L. Zanetti's Confectionery was located at 33 West Merrick Road. In the 1920s, this store sold soda and homemade ice cream and candies.
Source:
Voyageur, 1928 (Freeport High School Yearbook).
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, December 23, 2016.
Harry B. Lake (1895-1949) was a local boat builder who began his business in 1914 in a small shop located on Sportsmans Avenue. He later moved his yard to 343 Woodcleft Avenue and became one of the best known boat builders on Long Island. His yard was known as H. B. Lake as well as Lake's Boatyard. In 1930, Lake requested and received permission from the Village of Freeport to construct a marine railway on his property.
Born in Brooklyn, Lake lived in Freeport for over 45 years. He was a member of the South Shore Yacht Club, the South Shore Power Squadron, and the Freeport Methodist Church. At the time of his death, Lake lived at 123 Wilson Place. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Lake's Boatyard was operated by Charles Pigadis until the 1980s.
Sources:
Village of Freeport Board Minutes, 1930.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, January 30, 2023.
Lakeview Avenue was known as Mill Lane. Before 1892, Mill Lane continued to Merrick Road (Fulton Street). Some sources referred to the road as Paper Mill Road.
Sources:
Raynor Town Map, 1868 located at the Freeport Historical Society.
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.
Lakeview Manor was developed in 1921. This section includes Elm Street.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg and Regina G. Feeney, May 31, 2016.
Roland Manchester Lamb (1878-1935) was the eleventh president (mayor) of Freeport (1914 to 1916). Lamb was preceded by Smith Cox and succeeded by Ernest R. Randall. He also served as chief of police while mayor.
Lamb was born and Massachusetts and graduated from Tufts College in 1900. While in Freeport, he became an early real estate developer. Lamb was once the proprietor of the Manhattan House. His real estate business, Pettit & Lamb, was located on South Main Street, next door to the Manhattan House. In 1912, Lamb partnered with Thomas Forbes and Frank Wentworth to organized the Freeport Railroad Company and the Great South Bay Ferry Company. Later, he headed the Lamb & Jensen Dredging Company.
Lamb and his wife, Eleanor, lived at 43 Onslow Place. He was a member of the Freeport Elks Club, the Ready Relief Society, Freeport Council, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and the Freeport Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Lamb died at the age of 57 at Meadowbrook Hospital following a stroke.
Click here for images related to Roland M. Lamb.
See Also:
Junior Order of United American Mechanics, Freeport Council No. 57
Sources:
Ancestry.com
"Flags Lowered as Roland Lamb Dies in Freeport." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 31, 1935, 11. Accessed June 18, 2018. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52652114/?terms=%22pettit%2B%26%2Blamb%22.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg, May 29, 2016.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, June 18, 2018.
The Lamp was an Italian restaurant located at 5 South Main Street. Opened in 1945 by Anthony J. Marone of Bellmore, the restaurant included a tap room. In 1953, The Lamp was purchased by brothers Thomas and Joseph Messins, who changed the name of the restaurant to The Gables.
Click here for material related to The Lamp.
Sources:
Gordon, Bruce. "Around the Freeport Shopping Area." The Leader. December 4, 1952, 7. Accessed July 13, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1952-12-04/ed-1/seq-7/.
James, Herbert T. "The Town's Business." Nassau Daily Review-Star. November 29, 1945, 3. Accessed July 13, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031113/1945-11-29/ed-1/seq-3/.
"New Musicaro Restaurant to Open." Nassau Daily Review-Star." February 13, 1953, 5. Accessed July 13, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031113/1953-02-13/ed-1/seq-5/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, July 13, 2021.
Henry Lampe (1876-1961) was the original owner of the Sea Breeze Restaurant. Born in Schroda, Germany, Lampe immigrated to the United States in 1890, and was naturalized in 1900. He married his wife, Louise (Louisa) Miller, in 1898. The Lampe family moved to Freeport around 1916 and lived with their daughter, Henrietta (Guthy), at 38 Morris Street,
Lampe is buried in Greenfield Cemetery, Uniondale, NY.
See also:
Sources:
Ancestry.com. U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.
Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.
"Henry Lampes Mark Golden Wedding." The Leader. March 25, 1948, 16. Accessed April 26, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1948-03-25/ed-1/seq-9/.
Henry Lampe [obituary]. The Leader. March 23, 1961, 12. Accessed April 23, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1961-03-23/ed-1/seq-12/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, April 24, 2018.
Lang's Market, located at 195 North Main Street, sold prime meats, poultry, and vegetables in the 1920s.
Source:
Voyageur, 1927 (Freeport High School Yearbook).
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, December 25, 2016.
Martin Larsen (1878-1963) ran Larsen's Boat Yard at 397 Woodcleft Avenue. Born in Larvik, Norway, Larsen came to the United States around 1896; he served in the U.S. Coast Guard and was a veteran of the Spanish American War. Larsen settled in Philadelphia, then New York City, and eventually came to Freeport in 1923. In 1933, he requested permission to lay tracks across Woodcleft Avenue to create a marine railway.
In 1937, Larsen's was one of five shipyards in Freeport. Larsen retired from the business in 1944.
At the time of his death, Larsen lived at at 29 Dutchess Street. He is buried in Greenfield Cemetery (Uniondale, NY).
Later, 397 Woodcleft Avenue was the address of a business named Joseph Van Blerck and Son.
Click here for image for Larsen's Boat Yard.
Sources:
Ancestry.com.
Martin Larsen [obituary]. Long Island Graphic. July 5, 1963, 4. Accessed May 10, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071111/1963-07-05/ed-1/seq-4/.
"Old Hotel Site Taken Over Freeport Point." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 2, 1937, 17. Accessed May 11, 2021. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/686088912/?terms=old%20hotel%20site%20taken%20over%20at%20Freeport&match=1.
Village of Freeport Board Minutes, 1933.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 11, 2021.
Laurette Lane was originally planned to be named Fourth 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.
Edith Lavoy (1897-1922) was a teacher in the Freeport Schools who was shot and killed by her boyfriend, William M. Creasy, around 10 p.m. on June 23, 1922. Lavoy was shot by a .25 caliber automatic revolver in which the bullet entered her right temple. Her death was almost instantaneous. The trial, conviction, appeal, and ultimate acquittal of Creasy garnered national press attention.
Lavoy was from Tupper Lake, NY and became a teacher after graduating from the Potsdam Normal School. Before relocating to Freeport, she taught for two years at the Gloversville School. Though some sources say that Lavoy met Creasy through her brother, Howard, while he was stationed with Creasy in the Navy, it was presented at the murder trial that the couple met through the Standard Correspondence Club. According to court documents, Creasy lied about his martial status in the membership application for the club. At the time, he had living apart from his wife; she had obtained a judgement of separation. When Lavoy was matched with Creasy by the superintendent of the club, she wrote him the following letter:
Dear Sir - As you have been recommended to me by the Standard Correspondence Club, Graystake, ILL., as a gentleman matrimonially inclined and desiring lady correspondence with that object in view, and under recommendation of J.W. Schlosser, who sent me your description, I beg permission to open a correspondence. If this meets with your approval I will be pleased to hear from you in return. Thanking you in advance. I am yours respectfully. (Miss) Edith E. Lavoy.
Creasy was a 29 year old sheet metal worker living in Fort Thomas, KY. He was described as being 5'6" tall with a medium build and of limited education and of ordinary ability. When their correspondence began, Creasy was employed as a machinist at a railroad repair shop in Kentucky. Several years before meeting Lavoy, Creasy married a 17 year old woman who gave birth to their child five months later. It was later reported that he and his wife had two children. Creasy was also named in a divorce case by a man who found out Creasy took his wife to a hotel and registered them as a married couple. It came out during the trial that Creasy claimed never to have been married on his correspondence club application.
Creasy came to Freeport in October 1920 to meet Lavoy in person. They met again in January and April 1921. After visiting her home and meeting her parents in Tupper Lake, NY in August 1921, the couple announced their engagement. Early in 1922, Lavoy and Creasy decided to postpone their marriage until 1923. It wasn't until April 1921 that Creasy admitted he had been married and divorced. At her request Creasy visited Lavoy on May 1st. It was reported that the couple went target shooting in the woods. While walking back into town, Creasy drew the gun on a dog that grabbed his coat. Lavoy was able to get the gun away from Creasy. This gun was kept by Lavoy and in several letters to her, Creasy requested that she return it.
Creasy visited Lavoy in Freeport on June 22, 1922. Creasy was on route to Montreal to look for work after a strike closed his factory in Kentucky. On the evening of her death, Creasy visited with Lavoy and her roommate Mildred Simster at their boarding house at 156 North Main Street, and the trio were together until Simster went to bed at 9:30 p.m. According to Creasy's testimony, he hung his jacket, with the gun in the pocket, on a chair and he and Lavoy reclined on a sofa. A short time later, Lavoy got up to get a glass of water and he asked her to retrieve cigarettes from his jacket pocket. After he dozed off, he was startled awake by a gun shot. He went into Simster's room and declared, "My God, Edith has shot herself." Simster noted that the body had been moved from when she first rushed into the room and when she returned to the room after she left to get a robe.
Creasy was taken into custody and questioned. At the trial, it came out that the police found a condom in his pocket. This, along with information about his past relationships, was used as evidence at his trial that Creasy had "disgusting personal habits."
During Creasy's first trial, which lasted 12 days, 35 witnesses were called, 62 exhibits were introduced, and 150 letters from Lavoy to Creasy were submitted as evidence. Creasy's defense was that Lavoy was so despondent about their broken engagement that she committed suicide. The defense presented testimony that Lavoy had broken up with Creasy and had been speaking unfavorably about Creasy to friends and family. In a letter to a family friend one month before her death, Lavoy wrote that Creasy told her during a visit that he had two objectives: "To Live with me or die with me." It also was reported that Lavoy, with the help of Simster, destroyed many of the letters Lavoy received from Creasy. Though the evidence was all circumstantial, Creasy was found guilty and sentenced to death at Sing Sing Prison.
Nine months later, Creasy's attorney, Henry Uterhar, successfully appealed the conviction. The court reversal was due to five factors: first: a letter, supposedly written by Lavoy was actually written by Edna Shoemaker, principal of the school where Lavoy taught. The State had evidence of this but did not inform the court; second: the court allowed three witnesses to testify over the defense's objections; third: the refusal of the trial judge consider a charge to the jury as requested by the defense that Edith Lavoy had committed suicide; fourth: the admittance into evidence of a letter Lavoy sent to another man (the court found this prejudicial); and fifth: the admission of Creasy's statement that he had sexual relations with Lavoy when the State knew those statements were untrue.
A new trial began in January 1924. Creasy's attorney presented evidence of Lavoy's despondence. The defense also presented an expert that claimed that the Lavoy's wound could have been self-inflicted. After deliberating until 4:30 a.m., the jury acquitted Creasy. After the jury delivered its verdict: Mildred Simster, Lavoy's roommate who was home the night of Lavoy's death and was a witness for the prosecution, was the first to congratulate Creasy. According to the press, Simster (now Sheldon after her marriage) jumped from her chair and kissed Creasy.
Lavoy is buried in Tupper Lake, NY.
Sources:
"Creasy's Death Sentence Reversed by Highest Court." The Daily Review. July 14, 1923, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1923-07-14/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Creasy Even Now Married." The Daily Review. September 25, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-09-25/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Creasy Guilty, Says Edwards." The Daily Review. September 21, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-09-21/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Creasy is Doubly Guarded." The Daily Review. September 28, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-09-28/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Creasy Trial Nears End." The Daily Review. October 3, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-10-03/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Creasy Nervous as Trial Opens." The Daily Review. January 15, 1924, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1924-01-15/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Creasy on Trial As Girl's Slayer Called Hypocrite." The Evening World. September 21, 1922, 3. Accessed July 13, 2022. Newspapers.com.
"Creasy Sentenced to Die." The Daily Review. The Daily Review. October 7, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-10-07/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Creasy Takes Stand in Own Behalf." The Daily Review. January 18, 1924, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022.
"Dead Teacher Had Anticipated Some Act of Violence." The Daily Review. July 1, 1924, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-07-01/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Edith Lavoy Was Not a Suicide." The Daily Review. September 22, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-09-22/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Experts Say Teacher was Not Suicide." The Daily Review. June 27, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-06-27/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Freeport Teacher Shot and Killed." The Daily Review. June 24, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-06-24/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Girl Feared Death Attack." The Daily Review. The Daily Review. September 26, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-09-26/ed-1/seq-1/.
McDade, T. M. "Crime Hunt: The Creasy Case." The Armchair Detective. Summer 1985, 323-325.
"Resume Strong Inquiry Today." The Daily Review. June 28, 1922,1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-06-28/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Says Girls Letter Forged." The Daily Review. September 27, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-09-27/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Sister of Dead Teacher Swoons As She Points Accusing Finger at Man Held on Murder Charge." The Daily Review. June 26, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-06-26/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Slain Teacher was in Fear of Her Lover." The Republican-Journal. September 26, 1922, 1. Accessed July 13, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84024315/1922-09-26/ed-1/seq-1/.
Sperry, Margaret. "That Drab Young Man - W. M. Creasy." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 17, 1924, 80. Accessed July 11, 2022. Newspapers.com.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, July 14, 2022.
See:
Davison, Alfred See: Davison Place
Edna L. Lee (1890-1964) was an author who lived at 169 Pennsylvania Avenue. Her books include The Web of Days, Queen Bee, All That Heaven Allows, and The Southerners. In 1955, Queen Bee was made into a movie starring Joan Crawford. All That Heaven Allows was written in collaboration with her son, Harry. This book was also made into a movie that starred Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson.
Lee was born in Atlanta, and was women’s editor at the Atlanta Journal. She also wrote for newspapers and radio and was an advertising executive.
Sources:
"Freeport Mother and Her Son Collaborate In Writing Novel." The Leader. March 13, 1952, 1. Accessed October 16, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1952-03-13/ed-1/seq-1/.
IMDB.com
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 18, 2018.
Harry J. Lee, Jr. (1914-1985) was an author and journalist who lived at 169 Pennsylvania Avenue. He worked for the Atlanta Constitution in the 1940s. He authored several books including Fox in the Cloak, No Measure Danced, and Brother. Lee wrote All That Heaven Allows in collaboration with his mother Edna Lee. In 1955, the novel was made into a movie that starred Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson. Lee is credited as "original idea" for the 1960 movie Playgirl After Dark which starred Jayne Mansfield.
Lee's career also included working in public relations in New York City and teaching journalism at American University in Washington, DC.
Lee died of lung cancer in Maryland in 1985 at the age of 71. He was married four times and had five children.
Sources:
Harry J. Lee, Jr. [obituary]. The Atlanta Constitution. December 4, 1985, 39. Accessed October 16, 2018. newspapers.com.
IMDB.org
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 18, 2018.
Lee Place was known as East Smith Street prior to 1924. It is located in a section of Freeport once known as Rhodesia.
See Also:
Click here for images of homes on Lee Place.
Source:
Village of Freeport Board Minutes, 1924.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, December 16, 2018.
Lena Avenue was named for Lena Randall Willetts, the daughter of John J. Randall. In 1906, the street was known as South Lena Avenue. In 1914, the street was called Florence Place (it is incorrectly identified as "Florence Avenue" on a 1914 map of Freeport).
In 1915, the Village changed the name of the street to Lena Avenue. At the time, Wilson Place was known as West Lena Avenue.
Sources:
"Lena Avenue Properly Designated." Nassau County Review. November 19, 1915, 1. Accessed December 7, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1915-11-19/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Village Trustees." Nassau County Review. November 5, 1915, 1. Accessed December 7, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1915-11-05/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg, May 24, 2016.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, December 7, 2018.
Leonard Avenue was named for Helen Leonard; she was known professionally as Lillian Russell.
See Also:
Source:
"History of Russell Hose Co. No. 2." The Leader. July 1, 1976, 12. Accessed October 12, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1976-07-01/ed-1/seq-12/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 12, 2021.
Lester Avenue was named for Lester Meister. He was the son of Albert Meister, the developer of Meister Beach.
See Also:
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg, May 24, 2016.
Lenox Place, between Atlantic Avenue to Ray Street, was renamed Hayes Street after 1930.
Source:
Village of Freeport Board Minutes, 1930.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 21, 2018.
Adolph Levy was a local businessman in Freeport, and the father of George Morton Levy, who was a prominent attorney. Adolph Levy was born in Nizhni-Novgorod, Russia in 1854, where he became a successful merchant. Levy came to America and worked as a salesman; he later opened a hotel that was known as "Adolph's Place."
After the hotel was sold, Levy, with his wife Anna and their three children, Jean, David, and George, moved to Freeport. Here, Levy purchased a haberdashery. The store became the successful men's clothing store, Adolph Levy and Son. Later, Levy's son David assumed ownership of the business.
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 5, 2016.
David Levy (1887-1970) was a merchant and bank director in Freeport. He was the proprietor of Adolph Levy and Son, a men's clothing store founded by his father in 1884. His brother was George Morton Levy.
Levy was a charter member of the Exchange Club and served as its president. He was a director of the Freeport Bank, as well as the Long Island Trust Company. For about 10 years, Levy was a Town of Hempstead councilman.
Levy and his wife, Florence, lived at 246 South Ocean Avenue.
Click here for images related to David Levy.
See Also:
Sources:
"David Levy, 82, Bank Director." Newsday. October 20, 1970, 70.
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.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, July 11, 2016.
George Morton Levy (1888-1977) was a prominent attorney, as well the founder and president of Roosevelt Raceway. Levy was born in Seaford, NY, where his parents owned a hotel. Later, his father opened a clothing store, named Adolph Levy and Son, on South Main Street in Freeport.
When George was a year old, his family moved to Freeport. While at Freeport High School, Levy was vice president of the debating club, and played baseball and football. After graduating in 1904, Levy attended New York University; he graduated from that institution with a law degree in 1908. He briefly worked for the law and real estate firm of Smith and Levy. In 1911, he entered into a partnership with attorney Elvin N. Edwards.
Levy became a successful criminal attorney. The first case to bring him international notoriety was the murder of Louise Bailey. Mrs. Florence Carman was accused of killing Mrs. Bailey, who was a patient of her husband, Dr. Edwin Carman. After two trials, Mrs. Carman was acquitted (the first trial ended in a hung jury). During Prohibition, he took the cases of accused rumrunners. He also defended mobster Lucky Luciano in 1936. Levy was a friend and golf partner of underworld crime boss, Frank Costello.
Levy was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Trotter at Goshen, NY in 1966. Levy died at the age of 89, and is buried in Greenfield Cemetery, Uniondale, NY.
Click here for images related to George Morton Levy.
See Also:
Source:
"George Morton Levy of Roosevelt Raceway Is Dead." The New York Times. July 20, 1977, 35.
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 4, 2016.
L'Hommedieu Building was located on South Main Street. It was built by Ira L'Hommedieu in 1908 for his business, the Freeport Bakery. In 1908, the building was estimated to be worth $25,000.
Sources:
Aero view of Freeport, Long Island, N.Y. 1909. New York: Hughes & Bailey, 1909. Accessed August 10, 2016. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3804f.pm005650/.
"Stroller's Column." South Side Messenger. November 13, 1908, 1. Accessed August 13, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn96083504/1908-11-13/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, August 13, 2016.
Ira H. L'Hommedieu was the owner of the Freeport Bakery (sometimes referred to as L'Hommedieu's Bakery).
In 1908, he constructed the L'Hommedieu Building for his bakery. The building was located at 119-123 South Main Street. The bakery later became the O.K. Bakery, which was operated by Henry L. R. Himmel.
Sources:
Aero view of Freeport, Long Island, N.Y. 1909. New York: Hughes & Bailey, 1909. Accessed August 10, 2016. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3804f.pm005650/.
"Stroller's Column." South Side Messenger. November 13, 1908, 1. Accessed August 13, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn96083504/1908-11-13/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, August 26, 2016.
Henry P. Libby (1885-1918) was a prominent Freeport businessman who was involved in real estate and insurance. In 1892, Libby was served on the committee to facilitate the incorporation of Freeport as a village. Born in Maine, Libby was educated in Bridgeport, CT. At the age of 17, Libby worked as a teacher while also employed by the Howe Sewing Machine Company. In the early 1870s, Libby relocated to Freeport and worked as a teacher in the Freeport Schools. He served as school principal from 1877 to 1880. For a year, afterwards, Libby worked in the clothing industry. He was then employed by the Phoenix Insurance Company in New York City for seven years. He helped establish the Freeport Bank and was involved in the creation of the Freeport Land Company, in which he held the position of secretary. Libby had an office on Railroad Avenue, opposite the Long Island Rail Road depot. Libby was also president of the South Shore Telephone Company.
Libby and business partner Charles P. Heyward constructed the Opera House, located on the triangle between Church Street and South Main Street.
Libby served on the Freeport Board of Education and was a trustee of the Freeport Public Library (now the Freeport Memorial Library). He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Massapequa Lodge of the Free and Accepted Order of Masons, the Freeport Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons, and was a trustee of the Freeport Presbyterian Church.
Libby's wife, Hattie (nee Holloway), and son, Harry, pre-deceased him. Libby is buried in Greenfield Cemetery, Uniondale, NY.
Click here for images related to Henry P. Libby.
See Also:
Sources:
Henry P. Libby obituary. Nassau County Review. August 30, 1918,1. Accessed January 13, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1918-08-30/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, January 13, 2018.
Liberal Outfitting Co., Inc. sold clothing for "the entire family." The store was located at 21 West Merrick Road in 1928. The store's motto was "Just Charge It."
Click here for images related to Liberal Outfitting Co., Inc.
Source:
Voyageur, 1928 (Freeport High School Yearbook).
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, December 23, 2016.
Liberty Theatre was located 38 Brooklyn Avenue, near North Grove Street. This motion picture theater opened on March 19, 1917. The original building, known as the Opera Hall, was located on South Main Street and was moved to the Brooklyn Avenue site in 1909, and called the Crystal Theatre.
Clancey Herbert Kerr remodeled the theater to create a dance floor and roller skating rink. Patrons were entertained by the music provided by a $5,000 electric brass band organ. In the summer of 1919, Kerr was arrested for the assault of William B. Johnson, who protested the noise produced by the dance hall.
Click here for additional material related to he Liberty Theatre.
Sources:
"Dance Hall Row Leads to Fight; C. H. Kerr Arrested." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 4, 1919, 4. Accessed January 2, 2018. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/55302814/?terms=%22kerr%22%2Bfreeport%2B%22dance%2Bhall%22.
"It Happened... Years Ago!" The Leader. June 30, 1988, 6. Accessed January 2, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1988-06-30/ed-1/seq-6/.
Liberty Theatre Building [advertisement]. Nassau County Review. February 28, 1919, 8. Accessed January 2, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1919-02-28/ed-1/seq-8/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, January 2, 2018.
Lieberman's sold cigars, Kodak cameras, stationery, and periodicals. The store was located at the corner of Grove Street (now Guy Lombardo Avenue) and Sunrise Highway.
Source:
Voyageur, 1928 (Freeport High School Yearbook).
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, April 1, 2017.
Lillian Avenue was named in honor of the actress Lillian Russell.
See Also:
Source:
"History of Russell Hose Co. No. 2." The Leader. July 1, 1976, 12. Accessed October 12, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1976-07-01/ed-1/seq-12/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 12, 2021.
See:
Abraham M. Litwak (circa 1896-1971) was the proprietor of the Daylight Cotton Store (also known as Cotton Good Store and Litwak's Department Store); he was also the organizer and first president of the Freeport Merchants Association.
Litwak was born in Odessa, Russia. His father, Samuel, was a a commissioned merchant. While in school, the young Litwak worked in a retail establishment where he learned the textile trade. After graduation. he worked as a teller in the foreign department of a commercial bank. Wanting to become a doctor, he moved to Berlin, Germany six months before his 18th birthday. While in Berlin, the Russian ambassador to Germany recalled all Russian students back to Russia to serve in the Russian Army. With World War I on the horizon, Litwak immigrated to the United States in April 1914. For his first year in America, he worked various jobs while attending night school to learn English. Litwak attended Morris High School where he studied advertising and merchandising. For a short period of time, Litwak studied medicine at New York University but dropped out after being injured in a taxi accident. From about 1918 to 1922 he worked for a cotton concern in Yonkers as first a salesman and was later promoted to store manager.
He moved to Freeport in 1922 and opened his own store. The Cotton Good Store opened in 1923 at 17 West Merrick Road. Two years later, Litwak moved the store to larger quarters at 66 South Main Street. In 1928, he retired temporarily. The following year he opened a store at 80 South Main Street. Litwak was involved in various "Buy In Freeport" campaigns, including Freeport Dollar Days. During the Depression, he supported the "Buy Now" campaign sponsored by the National Recovery Administration (NRA).
Litwak loved the outdoors and adventure. He was known to be an excellent ice skater. Litwak raced cars and became an aviation enthusiast. On June 24, 1933, he received his pilot's license. He eventually purchased a Waco open bi-plane that he kept at Fitz-Maurice Field in Massapequa Park. He named his plane the Spirit of Freeport. His longest flight was reported to be to Canada. In 1934, he flew throughout Europe. In celebration of Air Mail Pickup Day on May 19, 1938, he flew airmail from the Freeport Post Office to Newark, NJ. The mail carried on this flight received a special stamp that read: "Freeport Chamber of Commerce, National Air Mail Week, May 15-21." Litwak took off from the old golf course on Merrick Road just east of the Meadowbrook Causeway bridge at noon. He landed at Roosevelt Field where he connected with the temporary air mail office that had been set up there for the occasion. Litwak then proceeded to the Newark Airport and dropped off the airmail. He was a member of the New York State Flying Club.
Though he was forced to sell his plane during World War II, Litwak was a vocal advocate of using the skills of private pilots for the wartime effort. He was a strong supporter of the creation of a separate air force division of the U.S. military.
While having a house built at 478 Southside Avenue in 1923, Litwak and his wife, Estelle (nee Horowitz), stayed at the home of George Louis at 100 Pettit Avenue (now Park Avenue). The following year, they had a son, Robert Seymour.
Litwak was a member of B'nai Israel and served as chairman of the temple's Boy Scout troop.
See Also:
Freeport Merchants Association
Sources:
"Abraham Litwak, of Freeport -- Merchant and Sportsman." The Nassau Daily Review. October 21, 1933, 18. Accessed July 31, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071428/1933-10-21/ed-1/seq-16/.
"Civilian Flights Climax National Air Mail Week." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 20, 1938, 26. Accessed July 31, 2019. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52656193/?terms=litwak.
Daylight Cotton Store [advertisemet]. The Nassau Daily Review. August 09, 1929, 6. Accessed July 31, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071428/1929-08-09/ed-1/seq-6/.
Ducan, Val. "A New Air Force Rises From Behind Freeport Ribbon Counter." Newsday. June 30, 1941, 6.
"Freeport." The Daily Review. July 26, 1923, 4. Accessed August 1, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1923-07-26/ed-1/seq-4/.
"Freeport Pilot to Fly Air Mail." Nassau Daily Review-Star. May 17, 1938, 4. Accessed July 31, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031113/1938-05-17/ed-1/seq-4/.
"The Human Side of Business Leaders." Nassau Daily Review-Star." April 6, 1937, 28. Accessed August 1, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031113/1937-04-06/ed-1/seq-28/.
"Merchant and Airplane Pilot." The Nassau Daily Review. June 12, 1936, 76. Accessed July 31, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071428/1936-06-12/ed-1/seq-76/.
"Mr. Litwak Glad to Be Freeport Merchant." The Daily Review. March 25, 1924, 3. Accessed August 1, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1924-03-25/ed-1/seq-3/
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, August 1, 2019.
Robert Seymour Litwak (also known as Seymour Litwak) (1924-2013) was the chairman of the Cardiovascular Surgery Department at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Litwak was born in Freeport in 1924 to Abraham and Estelle (nee Horowitz) and lived at 478 Southside Avenue. According to a newspaper account, Litwak had an illness during the first months of his life.
Litwak attended Archer Street School. He was the section head of the percussion section of the Freeport High School marching band and was a member of the senior orchestra. Litwak graduated from Freeport High School in 1942. He graduated from Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA in 1945 and attended medical school at Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, graduating in 1949. In 1952, he was an assistant surgeon at the School of Medicine at Boston University. Between 1956-1962, Litwak was an associate professor of surgery at University of Miami Medical School. From 1959 to 1962, he was chief of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital. During the late 1950s, Litwak was associated with the Veterans Hospital in Coral Gables, FL and the Variety Children's Hospital in Florida. In 1962, he was named head of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital. He later became a professor of surgery when the Mount Sinai School of Medicine opened (today it is called the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai). During his tenure at Mount Sinai, Litwak reestablished the open heart surgery program, initiated the cardiothoracic surgery residency program, and opened the first dedicated cardiac surgical operating room suite and cardiac surgical intensive care unit. Over the course of his career, he authored more than 200 articles in peer reviewed journals.
Beginning in the late 1980s, Litwak was the drummer for the jazz group the Ron Odrich Quartet. The band played every Thursday night at Charlie O's located at 39 East 49th Street.
See Also:
Sources:
Ancestry.com
Robert S. Litwak [obituary]. The New York Times. July 27, 2013, A20.
Vasil, Eddie. "News and Views." The Leader. July 19, 1962, 4. Accessed August 2, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1962-07-19/ed-1/seq-4/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, August 2, 2019.
Father Charles A. Logue (1868-1913) was the first resident pastor of Our Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church. Born in Boston in 1865, he graduated from Holy Cross College, Worcester, MA and St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, MD. Father Logue was ordained in 1893. He was appointed pastor of OHR in February of 1903. Seeing that the parish had grown to 117 congregants, he began making plans to expand the church building. A brick and granite Gothic style building was constructed on property that Father Logue secured. On Easter Sunday, 1911, Father Logue officiated the first mass in the new Our Holy Redeemer Church. He later oversaw the construction of a rectory and established a number of religious societies including: St. Vincent de Paul; League of the Sacred Heart, Altar Society, B.V.M. Sodality; Holy and Name Society. During his tenure, a Catholic Sunday School was created.
In 1907, Father Logue began to agitate against the reading of the Bible and religious services that were done in the public schools. In a 1909 letter to the press, Father Logue clarified his objections in six points: 1). baccalaureate services being conducted in churches (mainly the churches where school board members attended); 2). children being taught the Lord's Prayer (non-Catholic version); 3). announcement in school of the International Sunday School lessons and well as information related to the Epworth League and Christian Endeavor; 4). having ministers address the children in the school; 5). the singing of hymns; and 6). the Board of Education prohibiting dancing at the receptions of the junior and senior classes.
That same year, Father Logue expressed his concerns to New York State Education Commissioner Andrew S. Draper concerning the Board of Education changing the opening time of school from 9 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. in order to have 15 minutes of chapel service. In his appeal he discussed how Catholic children, who were exempted from the service, were mistreated. Several children were written up for tardiness and others found themselves on a teacher's list labeled "roll of dishonor." Commissioner Draper eventually sided with the School Board on this matter.
According to an article in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the Board agreed in 1912 that sessions that included Bible reading and hymns were to be completed by 9 a.m. However, the issue of baccalaureate services held in Protestant churches continued, prompting Father Logue to begin laying the groundwork for the creation of a Catholic school in Freeport. A parochial school was eventually constructed in 1924.
Father Logue died on September 24, 1913. His funeral was held in Freeport and he was buried in Massachusetts. He was succeeded at OHR by Father John L. O'Toole.
Sources:
Archives of Our Holy Redeemer Church.
"Board Going To Albany." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 7, 1909, 24. Accessed July 29, 2022. Newspapers.com.
The Catholic Church of the United States of America. New York: Catholic Editing Company, 1914.
"Catholics Object Baccalaureate In Another Church." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 7, 1909, 24. Accessed July 29, 2022. Newspapers.com.
"Father Logue Again Appeals to Com. Draper." Nassau County Review. January 21, 1910, 1. Accessed July 29, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1910-01-21/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Father Logue's Funeral." Brooklyn Times Union. September 30, 1913, 9. Accessed July 29, 2022. Newspapers.com.
"Local Topics." Nassau County Review. August 13, 1909, 1. Accessed July 29, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1909-08-13/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Religious Law Violated, Says Priest." The New York Times. August 6, 1908, 12.
"Said Mental Lord's Prayer." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 29, 1909, 1. Accessed July 29, 2022. Newspapers.com.
"School Board Answers Charges." South Side Messenger. August 13, 1909, 1. Accessed July 29, 2022. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn96083504/1909-08-13/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, July 29, 2022.
Guy Lombardo (1902-1977) was a bandleader famous for his New Year's Eve performances of Auld Lang Syne with his band the Royal Canadians. Lombardo was born Gaetano Alberto Lombardo in London, Ontario. His father immigrated to Canada from Italy.
In 1933, Lombardo and his wife, Lilliebell, spent the summer on a 55 foot cruiser named Tempo that was docked in Freeport. The Lombardos liked Freeport so much, they built a house in the Village in 1940. Lombardo's house was located at 710 South Grove Street (approximately 756 Guy Lombardo Ave today). Lombardo purchased Liota's East Point House from John Liota in 1948 and renamed it Guy Lombardo's East Point House. The restaurant was located at the foot of South Grove Street (now Guy Lombardo Avenue).
Beginning in 1954, Lombardo produced shows at the Jones Beach Marine Theatre. His first show was Arabian Nights. His last show in 1977 was Finian's Rainbow. He also competed in boat racing. His Tempo boats were said to be a familiar sight in and around Freeport's waterways. In 1976, Lombardo was named Freeport's man of the year. He was also active in Freeport's annual canoe race.
Lombardo died in Houston, TX at the age of 75. His funeral took place at Our Holy Redeemer Church. Urban planner and friend of Lombardo's, Robert Moses, gave a eulogy at the funeral. Lilliebell died in 1982. His house was torn down in the early 1990's. Five houses stand on the former site of his home.
In 1978, South Grove Street was renamed Guy Lombardo Avenue and the Long Creek Marina was dedicated as the Guy Lombardo Marina.
Guy Lombardo's image or restaurant appears in three Freeport murals: Twentieth Century Freeport painted by Francis Norris Streit; Sailing Through Freeport History painted by Brooklyn artist Ji Yong Kim; and Our Freeport, painted by Marc Josloff.
Click here for images related to Guy Lombardo.
See Also:
Guy Lombardo's East Point House
Sources:
Collins, T. J. "Guy Lombardo Dies at 75 in Texas Hospital." Newsday. November 6, 1977, 1Q.
"Freeport Street and Marina to Be Renamed for Lombardo." The Leader. February 9, 1978, 1. Accessed June 8, 2018.http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1978-02-09/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Guy Lombardo." Encyclopedia of World Biography, vol. 23, Gale, 2003. Biography in Context. Accessed June 8, 2018.
"Guy Lombardo to Be Honored." The Leader. June 15, 1978, 1. Accessed June 8, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1978-06-15/ed-1/seq-1/.
Hanning, Leo P. "Guy Lombardo Takes Over E. Point House On Fpt. Waterfront. Newsday. November 3, 1948, 13.
"Lombardo Buried at Pinelawn." Newsday. November 10, 1977, 43.
Metz, Clinton E. "It Happened... Years Ago!" The Leader. September 13, 1979, 5. Accessed June 8, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1979-09-13/ed-1/seq-5/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 8, 2018.
Updated September 24, 2018, by Regina G. Feeney.
Updated December 27, 2023, by Regina G. Feeney.
Long Island Colored Citizens Union (sometimes referred to as the Nassau County Colored Citizens Union, the Nassau County Colored Citizens Union Get Together Movement, or L.I.C.C.U.) was a political group organized in 1923. Headquartered in Freeport, which had the largest African American population east of Jamaica, Queens, the Union was said to have served the African American community from Jamaica to Montauk.
Officers elected included: President, John E. Robinson, (Freeport); First Vice President, S.S. Williams, (Amityville); Second Vice President, Mrs. Rosalie Young, (Rockville Centre); Third Vice President, Joseph Treadwell, (Hempstead); Fourth Vice President, James Smith, (Glen Cove); Recording Secretary, Haywood C. Jones, (Freeport); Corresponding Secretary, Robert M. Bryant, (Amityville); Treasurer, Addison Scarborough, (Amityville); Sergeant-at-arms, Joseph G. Guidry (Freeport); Chaplain, Purnell White, (Freeport); and Athletic Director, Clinton Tucker, (Islip).
The purpose of the Union to encourage political activism and voting amongst the people of the African American community. According to Robinson, "We have in Freeport a population of very near 1,400 [African Americans] and I shall be greatly disappointed if within the next six of seven months those of the voting age, both male and female, will not fully understand the importance of the ballot." Robinson also said, "The ballot is power, with it goes everything, manhood rights, and the full rights of citizenship."
During a meeting at Bethel A.M.E. Church in early February 1923, the Union adopted a resolution to have an African American run for a trustee position in the Village of Freeport.
On February 12, 1923, the Union held a dinner at the Freeport Auditorium to celebrate the lives of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Paul L. Dunbar. Robinson saw the gathering as a way to encourage African Americans to vote. "Men and women who fail to cast their vote on election days when it should be put into the ballot box evidently forgets that they are disfranchising themselves," said Robinson. During the event, the Klan burned a cross opposite the auditorium. According to newspaper accounts, attendees and speakers, both black and white, were undeterred by the Klan's action. As many African Americans celebrated Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12, 1923, Freeport was one of 12 Long Island communities that reported burning crosses.
The Union created a welfare committee for the purpose of establishing a community center in Bennington Park. This idea was supported by Mayor Hilbert Johnson, former mayor James Hanse, Father J. L. O'Toole of Our Holy Redeemer Church, Rabbi Joseph Sarachek of B'nai Israel, and assemblyman Henri Shields. The Union was criticized when it accepted a $50 donation from the Klan. According to the African American newspaper The New York Age, in sending the donation, the Klan stated: "Contrary to rumors circulating, we wish all success to any endeavor which our colored [sic] citizens lend themselves in an effort to better their conditions and place themselves on a high plan of citizenship."
Rockville Centre also had a chapter of the Long Island Colored Citizens Union.
A disagreement caused members of the Amityville chapter to resign from the Union.
See Also:
Sources:
"Big Meeting Feb. 12 Plan In Freeport." The Daily Review. January 12, 1923, 2. Accessed September 27, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1923-01-12/ed-1/seq-2/.
"Colored Citizens Hold Big Meeting Tonight." The Daily Review. July 26, 1923, 8. Accessed September 29, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1923-07-26/ed-1/seq-8/.
"Colored Voters Meet to Decide Future Polices." Long Island News and Owl. March 29, 1923, 3. Accessed September 27, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071443/1923-03-29/ed-1/seq-3/.
"Freeport Ku Klux Try Vainly to Scare Race Dinner." The New York Age. February 24, 1923, 2. Accessed September 27, 2018. www.newspapers.com.
"Members Resign from L. I.C. C. U." The Daily Review. October 13, 1923, 8. Accessed September 29, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1923-10-13/ed-2/seq-8/.
"News Briefs of General Interest." The New York Age. July 28, 1923, 1. Accessed September 29, 2018. www.newspapers.com.
"Prominent Citizens of County and Village to Address Colored Residents." Daily Review. September 20, 1923, 2. Accessed September 29, 2018. fultonhistory.com.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 29, 2018.
Long Island Arts Council at Freeport began in 1974 as the Freeport Arts Council. It was formed jointly by the Freeport Village Board of Trustees and the Board of Education, who agreed to spend $50,000 during 1974 and 1975 to bring a three-part cultural program to both school children and adults. The Arts Council was formed during Mayor William White's administration.
The idea for the arts council was conceived around 1972 by Harold Levine, a school board member, and Citizens Committee on Community Planning member, Berkeley Swezey. Freeporter, Hale Smith served as chairman of the council's first board.
In 1990, the Arts Council officially changed its name to the Long Island Arts Council at Freeport (LIAC).
See Also:
Sources:
"A Cultural Assist in Freeport." The New York Times. June 30, 1974, 69.
Kaufaman, Bill. "Spotlight." Newsday. September 12, 1990, 11.
"New Arts Council Formed in Freeport." Newsday. June 27, 1974, 17.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, November 21, 2016.
Long Island Good Hearted Thespian Society (also known as LIGHTS Club and L.I.G.H.T.S. Club) organized as a social club for actors on August 8, 1915 in Edward Rice's garage/barn on Railroad Avenue. Those in attendance included: Victor Moore, Harry Bulger, Sam Morton, Paul Morton, Val Trainor, Robert H. Hodge, Frank Kaufmann, Leo Carrillo, Frank Moreil, Edward Flanagan, Neely Edwards, George Barry, Max Hart, Norman F. Manwaring, Edward LaVine, Arthur Deagon, George Murphy, Charles Middleton, Frank Leighton, Bert Leighton, Aaron Kessler, Kike Coakley, Harry Hill, Charles Castwell, Billy Gould, Jim Diamond, William Phillbrick, Herbert Kerr, Leo Dougharty, Edward Rice, and Stephen Pettit. At this meeting, Harry Bulger was appointed temporary chairman and Vail Trainor temporary secretary. Victor Moore was later appointed the LIGHTS Club's first "Angel" or president.
The Baldwin Harbor Developing Company offered the club land for a clubhouse in Baldwin, but the majority of members favored a Freeport location. In September 1915, the LIGHTS Club purchased five acres of land from the John J. Randall Company. Money for construction was raised though vaudeville shows throughout Long Island. The LIGHTS clubhouse opened on June 17, 1916 and was located on Fairview Avenue and Branch Avenue. The building was 110 feet by 54 feet and featured porches that were 14 feet wide. The $30,000 clubhouse was designed by Christian E. Kern and built by Fred S. Howell. The building featured a lighthouse that rose to a height of 66 feet. The government later had the club turn off the light in the lighthouse, fearing that it would be mistaken for a real nautical navigation apparatus. The property also included a bathing beach.
The LIGHTS Club was open to anyone involved in theatrical pursuits. Among the 543 charter members were stars of the day who summered in Freeport.
The LIGHTS Club members provided entertainments that helped raise money for various local organizations including, Congregation B'nai Israel, Our Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church, and the Freeport Memorial Library.
Fire destroyed the LIGHTS clubhouse in 1939. Before the fire, the building had been used as a summer restaurant for two seasons. It was also reported that a Freeport policeman, who served as the building's caretaker, lived in the clubhouse with his family.
In the 2000s, the Freeport Landmarks Preservation Commission dedicated a roadside marker near the site of this club.
Click here for material related to the LIGHTS Club.
See Also:
Sources:
"Actors' Colony Largest of Any." Nassau County Review. August 13, 1920, 1. Accessed February 19, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1920-08-13/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Fire Ruins LIGHTS Club." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 9, 1939, 3. Accessed February 19, 2019. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52764494/?terms=%22LIGHTS%2Bclub%22.
"Freeport Actors to Have Club." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 17, 1915, 4. Accessed February 19, 2019. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/54246013/?terms=%22Good%2BHearted%2BThespian%22%2Bfreeport.
Krieg, Cynthia J. and Regina G. Feeney. Freeport. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2012.
"LIGHTS Club Goes Out and Moore Holds Bag." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 4, 1935, 13. Accessed February 19, 2019. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52622395/?terms=%22LIGHTS%2Bclub%22.
"LIGHTS Club to Open." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 25, 1916, 8. Accessed February 19, 2019. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/55315872/?terms=%22Good%2BHearted%2BThespian%22%2Bfreeport.
Metz, Clinton E. "It Happened Years Ago." The Leader. August 29, 1985, 14. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1985-08-29/ed-1/seq-14/.
"Noted LIGHTS Club Final Curtain to Fall Soon, Says Dame Rumor." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 31, 2019. Accessed February 19, 2019. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52828083/?terms=%22LIGHTS%2Bclub%22.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, February 19, 2019.
Long Island Rail Road was originally named the South Side Rail Road.
See Also:
Source:
Freeport, Queens County 1868 [Map], located at the Freeport Historical Society.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 29, 2016.
Losee Place was developed in 1902. This section includes Stevens Street located in the northeast section of Freeport.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg and Regina G. Feeney, May 31, 2016.
John C. Lott (circa 1865-1914) directed the installation of the municipal electric power companies in Freeport, Rockville Centre, and Southampton. He was manager of the New York office of the Fort Wayne Electric Company, a firm for which he worked for more than 30 years.
Lott was a member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, the Machinery Club of New York, and the Long Island Automobile Club. At the lime of his death, Lott lived with his wife, Elizabeth (nee Spence), at 92 Wallace Street. They had two sons.
Sources:
John C. Lott [obituary]. The Standard Union. November 25, 1914, 2. Accessed June 7, 2022. Newspapers.com.
"John C. Lott Dies at Home in Freeport." Brooklyn Times Union. November 24, 1914, 4. Accessed June 7, 2022. Newspapers.com.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 7, 2022.
Reverend Luis D. Lovelace (1938-1993) led the Hispanic congregation at the Freeport United Methodist Church for 17 years. Lovelace was born in the Dominican Republic.
Lovelace is buried in Greenfield Cemetery, Uniondale, NY.
Sources:
Ancestry.com
Luis D. Lovelace obituary. The Leader. September 30, 1993, 7. Accessed June 7, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071065/1993-09-30/ed-1/seq-7/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 7, 2018.
The Christ Lutheran Church was organized in 1909 and rented a portable chapel for $5.00 a month from the Church Extension Society; it was placed on the east side of North Main Street. As the congregation grew, it bought the Meadon Estate on the southwest corner of North Grove Street and Randall Avenue and moved the chapel there. Work on a new building began in 1925 under the pastorate of the Reverend Carl H. Miller. On April 25, 1926, a new stone church was dedicated. A chapel was added later.
Source:
Krieg, Cynthia J. and Regina G. Feeney. Freeport. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2012.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg and Regina G. Feeney, May 19, 2021.
Lydia E. Hall Hospital was established in the 1950s as Doctors Hospital. It was located on Merrick Road at the intersection of Washington Street. It was designed to have between 115 to 150 beds. The hospital's cornerstone was laid in March 1954 with Mayor William F. Glacken Sr. as the principal speaker. It was described as the most modern hospital in the New York area. The three wings of the hospital housed pediatrics, surgery, general medicine, obstetrics, pathology, X-ray, laboratory, five operating rooms, and anesthesiology departments. Designed by Gloster and Gloster of Rockville Centre, the building featured a wood-paneled lobby lined with portraits of eminent scientist and patients’ rooms painted in warm colors.
In 1974 the hospital was renamed for nursing pioneer, Lydia Eloise Hall (1906-1969). Hall founded the Loeb Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, at Montefiore Hospital in New York.
Over the years, the hospital was plagued by staffing and financial issues. In the 1980s, Federal authorities investigated irregularities at the hospital.
The hospital closed its doors in 1985. The Village purchased the building for $310,000. The hospital later became a nursing home and rehabilitation facility.
See Also:
Sources:
Hospital Named for Nurse Innovator." American Journal of Nursing. October 1974, 1774.
"Lydia E. Hall Hospital" [Vertical File]. Freeport Memorial Library.
"New Name and Wing for Hospital." Newsday. August 13, 1974, 19.
"Plan $1,000,000 Hospital at Freeport." Newsday. April 13, 1953, 7.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney. June 10, 2016.
William A. Lynch (1921-1952) was a Freeport-raised engineer/atomic scientist who worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, NM. Born in Brooklyn, Lynch's family moved to Freeport and resided at 118 Centre Street. He attended Our Holy Redeemer Catholic School and graduated from Freeport High School in 1939. Lynch received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the Pratt Institute. He worked for the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, OH until World War II, when he performed defense work for the government.
In 1952, Lynch planned a two month European vacation. To prepare for his trip, it was reported that Lynch took an eight-week correspondence course in French. While traveling to Ireland from continental Europe, Lynch's Aer Lingus flight crashed in Wales; all 20 passengers and three crew members were killed.
Source:
"2 Long Island Men Perish in Wales Airplane Crash." Newsday. January 12, 1952, 5.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 23, 2017.
See: