was frequently raided. In 1926, revenue agents found 25 gallons of beer in jugs, 200 cases of beer, and a bottling plant within the club. According to a newspaper account, the All American Fishing Club was making between $50,000 and $60,000 a year in illicit alcohol sales. The following year, after the establishment was raided, Joseph Schmied, proprietor of the All American Club, was arrested for maintaining a "disorderly house" . It was speculated that the club had advance notice of the raid, since only three bottles of liquor were found. That same year, Robert O. Lewis, an evangelist, named four Freeport establishments that he claimed sold liquor and should be shut down: Whitehills on Railroad Avenue, the 300 Club on Merrick Road, an inn on the corner of South Grove Street and Merrick Road, and the All American Fishing Club while speaking at the Methodist Episcopal Church .
In 1945, the club became John's Anchor Hotel.
Sources:
"Big Liquor Store Seized in Police- U.S. Raid." Daily News. October 4, 1926, 8. Accessed September 1, 2022. Newspapers.com.
"Freeport Social Notes." The Daily Review. June 19, 1922, 2. Accessed September 1, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-06-19/ed-1/seq-2/.
"Freeport Cops Arrest Eleven Over Week-end." The Nassau Daily Review. August 15, 1927, 12. Accessed September 2, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071428/1927-08-15/ed-1/seq-12/.
John's Anchor Hotel [advertisement]. Nassau Daily Review-Star. July 20, 1945, 10. Accessed September 1, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031113/1945-07-20/ed-1/seq-10/.
"Lewis Declares Liquor is Sold at Four Places." The Nassau Daily Review. October 28, 1927, 1. Accessed September 2, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071428/1927-10-28/ed-1/seq-1/
"Yield of Raid Three Bottles." The Nassau Daily Review. August 15, 1927, 1. Accessed September 2, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071428/1927-08-15/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 2, 2022.
Alpine is a section of Freeport originally developed by John J. Randall in 1904. Lots were later sold by Charles A. Sigmond.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg and Regina G. Feeney, May 31, 2016.
Alpine Hotel was located on the southeast corner of West Merrick Road and Bayview Avenue. It was incorporated in 1912 as the Alpine Hotel Corporation of Freeport. The directors included William F. Jones, Henry G. Lober, and Frida Harman. J. J. Frielingdorf was the proprietor of the hotel in 1913. In 1921, Jack Morisse of Rockville Centre purchased the hotel. Under his tenure, Morisse hired a French chef and arranged for musical performances every day.
Its motto in 1915 was "the home of good cheer."
In 1922, during Prohibition, bottles of Scotch, rye whiskey, Gordon's gin and wine were found hidden in old clothing and in the nooks and crannies in the attic in the hotel. The proprietor, William G. Schultz, was arrested.
The hotel burned down around 1923.
Sources:
"Alpine Hotel" [advertisement]. The Nassau Post. June 25, 1915, 5. Accessed January 26, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1915-06-25/ed-1/seq-5/.
"Alpine Hotel Take by Morrisse, Who Plans Improvements." The Daily Review. March 10, 1921, 1. Accessed September 29, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1921-03-10/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Freeport Had Many Hotels in Olden Days." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 24, 1938, 11. Accessed September 29, 2016. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52615908/?terms=%22alpine%2Bhotel%22%2Bfreeport.
"Freeport News." Nassau County Review. December 6, 1912, 1. Accessed September 29, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1912-12-06/ed-1/seq-1/.
The Montauk Business Directory of Long Island: Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. New York: Mort F. Levy Publishing Co., Inc., 1913.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 29, 2016.
The American Laundry (also known as the Freeport American Laundry and the Nassau Laundry Company) was first located at 50 South Main St. in Freeport. It was owned by Emil Kriegler. Kriegler stored his horse and delivery wagon in a barn owned by Jacob Post which abutted his laundry business; in October of 1907, the barn went up in flames and Kriegler lost the wagon but was able to save his horse as well as some chickens he kept in the barn.
Kriegler moved his laundry in February 1910 to a building located at the intersection of Newton Boulevard and Henry Street. After the South Main Street location was vacated by the American Laundry, the building was occupied by the Twentieth Century Shoe Repairing Company, run by a man named Pastor. This company soon left, as the village did not provide sufficient electric current to run the machines. The South Main Street building was owned by S.A. William.
Emil Kriegler sold the American Laundry to Charles Beales and the new proprietor moved the company to 40 South Grove Street. Krieger opened the Freeport Furniture Store at the Newton Boulevard location after selling his laundry business. Beales did not own the American Laundry for long; later in 1912 Eva Grossman was the owner of the American Laundry. She moved the company to the Fulton Building located at the intersection of Church Street and Merrick Road. Chester Fulton was hired to manage the American Laundry for Mrs. Grossman.
In December of 1912, the Freeport Laundry was opened for business at Newton Boulevard and Henry Street. In late 1913, Fulton sold the American Laundry to Theodore Bugert (also known as Burdette), a businessman from Brooklyn. In early 1914, Burdette bought the Freeport Laundry as well; the combined franchise was called the Freeport American Laundry.
By 1915 the business underwent another name change to the Nassau Laundry Company, and was by then located at the American Theatre Building on Main Street. In 1918, it was reported that the business, now once again called the American Laundry and moved back to the building at Newton Boulevard and Henry Street, was owned by Charles Eber. In July of 1918, the building was destroyed by fire. Reportedly, it was not insured.
Sources:
American Laundry [advertisement]. South Side Messenger. December 10, 1909, 11. Accessed November 8, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn96083504/1909-12-10/ed-1/seq-11/.
"American Laundry Destroyed." Nassau County Review. July 19, 1918, 1. Accessed November 24, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1918-07-19/ed-1/seq-1/.
Ancestry.com.
"Freeport." Nassau County Review. November 21, 1913, 8. Accessed November 24, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1913-11-21/ed-1/seq-8/.
"Freeport." Nassau County Review. December 06, 1912, 1. Accessed November 24, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1912-12-06/ed-1/seq-1/
"Freeport." Nassau County Review. January 30, 1914, 8. Accessed November 24, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1914-01-30/ed-1/seq-8/.
"Freeport News." Nassau County Review. February 9, 1912, 1. Accessed November 24, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1912-02-09/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Freeport News. Nassau County Review. November 29, 1913, 8. Accessed November 24, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1912-11-29/ed-1/seq-8/.
"In Dear Freeport." South Side Messenger. January 14, 1910, 1. Accessed November 8, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn96083504/1910-01-14/ed-1/seq-1/.
The Nassau Laundry Company [advertisement]. The Nassau Post. April 9, 1915, 5. Accessed November 24, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1915-04-09/ed-1/seq-5/.
Researched by Denise Rushton, December 22, 2018.
American Legion, Henry Morrison Post No. 785 (later, Morrison-DeLoney Post No. 785) was chartered in 1920. Its membership was predominately African American. It was named for World War I soldier Henry Morrison who died on October 1, 1918 in the Argonne Forest in France, along the Meuse River. Having lied about his age, Morrison enlisted at the age of 16, and was killed when he was 17 years old.
The original officers of the Henry Morrison Post include: Ralph Havens, president; George S. Anderson, vice president; Joseph S. Wallace, second vice president; Claude Jenkins, secretary; and Samuel Collins, treasurer. The Henry Morrison Post also maintained an active Women's Auxiliary. In 1928, members of the post and auxiliary attended the unveiling of the memorial tablet at the Freeport Memorial Library.
In 1947, Oscar DeLoney was added to the post's name. Like Morrison, DeLoney was born in South Carolina. DeLoney died on April 12, 1945 in Germany, at the end of World War II in the European theatre.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the American Legion, Freeport's two legions (William Clinton Story and Morrison-DeLoney) presented the library with a plaque. The Morrison-DeLoney chapter also gave the library a flag for its flagpole. It was reported that this was the sixth flag they had donated to the library.
Long time members of the Morrison-DeLoney Post included: Viola DeLoney (circa 1904-1980) who was once the oldest living Gold Star Mother associated with the post; Olivette Laura Wilson Stevenson (1911-2002) became a member of the auxiliary after World War II and served as an officer until 2001; and Laura Elizabeth Colter (1907-2011) was a member of the auxiliary for 65 years.
See Also:
American Legion William Clinton Story Post 342
War Memorials / Wartime Freeport
Sources:
Colter, Beatrice. "Freeport is 100!" The Leader. January 2, 2007, 6. Accessed May 19, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071065/2007-01-02/ed-1/seq-6/.
Evans, Martin C. "In Sadness, Celebrating 3 Lives." Newsday. May 13, 2002, A17.
"Freeport has Second American Legion Post." Nassau County Review. March 19, 1920, 1. Accessed May 19, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1920-03-19/ed-1/seq-1/.
Freeport Memorial Library [Board of Trustee Meeting Minutes]. April 8, 1969, 1. Accessed May 19, 2018. https://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15281coll12/id/13230/rec/1.
Olivette Laura Wilson Stevenson [obituary]. The Leader. March 21, 2002, 28. Accessed May 19, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071065/2002-03-21/ed-1/seq-28/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 19, 2018.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, November 15, 2023.
American Legion, William Clinton Story Post No. 342, was organized on September 13, 1919, soon after the end of World War I. It was named for William Clinton Story, who was one of the first Freeporters to die during the war. Story (1892-1918) was a 1908 graduate of Freeport High School, and he was the salutatorian of his graduating class. He graduated from Princeton University in 1913, with honors. When the United States entered World War I, he enlisted with the hopes of becoming an aviator. He died near Memphis, TN, during a training flight.
During its first meeting temporary officers where chosen, included Harold E. Brown, chairman, Robert E. Campbell, secretary, and C. Winfield Raynor, treasurer. Later, Merritt Cutler was voted to be the organization’s first president. Merritt D. Cutler served as a corporal during World War I in Company I, 107th Infantry, and 27th Division. He saw action near Ronssoy, France. Despite suffering wounds, he braved enemy fire and dragged two wounded comrades to safety. Later the same day, he organized a stretcher party and brought in three wounded comrades under machine-gun fire, which was so severe that it had stopped the advance of neighboring troops. For these actions he won the Distinguished Service Cross, Croix de Guerre, British Military Medal, and the Purple Heart.
The American Legion has always been involved in the community. In 1920, Post No. 342 organized Freeport’s first Memorial Day observation. In 1925, the organization built a home for the widow of a war veteran. They supported the movement to organize a community hospital in Freeport in 1927. In 1932, the American Legion went on record favoring the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition). They sponsored a dinner to honor the Freeport High School football team in 1936. The Legion dedicated the Gold Star Mothers’ window at the Freeport Memorial Library in 1961 and a Vietnam memorial on the library’s lawn in 1968. A plaque honoring the 21 Freeporters who died in Korea and Vietnam was unveiled at the library by the Legion in 1985. In 2000, the American Legion dedicated a new memorial on the front lawn of the library to honor all the Freeporters who died from the Civil War to Vietnam.
Freeport's American Legion was organized in a small room in the Olive Building. Later, the headquarters was moved in the Junior Order of United American Mechanics headquarters on Merrick Road. The Legion’s first clubhouse was opened in 1924. As the organization grew, a larger clubhouse, known as the Dugout, was dedicated on Sunrise Highway in 1928. The Legion paid off the Dugout's mortgage in 1941. Recently, the Legion established a new clubhouse near the Nautical Mile.
In addition to the Memorial Day Parade, the American Legion sponsors the Veterans Day Service in November. Scholarships are awarded annually to graduating seniors from Freeport High School by the Legion. The American Legion also advocates tirelessly for the rights of veterans and their families.
Click here for images related to American Legion.
See Also:
American Legion, Henry Morrison Post, No. 785
Grand Army of the Republic, D.P.B. Mott Post 527
Junior Order of United American Mechanics
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Club
War Memorials / Wartime Freeport
Sources:
"Freeport American Legion Started." Nassau County Review. September 19, 1919, 1. Accessed April 13, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1919-09-19/ed-1/seq-5/.
"Legion's Post Will Own Home Free and Clear." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 14, 1941, 28. Accessed August 29, 2017. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52672293/?terms=%22olive%2Bbuilding%22.
Minutes and Dugouts of the American Legion Post 342
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, August 4, 2016.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, August 29, 2017.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, April 13, 2018.
The Americana is an apartment building located at 85 North Long Beach Avenue. The building, opened in 1963, was advertised as a luxury apartment building.
Source:
The Americana, Luxury Apartments [advertisement].
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, November 1, 2022.
Joseph P. M. Anderson (circa 1862-?) was the owner and proprietor of Anderson's Employment Agency, which was located at 12 Waverly Place in the Bennington Park section of Freeport. His wife, Cecile, owned the Cecile Beauty Parlor at 16 Helen Avenue.
See Also:
Sources:
Ancestry.com.
Anderson's Employment Agency [classified advertisement]. Nassau County Review. August 08, 1913, 7. Accessed September 24, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1913-08-08/ed-1/seq-4/.
Robinson, John E. "Colored Citizens Say Public Market Is Very Beneficial." The Daily Review. August 5, 1921, 1. fultonhistory.com.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 24, 2018.
Robert G. Anderson (1869-1939) was the fourteenth president (mayor) of Freeport (1918 to 1920). Born in Merrick, Anderson worked with his father who was the proprietor and manager of a Freeport market. In 1900, he was appointed postmaster of Freeport and served in that position for 16 years. Anderson was appointed commissioner of jurors of Nassau County in 1917. He was also supervisor for the Town of Hempstead.
Anderson was an organizer, director, and third vice-president of Citizens National Bank. He was also a member of the Odd Fellows, Elks Club, Spartan Lodge (Masons), and the Presbyterian Church.
Anderson and his wife Charlotte (nee Southard) lived at 34 South Ocean Avenue. They are both buried in Greenfield Cemetery, Uniondale, NY.
Anderson was preceded as president (mayor) by Sidney H. Swezey and succeeded by Clarence Edwards.
Click here for images related to Robert G. Anderson.
Sources:
Hazelton, Henry Isham. The Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens Counties of Nassau and Suffolk Long Island, New York 1609-1924 (Volume 5). New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1925.
Obituary for Robert G. Anderson. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 25, 1939, 15. Accessed July 6, 2016. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52637838/?terms=Robert%2BG.%2BAnderson%2Bfreeport%2B%22Robert%2BG.%2BAnderson%22.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg, May 29, 2016.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, July 6, 2016.
Ann Drive was originally planned to be called Third Street.
Source:
Zimmerman, Charles J. "What Ever Happened To Randolph, Claude and Jerome?" The Leader. October 15, 1992, 24.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 29, 2016.
An Anti-Cigarette League was formed in Freeport on May 3, 1894 at the Freeport Public School. During the meeting, 114 Freeport boys signed a pledge promising to abstain from the use of tobacco until the age of 21. Reverend M. F. Compton of the Methodist Church, Reverend R. P. Ketcham of the Presbyterian Church, and Professor Oley, principal of the Freeport School, attended this meeting.
During this time, the law forbid the selling of cigarettes to boys "who are under or had the appearance of being under 16 years of age" as well as forbidding boys under the age of 16 to use tobacco publicly.
Source:
"Freeport." South Side Observer. May 18, 1894. Accessed May 26, 2017. fultonhistory.com.
Research by Regina G. Feeney, May 26, 2017.
Anti-vaccination rhetoric related to smallpox appeared in a Freeport newspaper during 1914. Advertisements, designed to look like articles, were the product of the Anti-vaccination League and were published by the Nassau Post. Charles M. Higgins whose name appears on the bottom of the advertisement, held a management position with the Anti-vaccination League. Higgins was an Irish immigrant without a formal education who went on to found a prosperous ink company in New York City. He was also involved with American Liberty League whose treasurer, D. W. Ensign, was the manager of Ensign Remedies, a patent medicine company. According to historian Martin Kaufman, patent medicine companies would have been opposed to governmental involvement in vaccinations since it could adversely impact sale of mail order "cures."
An obituary for Higgins claimed that he was not opposed to vaccines; rather, he did not believe vaccinations should be mandatory.
Between 1914 and 1915, the South Side Messenger published "Public Health Hints," a series created by the New York State Department of Health. Though none of the articles discussed smallpox, a July 1914 article discussed the importance of being vaccinated against typhoid.
In 1929, the Nassau County Daily Review published a letter from another opponent of vaccinations, the Anti-vaccination Committee. Attached to the letter was a rebuttal from the Medical Society of Nassau County.
Sources:
"Advice for Schools Public and Private" [advertisement]. The Nassau Post. September 16, 1914, 4. Accessed July 6, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1914-09-16/ed-1/seq-4/.
"C. M. Higgins Self-Educated as Scientist and in History." Brooklyn Times Union. October 23, 1923, 3. Accessed July 6, 2022. Newspapers.com.
"A Conflict of Laws" [advertisement]. The Nassau Post. September 16, 1914, 4. Accessed July 6, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1914-09-16/ed-1/seq-4/.
"Death from Vaccination" [advertisement]. The Nassau Post. July 1, 1914, 4. Accessed July 6, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1914-07-01/ed-1/seq-5/.
"Death from Vaccination Greater than Deaths from Smallpox" [advertisement]. The Nassau Post. July 4, 1914, 4. Accessed July 6, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1914-07-04/ed-1/seq-4/.
"Exposing Vaccination Falsehoods and Spanking the Continental Lie" [advertisement]. The Nassau Post. June 17, 1914, 4. Accessed July 6, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1914-06-17/ed-1/seq-4/.
"Illegal Re-Vaccination in Our Public Schools" [advertisement]. The Nassau Post. June 20, 1914, 4. Accessed July 6, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1914-06-20/ed-1/seq-4/.
Kaufman, Martin. "The American Anti-Vaccinationists and Their Arguments." Bulletin of the History of Medicine. September-October 1967, 463.
New York State Department of Health. "Public Health Hints." South Side Messenger. July 22, 1914, 5. Accessed July 6, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn96083504/1914-07-22/ed-1/seq-5/.
"Theory of Vaccination and Benefits Explained by Nassau Medical Society." The Nassau Daily Review. June 29, 1929, 5. Accessed July 6, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071428/1929-06-29/ed-1/seq-5/.
"Warning to Vaccinators" [advertisement]. The Nassau Post. June 27, 1914, 4. Accessed July 6, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1914-06-24/ed-1/seq-4/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, July 6, 2022.
See:
Dr. E. Mitchell Mallette Senior Citizens Apartments
Frost House - Crystal Lake House and Cottage
Garden Court Apartments - see: Moxey Rigby Apartments
South Shore Apartments - see: Imperial Hotel
Dr. Arnold Burt Appleton (1917-1948) was the son of Louis and Ruth Appleton, owners of the Appleton Hardware Company. Born in Freeport, Appleton graduated from Freeport High School in 1935. He studied dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1942, he entered the army and was assigned to the dental division of the Medical Corps. He later opened a practice in Freeport located at 93 South Main Street. Around 1942, he married Edith Faber. The couple had one son, Kenneth.
After a long illness, Appleton died at Mount Sinai Hospital at the age of 31. He is buried in the B'nai Israel section of the Old Montefiore Cemetery, Springfield Gardens, Queens.
See Also:
Source:
"Dr. Arnold B. Appleton Buried in Montefiore." The Leader. June 10, 1948, 5. Accessed October 12, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1948-06-10/ed-1/seq-5/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 12, 2017.
Appleton Hardware Company (also known the Appleton Hardware Store) was located at 91 South Main Street. The business was established by Louis Appleton (1890-1985) in 1922. His son Norman Appleton (1914-2002) took over the business around 1946.
Click here for images of Appleton Hardware Company.
See Also:
Sources:
Appleton Hardware Store [advertisement]. The Student. Freeport: NY, Freeport High School, 1922.
"Meet Our Merchants: Appletons' Hardware." The Leader. February, 24, 1966, 14. Accessed October 12, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1966-02-24/ed-1/seq-14/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 12, 2017.
Louis Appleton (1890-1985) founded the Appleton Hardware Company in Freeport in 1922. He was born in Slutsk, Russia. Appleton had been a resident of Freeport since 1915. His wife was Ruth S. Appleton (1891-1982). For several decades, the Appleton family lived at 47 North Long Beach Avenue. In the 1960s, Appletons lived at 11 King Street. According to the 1920 Census, Appleton's profession was "silk jobbing."
In 1933, Appleton was elected president of Congregation B'nai Israel. In 1942, he was the treasurer of the Freeport Chamber of Commerce.
The Appletons had three children: Norman (1914-2002), Arnold (1917-1948), and Judith (Feist). He was a past master of the Sunrise Lodge #1069, Free and Accepted Masons (F. & A. M.).
Appleton died in 1985 at the age of 94. He is buried in the B'nai Israel section of the Old Montefiore Cemetery, Springfield Gardens, Queens, NY.
See Also:
Sources:
"Louis Appleton Elected Head of Freeport Temple." The Leader. January 6, 1933, 29. Accessed October 12, 2017. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/59864879/?terms=%22louis%2Bappleton%22.
Louis Appleton obituary. The Leader. May 23, 1985, 13. Accessed October 12, 1985. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1985-05-23/ed-1/seq-13/.
"Meet Our Merchants: Appletons' Hardware." The Leader. February, 24, 1966, 14. Accessed October 12, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1966-02-24/ed-1/seq-14/.
"Patterson New Head of Freeport Chamber." Newsday. March 11, 1942, 12.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 12, 2017.
Norman R. Appleton (1914-2002) was the owner of Appleton Hardware Company. He graduated Freeport High School in 1931.
Appleton worked as plant manager for the ginger ale division of Canada Dry in Ozone Park and Mt. Vernon.
During World War II, Appleton was a captain in the Army Air Corps. He served in the Philippines and saw service over Java. After being transferred to Australia, Appleton was seriously injured while serving as the navigator of a Flying Fortress.
Appleton attended Syracuse University and received a master’s degree in Chemistry from Columbia University. He worked in Brazil as a chemist for two years for a vegetable insecticide manufacturing plant. Appleton returned to Freeport to take over the family business around 1946. He operated this store for 30 years.
Appleton and his wife Harriet (nee Wagner) had three children: Leslie Riggs Hunt, Betsy Appleton, and Douglas Appleton. Appleton died at the age of 88 in Sarasota, FL in 2002.
On May 6, 2003, the Appleton family donated the funds for the purchase of Ingles Sin Barerras, a 12-volume language-learning set to help Spanish-speaking patrons learn English, to the Freeport Memorial Library. Appleton had served as the treasurer of the Friends of the Library.
See Also:
Sources:
"Appleton Honored." The Leader. May 1, 2003, 11. Accessed October 12, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071065/2003-05-01/ed-1/seq-11/.
"Appleton Recovering from Crash Injuries." The Leader. June 11, 1942, 1. Accessed October 12, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1942-06-11/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Meet Our Merchants: Appletons' Hardware." The Leader. February, 24, 1966, 14. Accessed October 12, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1966-02-24/ed-1/seq-14/.
Norman R. Appleton obituary. The Leader. August 22, 2002, 18. Accessed October 12, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071065/2002-08-22/ed-1/seq-18/.
"Roundabout Freeport." The Leader. May 22. 2003, 4. Accessed October 12, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071065/2003-05-22/ed-1/seq-4/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 12, 2017.
Arcade Pharmacy was located on Railroad Avenue, near the original Freeport train station. Frederick H. Plump was the manager during the 1910s. The pharmacy billed itself as "Freeport's Most Up-To-Date Drug Store." In 1917, the business was sold to (Harry A.) Bartholomew & Meade. In 1919, the firm of Bartholomew & Meade dissolved and H. A. Bartholomew became the sole proprietor.
Click here for images related to Arcade Pharmacy.
Sources:
"Arcade Pharmacy Changes Hands." Nassau County Review. September 14, 1917, 1. Accessed December 28, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1917-09-14/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Change in Drug Store Ownership." Nassau County Review. October 3, 1919, 8. Accessed December 28, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1919-10-03/ed-1/seq-8/.
"Freeport." The Nassau Post. June 7, 1918, 5. Accessed December 28, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1918-06-07/ed-1/seq-5/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, December 28, 2016.
Archer Street (western section) was originally called Bedell's Lane.
See Also:
Source:
Raynor Town Map, 1868 located at the Freeport Historical Society.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 29, 2016.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, May 26, 2022.
Archer Street School was constructed in 1909 by builder George E. Libbey. It was originally called Lincoln School No. 3. In 1910, 225 pupils were registered at the school. In 1965, Freeport leased classroom space from the First Presbyterian Church for 209 first and second graders while $60,000 in renovations were made to the Archer Street School.
Archer Street School celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 2009. In 2015, Freeport Landmarks Preservation Commission erected a roadside marker in front of the school.
Click here for images related to Archer Street School.
See Also:
Timeline - Freeport Public Schools
Sources:
"Church Leases Space to Archer School Students." The Leader. October 14, 1965, 13. Accessed June 1, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1965-10-14/ed-1/seq-15/.
George E. Libbey obituary. Nassau County Review. January 27, 1911, 8. Accessed June 19, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1911-01-27/ed-1/seq-8/.
"School Notes." Nassau County Review. September 9, 1910, 1. Accessed June 19, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1911-05-05/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 20, 2019.
The Armory, (also known as the New York State Armory) located at 63 Babylon Turnpike, was built on land ceded to New York State by the Village of Freeport in 1949. New York State gave Freeport $100 for this three-acre tract of land. The armory was intended to serve the 101st Military Police Battalion of the New York National Guard. However, the military police never used the building. The 142nd Heavy Tank Battalion took the place of the military police in 1949. In 1952, members of the Northeast Civic Association complained that the noise of the tanks causes residents to move out of the area. That same year tragedy struck when Private John Mills shot himself in the abdomen with his own personal rifle that he kept in the armory's locker room. His obituary reported that the shooting was accidental.
In 1958, the U.S. Department of Defense released $400,000 for the construction of a new armory building on Babylon Turnpike to headquarter A and D companies and a small medical detachment. New York State paid an additional $130,000 for the building. Construction was completed in 1961.
The armory became the home of the 71st Infantry of the New York Army National Guard's First Battalion in 1988. The Civil Air Patrol, Nassau Cadet Squadron #6 began meeting in the armory in the late 1960s.
The National Guard left the Freeport armory in October 2011. Soon after, debate began as to who should control the property. Cedarmore Corporation, which is affiliated with Zion Cathedral Church of God in Christ, wanted to use the facility for a charter school and for veteran and other community programs. The Village of Freeport wanted the property for its Department of Public Works (DPW). In 2013 and 2014, Assembly woman Earlene Hooper sought through legislation to transfer ownership of the armory for $1 to Cedarmore Corporation. Governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed both bills. Hooper attempted to revive the bill again in 2015 and 2017 but pulled it when it was apparent the bill would fail. In 2018, Hooper was defeated in a general election by Taylor Raynor. On February 11, 2019, Raynor submitted a new bill (A05406) that would give ownership of the armory to Freeport. This bill was co-sponsored by Senator John Brooks who introduced an identical bill in the state senate (S1665). These bills were accompanied by a memo that read: "In the wake of Superstorm Sandy the Village of Freeport sustained millions of dollars of damage to its Department of Public Works, and this transfer would permit, among other things, the Village to relocate its Department of Public Works to an area outside of the flood zone."
In March 2019, around 100 opponents of the plan to give the property to the village protested outside the armory building.
Click here for material related to the Freeport Armory.
Sources:
"Civil Defense News." The Leader. October 17, 1968, 2. Accessed March 4, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1968-10-17/ed-1/seq-2/.
Coburn, Jesse. " Protest on Armory Transfer Bills." Newsday. March 4, 2019, 10.
"Freeport Welcomes 71st Guard Infantry." The Leader. October 27, 1988, 1. Accessed March 4, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1988-10-27/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Heavy Tank Batt. to Replace 101st Military Police." The Leader. December 29, 1949, 1. Accessed March 4, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1949-12-29/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Northeast Promised Relief from Nuisance Created by Tank Unit." The Leader. September 18, 1952, 1. Accessed March 4, 2019 http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1952-09-18/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Pfc. John H. Mills, 20, National Guardsman." Newsday. February 7, 1952, 101.
"To Break Ground for $1,000,000 Armory Next June." The Leader. April 14, 1949, 1. Accessed March 2, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1949-04-14/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Village Cedes Land to State for Armory." The Leader. May 19, 1949, 1. Accessed March 4, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1949-05-19/ed-1/seq-1/.
Yancey, Roy. "Freeport: Armory Owner Could Change_Sub_New Bill Proposes State Turn Over Its Rights to Village." Newsday. February 18, 2019, 22.
Yancey, Roy. "Lacking Votes, Hooper Pulls Freeport Armory Bill for Now. Newsday, June 22, 2017, n.p.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, March 9, 2019.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, February 8, 2024.
An armory for a Naval Reserve Division was located at 112 Hanse Avenue on the Freeport River. This Naval Reserve unit was formed on January 8, 1947. The unit was called Surface Division 3-36 and conducted drills at the American Legion's Dugout. Membership in the reserves was opened to 17 year olds. The unit was able to meet is quota of 200 enlistees and 10 officers within a few months. The Navy Department broke ground on $150,000 waterside armory in Freeport in June 1947. E. W. Jackson Company of 24 Kellum Place, Hempstead was awarded the contract to build the armory. The facility was called the U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center.
It was reported that prior to World War II, the only Naval Reserve unit on Long Island was located in Queens at Whitestone.
A $250,000 wing devoted to the training of Marine Corps reservists of the 11th Rifle Company was added to the armory in March 1955.
In 1976, a Naval Sea Cadet Corps war formed in Freeport at the Naval Reserve Center. The program offered instruction in seamanship, small boat handling, navigation, and military drills and was opened to boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 16.
Sources:
"Break Ground for Fpt. Naval Armory." Newsday June 23, 1947, 2.
"F'port Armory Wing Opens." Newsday. March 24, 1955, 42.
"Naval Reserve Rise Told Fpt. Exchange." Newsday. September 9, 1948, 30. 30.
"Naval Reserves Begin Drilling in Dugout." The Leader. January 16, 1947, 2. Accessed March 4, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1947-01-16/ed-1/seq-2/.
"Navy OK's Freeport Armory Contract." Newsday. June 17, 1947, 21.
"Sea Cadet Unit Is Organized in Freeport." Newsday. September 20, 1976, 21.
"250 Form New Navy Reserve Unit." Newsday. June 18, 1947, 21.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, March 4, 2019.
William (Bill) Ashley (c. 1910-2004) was an educator and coach at Freeport High School. During the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, coach Bill Ashley won 130 games, had a 31 game undefeated streak and won five Rutgers Cups. He also introduced lacrosse to Freeport and developed five All-Americans in that sport and one All-American in football. After 1963, Ashley retired from high school football coaching. In the 1970s, Ashley became the athletic director of Long Island University. He died at the age of 94 in 2004. The William "Bill" Ashley Memorial Sports Complex was dedicated in 2007 at the Cleveland Avenue Field in Freeport.
Click here for images related to Bill Ashley.
See Also:
Sources:
Freeport Report, November 2007.
Hogan, Michelle. "William Ashley, Longtime Football Coach, Educator." Newsday. June 18, 2004. A66.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 2, 2016.
Associated Foods Stores was located at 361 Atlantic Avenue, between St. Marks Place and Bayview Avenue. The store held its grand opening on August 26, 1953; John Henry Faulk, a famous TV and radio commentator, appeared at the festivities. Jerry Deiner ran the grocery side of the store and Otto Winthers was in charge of the meat department.
Sources:
Associated Food Stores [advertisement]. The Leader. August 27, 1953, 16. Accessed March 29, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1953-08-27/ed-1/seq-16/.
Gordon, Bruce. "Along the Streets." The Leader. August 27, 1953, 13. Accessed March 29, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1953-08-27/ed-1/seq-13/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, March 29, 2018.
The Athena Club of Freeport is a women's club whose purpose is to stimulate intellectual curiosity, develop social awareness, and to encourage the active participation of its members in civic and community affairs. This club was organized on November 16, 1922 by Harriet R. Parsons. Charter members included Mrs. Howard Arrighi, Mrs. W. B. Barrett, Mrs. H. L. Bartlett, Mrs. A. B. Carrington, Mrs. John M. Dotter, Mrs. Z. DeForest Ely, Mrs. Charles H. Hall, Mrs. John Harrington, Mrs. C. J. Hensley, R. V. Holland, Mrs. S. F. Holladay, Miss Jessica Parsons, Mrs. R. B. Paterson, and Mrs. Harold Wilson.
Mrs. Homer L. Bartlett was the organization's first president. She served in that position until 1925. Athena Club presidents to 1965 included: Mrs. R. I. Deniston (1925-1927), Mrs. Z. DeForest Ely (1927-1929), Mrs. Walter Barrett (1929-1931), Mrs. Paul Johnson (1931-1933), Mr. George Hasbrouck (1933-1935), Mrs. John Low (1935-1937), Mrs. A. B. Carrington (1937-1939), Mrs. John W. Dodd, Mrs. A. Robert Purdy, Mrs. Harold Wilson, Mrs. Maurice B. White, Mrs. Harold E. Pearson, Mrs. Roy R. Gockley, Mrs. Gerald L. Drach, Mrs. Cornelius Van Rees, Mrs. Alan Carver, Mrs. Charles Ward (Edna Hubsch), Mrs. Paul Wilson, Mrs. William S. Hughes, Mrs. R. H. Malone, and Mrs. Howard R. Munro.
In the 1940s, the Athena Club included the following committees: Art and the American Home, Civics, Defense, Drama, Literature, Music and Choral, and Ways and Means.
The Athena Club annually provides scholarships to deserving Freeport High School seniors. Currently, the organization meets at the Freeport Memorial Library on the first Monday of the month from September to June.
The Freeport Historical Society has the early Athena Club minutes and scrapbooks. This collection may be viewed by appointment only.
Sources:
The Athena Club. Athena Club of Freeport, Long Island, 1944-1945.
The Athena Club. Constitution and By-Laws. 1965.
"Athena Club Donates Books." The Leader. April 19, 1990, 5. Accessed June 17, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071065/1990-04-19/ed-1/seq-5/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 17, 2017.
Caroline Genevieve Atkinson (1886-1949) was born in Jefferson, NH in 1866. She graduated from the Albany Normal School (now the University at Albany, SUNY) and began her teaching career on August 30, 1885 in a four-room school house on Pine Street and South Grove Street (now Guy Lombardo Avenue). She became one of four teachers in a school with less than 200 students.
In 1912, Atkinson briefly held the position of school superintendent. After 52 years of service, Ms. Atkinson retired in 1937. She was a member of the First Baptist Church where she was elected to be an honorary deaconess. It is said that she knew the Bible almost by heart and spent much of her time visiting the sick and reading to children. Ms. Atkinson died at the age of 82 of a heart attack in 1949 and is buried in Greenfield Cemetery. That same year, the Freeport School Board unanimously approved the naming of the school on Seaman Avenue the "Caroline G. Atkinson School" in her honor.
Click here for images related to Caroline G. Atkinson.
See Also:
Sources:
"Baptist Church Shares in Atkinson Estate." The Leader. November 24, 1949, 1.
"Caroline Atkinson Buried in Greenfield." The Leader. November 10, 1949, 5
"Commencement at Freeport." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 25, 1896, 3. Accessed February 13, 2020. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50433590/?terms=genevieve%2Batkinson.
"One Figure Appears with Distinction in Freeport Schools. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 10, 1912, 6. Accessed August 9, 2017. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/54441175/?terms=atkinson%2Bfreeport.
"Seaman School Named For Caroline Atkinson." The Leader. November 10, 1949, 1.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 16, 2016.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, August 9, 2017
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, February 13, 2020.
Atlantic and Bayview Business Men's Association was organized in 1956. The first meeting took place at Mike's Inn on Atlantic Avenue. Officers included Philip Inglima of the Bayview Barber Shop, president; Jerry Diener of the Associated Food Stores, vice president; Joseph Boyle, insurance broker as secretary; and Thomas Lambertsen of the Royal Scarlet food store as treasurer. Members of the association included William Buck (delicatessen), Associated Food Stores, Baer Bakery, Bayview Meat Market, Mike's Inn, Elsie's Flowers, Herman's Shoes, Vetter Upholstery, Bayview Pharmacy, Mitthauer's Mobil Service Station, Andy's Body Shop Works, Royal Scarlet, 5 and 10 Variety Store, Seaman's Liquor Store, Island Meat Market, Bel-Aire Cleaners, Halvorsen Electrician, Dolen Emil, Dr. F. Drante, Jazio Stoves, Sol's Tailor Shop, Beau Rivage, Pat Ulip, and the Bayview Hardware Company.
Source:
"Atlantic, Bayview Merchants Form Business Association." The Leader. February 23, 1956, 1. Accessed March 29, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1956-02-23/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, March 29, 2018.
Atlantic Avenue (eastern section) was originally called Whaley's Lane.
Source:
Raynor Town Map, 1868 located at the Freeport Historical Society.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 29, 2016.
See:
Avondale was a residential development constructed by Harry Schwindt of Rockville Centre in the 1930s. Avondale was bounded by West Seaman Avenue and Delaware Avenue. Schwindt later added Maryland Avenue between West Seaman Avenue to Wilson Place to the development.
Source:
"On the Business Front." Nassau Daily Review-Star. May 14, 1937, 32. Accessed December 10, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031113/1937-05-14/ed-1/seq-32/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, December 10, 2019.
