Memorial Day

Decoration Day was first observed after the Civil War as an opportunity to decorate the graves of soldiers who died in the war. New York officially recognized the holiday in 1873, but it was not a national holiday until 1971. In fact, it was only after World War I that the ceremonies honored those who have died in all American wars.

We walk and drive past it every day and may not even know it's there. Once a year, maybe twice, we notice the red, white and blue decorations which have been placed there. The granite memorial on the corner of Broadway and Conklin Avenue in Woodmere was dedicated on Memorial Day (May 31) 1948 to the sacred memory of those from Woodmere and Hewlett who gave their lives to defend and preserve this nation

The old Rockaway Journal articles recount that the weather was not pleasant on that Memorial Day. Yet, a crowd of 1,500 gathered in a parade, half of which began at the Lawrence Station progressing towards Woodmere Boulevard.

Veteran and civic groups, members of houses of worship, Boy and Girl Scouts and fire companies from Lawrence, Cedarhurst and Inwood joined a their counterparts from Hewlett and Woodmere, which marched down Broadway from Prospect Avenue.

Clergy from the local churches and synagogues delivered the Benediction and Invocation. Featured speakers included Charles Hewlett, Chairman of the Dedication, Chauncey Ogden, Superintendent of Schools, and Brigadier General Cornelius Wickersham, a prominent attorney with a distinguished military career. His father had been Attorney General under President William Howard Taft.

Members of the Woodmere-Hewlett Exchange Club, 1942 (left to right: George Hewlett, Chauncey Ogden, Gaylord Healy, President; Harry Pearlstein, Wallace Small, Rev. Leon Kofod, Charles Hewlett)

The memorial to those lost in the two World Wars was purchased with donations from the community, most of them $2 and $5 and organized by the Woodmere-Hewlett Exchange Club, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

H.K. Peacock Memorials in New York City created the monument, which replaced a temporary honor roll listing local servicemen and women.

Landscaped by Dalisimer Inc., the permanent memorial was on the grounds of Woodmere High School. Just a few years before, most of those listed on the granite were students there. Below are archival photographs of some of the memorialized servicemen. They were brothers, husbands, and sons and they lived in the neighborhoods of your home town.

So the next time you walk down Broadway, or are stuck in traffic in front of Woodmere Bicycle shop, take a moment and recall the sacrifice of these servicemen and their brothers and sisters whom we honor this Memorial Day.

Memorial Day ceremonies, 1992

Gardens in the Five Towns

At the first sign of daffodils, many Long Islanders head straight to the beautiful gardens of estates that once housed the rich and powerful. Old Westbury Gardens, Planting Fields and Bayard Cutting Arboreteum were made available to the public when the costs of maintaining them became prohibitive for their owners or their heirs. Although most of the Five Towns estates were sold and subdivided when the postwar exodus to the suburbs made housing a priority, the Five Towns at the turn-of-the-century was home to many who shared the society pages with Astors and Rockefellers.

George Woodward Wickersham (1858-1936), Attorney General under William Howard Taft, was a prominent New York corporate lawyer. Marshfield, his summer home, is described in a 1928 article in the New York Times as being:

"...filled with many varieties of roses. The entire garden is
surrounded by on [sic] ivy covered brick wall. In the midstof the flowers are a picturesque fountain and several bird baths."

Marshfield, located in what is now Lawrence was designed by the architecture firm of Foster, Gade and Graham. A small, Shingle Style house, it nevertheless sat on extensive grounds which included a pond. Landscape architect Mary Rutherfurd Jay (1872-1953) worked with Mildred Wickersham and in 1914 created a Japanese garden, adding man-made islands to the existing one, and planting evergreens, rhododendrons, bamboo, and azaleas. The Wickershams were among several families who annually opened their gardens for fundraising activities.

William Fox (1879-1952) the founder of the Fox Film Corporation, built his estate, Fox Hall, in Woodmere in the 1920s. The Rose Garden was one of several gardens on the property, which included a boat house and a 125-seat movie theatre. Fox, who made his fortune in a true American immigrant rags to riches story, was one of the pioneers of the film industry. He lost his fortune after the 1929 stock market crash and, after a series of law suits and questionable business dealings, he declared bankrupcy in 1936.

Isaac D. Levy, president of Oppenheim, Collins and Co., made his fortune in New York's garment industry. Roselle Manor, his Cedarhurst summer home, was built in the early 1900s in the style of an English Renaissance manor house. Designed by the architects Buchman and Fox, it was landscaped by the firm of Lord and Burnham, who designed the conservatory for the property.

In the early part of the 20th century, Joseph Auerbach, the attorney for the Hewlett Bay Company, owned vast tracts of land in the Five Towns. His own home, Seawane, was to become the clubhouse for the Sewane Club, a country club on over 35 acres in Hewlett Harbor, which has been in existence since 1927.

Five Oaks was the estate of William H. Erhart (d.1940), Chairman of the Board of the Pfizer Company. Another of the homes which was open to the public for charity benefits, a 1928 article in the New York Times describes the property:

"The estate has an enchanting rose garden with a novel

and effective background of rambler roses combined with apple trees.

Hundreds of heliotropes are in full bloom in the formal garden."

For more information:

Books:

• MacKay, Robert B. , Baker,Anthony K., Traynor, Carol A. Long Island Country Houses and Their Architects, 1860-1940 (Norton, 1997).
• Viemeister, August. An Architectural Journey through Long Island (Kennikat, 1974).
• Zaitzevsky,Cynthia. Long Island Landscapes and the Women Who Designed Them (Norton, 2007).

Articles:

• "Private Gardens on Public View", The New York Times, June 3, 1928, p. X10.
• Gardens to be on View, The New York Times, July 17, 1928, p. 13
  

Fred Ward's Bicycle Shop

Lance Armstrong would have felt right at home in 1890's Long Island. Before automobiles became a practical alternative, the bicycle had a bloom of popularity which owed its success to the mechanical improvements of the Industrial age. In the early 1800s, the gearless "hobby horse" and the big-wheeled "bone crusher" (shown at the left in an illustration from Harper's Weekly ) evolved into the more familiar "safety bicycle" design which sported gears and brakes.

In 1880, the League of American Wheelmen was formed to promote bicyclists' interests. Over the next decade, local clubs of cyclists or "wheelmen" formed throughout the country. While many engaged in bicycle racing, most were formed as social clubs, with dining and drinking almost as important as riding. The Long Island Wheelmen, The Brooklyn Wheelmen, The Century Wheelmen, The Nassau Wheelmen, the Dean's Cycle Club, the Riverside Wheelmen, the Greenwich Wheelmen, Manhasset Cyclers, the Lexington Wheelmen are just a few of the local groups represented in articles about the popularity of cycling. By 1898, according to the League of American Bicyclists' web site, the League had more than 102,000 members, including the Wright Brothers, Diamond Jim Brady and John D. Rockefeller. Many clubs had meeting halls and admitted women as well as men.

Susan B. Anthony (in a February 2, 1896 interview with The New York World) said:

"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammelled womanhood."

In 1880, part of New York City's Washington's Birthday celebration featured a rallye of all the bicycle clubs from the New York area and from as far away as Hartford, Boston, Trenton and Philadelphia. The route stretched from Third Avenue in New York City to Tarrytown, NY, where the participants would dine and then return to the City (a round trip of at least 50 miles.)

An article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (7/22/1895) details another ride which passed through Freeport on the way to Patchogue. Among the names listed in the article is one Fred Ward, whose bicycle shop is pictured below.

Note the motors on some of the bicycles. Beginning with early models in the 1860's, motorized bikes like those designed by French and German inventors (most notably Gottlieb Daimler in 1885) entered the market and in 1895, the DeDion-Buton company of France designed a lightweight, 4-stroke combustion engine which allowed the mass production of motorcycles. This was rapidly copied by Harley-Davidson and Indian and American motorcycle companies quickly made up for lost time.

Anyone with information about Mr. Ward and/or the location of his shop is invited to contact the Library.

Further reading in the Hewlett-Woodmere collection:

• Herlihy, David V. Bicycle: the history. (Yale, 2004).
• The noblest invention : an illustrated history of the bicycle / by the editors of Bicycling magazine (St. Martin's,
  2003).
• Woodforde, John. The Story of the Bicycle. (Routledge, 1970)

From our Historic newspapers: (New York Times requires ProQuest login):

• "Brooklyn Wheelmen in Freeport" Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 22, 1895, p. 4
• "Brooklyn's First Cycle Club." The New York Times, June 11, 1894, p. 3.
• Doings of the Cyclers, The New York Times, April 26,1896, p. 12.
• "Not Solely for Bicyclers: facts about the Wheelmen of New York." The New York Times, August 5, 1883, p.10
• "Gossip of the Cyclers: Brakes on Bicycles to be the rule next year." The New York Times,November 29, 1896, p. 7.

From other Internet sources:

• A brief History of Bicycling from the Bicycle Museum, Orchard Park, NY
• Early bicycles from the Bicycle Cultural Center
• History of the Motorcycle
• Motorcycle Mania: origins of the motorcycle
• The Bicycle Uniform from Head to Foot" from The Wheelman (1994).
• League of American Bicyclists
  

Woodmere Woods

Photo: Max Hubacher (from the H-WPL collection)

In 1956, as the need for housing transformed Nassau County's landscape, the last remaining area of natural woodland in southwest Nassau was the subject of a tug-of-war between residents, conservation groups and land developers.

Woodmere Woods, over 100 acres of woodland bordered by Peninsula Boulevard and Mill Road, was originally part of the Long Island Water Corporation's watershed property. a much larger tract that

"extended from just a few blocks north of the railroad line in Hewlett and Woodmere, straight across woodland and marsh, field and farm, to Rosedale. There was one cinder road that wound through a fine woodland; beyond the waterworks what is now Hungry Harbor Road was a dusty track between farmlands." (-- Robert S. Arbib, Jr.)

Though generations of residents had used the area for camping, hiking, bird-watching and horseback riding, in 1956 it was discovered that Lawrence Lever of Rockville Centre had the option to buy the property and develop it for housing, apartments and a shopping center. A local group, the Woodmere Woods Conservation Committee, organized to petition the Town of Hempstead to purchase the property and turn it into a park.

Photo: Ethel Dubois (from the H-WPL collection)

Two years later, an article in The New York Times highlighted the housing development and its 318 homes, Hewlett Park. The Peninsula Shopping Center now stands on the site where Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts once had camping weekends and the Linnean Society sponsored nature walks.

In an article in Newsday, film maker Jonathan Demme remembered the Woodmere Woods of his youth:

`It characterized the Long Island I knew growing up - vast tracts of nature you just walked into and maybe never encountered anybody while you were bird-watching or pretending to be an Indian. ... I would love to find it again. But I'm afraid to look, because there are probably houses where Woodmere Woods stood when I was a boy more than 40 years ago.''

Further information:
Arbib, Robert. The Lord's Woods: the passing of an American woodland. New York : W.W. Norton, 1971.

By BYRON PORTERFIELD Special to The New York Times. "L.I. GROUP SET UP TO SAVE A WOOD :Park District Proposed for 118-Acre Woodmere Area in Southwest Nassau Residents Form Committee Petitions the First Step." New York Times (1857-Current file), December 10, 1956,

"Modern Sunroom Adjoins Bedrooms :Sun Room Creates Informal Living Area in Long Island Split-Level." New York Times (1857-Current file), August 17, 1958, http://www.proquest.com/

NATALIE G. RESSNER "OPINION :High in the Saddle, High on Life." New York Times (1857-Current file), July 22, 2001, http://www.proquest.com/

Joseph Gelmis, "Jonathan Demme" in Long Island: Our Town, Newsday.com

"FADS IN HOUSES GO ABOUT IN CIRCLES :Cape Cod Capitulates to the Split-Level, Which Bows to the Colonial, Etc.." New York Times (1857-Current File), May 31, 1959, http://www.proquest.com/

The Election of 1952

As the presidential election of 1952 approached, the Cold War was a grave concern for Americans. U.S. troops were engaged in a bloody conflict in Korea; Egypt's King Farouk was ousted by a military coup. King George VI had died, leaving his 25-year old daughter as Queen of England. Senator Joseph McCarthy had been conducting his infamous hearings on Communists in the United States.

Eisenhower campaign button
(from the Hudson (OH) Library & Historical Society)

The incumbent president, Harry S. Truman, declined to run for another term. The Democratic party then chose Adlai Stevenson, the intellectual, moderate governor of Illinois to lead its ticket and Sen. John Sparkman of Alabama, a conservative segregationist for its Vice Presidential candidate.

World War II hero, General Dwight David Eisenhower, after being courted by both parties, agreed to run on the Republican ticket, with Richard Nixon as his running mate. Nixon was almost dropped from the ticket, amid allegations of financial misconduct. He attempted to ingratiate himself to the fledgling television audience with his "Checkers" speech and remained on the ticket. Eisenhower, shown here on October 28, 1952 in Lynbrook during a campaign sweep of Nassau County, carried 39 of the 48 states in a landslide victory.

Photo: Max Hubacher (from the H-WPL Local History Collection)

1952 Facts

• World series: NY Yankees defeated Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3)
  
• NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers defeated New York Knickerbockers (4-3)


• The Today Show debuted on NBC with it's host, Dave Garroway

• Movies: Singin' in the Rain, High Noon, The Greatest Show on Earth, Moulin Rouge, The African Queen
  
• Books: Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man; Ernest Hemingway: The Old Man and the Sea; Bernard Malamud: The Natural; Flannery O'Connor: Wise Blood

• Pulitzer prizes: Fiction: Herman Wouk: The Caine Mutiny; Music: Gail Kubik: Symphony Concertante; Drama: Joseph Kramm: The Shrike

• Academy award, Best Picture: An American in Paris
• Nobel Peace Prize: Albert Schweitzer
• Economics:

1st Class stamp: $.03
Federal debt: $259.1 billion
Unemployment: 3.3%
Average annual salary: $3515
Cost of a gallon of gas: $.20
Average cost of a house: $9,050
Average cost of a car: $1,700







Further Information:

Books of interest at the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library

From our Online Databases: (requires login)

• Mayer, George H. "Eisenhower, Dwight David." Encyclopedia Americana. 2008. Grolier Online. 11 Oct. 2008

http://ea.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0139680-00

• Kirkendall, Richard S. "Stevenson, Adlai Ewing ." Encyclopedia Americana. 2008. Grolier Online. 11 Oct. 2008 http://ea.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0370270-00

• "The Campaign" The New York Times, November 2, 1952, p. E1.

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=93588127&sid=1&Fmt=10&clientId=13364&RQT=309&VName=HNP

• Web Sites

The People History: 1952
Fifties Web: 1952
Wikipedia article on the election of 1952

The Holly Arms Inn, Hewlett, NY

Long Island has always been known as a summer recreational area for New Yorkers. The 80-room Woodsburg Pavilion, built by Samuel Wood in 1870 quickly expanded to 250 rooms and attracted wealthy vacationers to the area for its proximity to ocean and bay swimming and sailing, the Rockaway Hunt Club, local yacht clubs and theatre. The success of the Pavilion encouraged the development of the Hewlett and Woodsburgh areas (it was not to become "Woodmere" until 1890).

In 1890, Frank G. Holly and his wife, Margaret, opened the Holly Arms Hotel. Located on the corner of Broadway and West Broadway in Hewlett the hotel, which burned down in 1926, attracted such notables as Theodore Roosevelt, singer/actress Lillian Russell, and Diamond Jim Brady.

Diamond Jim Brady

Lillian Russell (courtesy of the Library of Congress)

A 1911 article in The New York Times (August 28, page 1) details a raid on a gambling ring operating out of one of the Holly Arms' guest cottages. While over 300 formally-attired guests attended a dance at the Holly Arms, county detectives carted gambling paraphernalia, including two roulette tables and apparatus for playing craps and faro.

Frank Holly turned the Holly Arms into "one of the largest roadhouses in the country", according to an obituary in the Times of April 25, 1939. The article also states that Holly's influence caused the Pipe Line Boulevard to be named Sunrise Highway, a move which earned Holly the nickname "Sunrise". A self-proclaimed "Long Island ambassador of goodwill", Holly sailed to Florida on his boat Holly III each year and distributed literature advertising Long Island.

Further reading:

• Gambling broken up at Hewlett Casino, The New York Times, August 28, 1911, p. 1.

• "Holly knew many notables." The New York Times, April 25, 1939, p. 29.

• Silver, Karen. "Five Towns, the Hamptons of the 19th Century." Nassau Herald, July 23, 1992, p.6B

• Story of the five towns: Inwood, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere & Hewlett, Nassau County, Long Island. s.l. : Nassau Daily Review-Star, 1941, p. 65.

Local Fire Departments

Local volunteer fire departments have always been a mainstay of Long Island communities. The Hewlett Fire Department has provided volunteer service to the community since 1891. The picture below shows Empire Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 of Woodmere, about 1905. The Nassau County Firemen's Association was founded in 1903 and since then Nassau County summers have been punctuated with parades and tournaments which spotlight the friendly competition between neighboring fire departments.

A 1909 article in The New York Times recounts how 20,000 people assembled to view a parade of 4,000 firemen to the Fulton Field area of Hempstead (near Hempstead Town Hall).

The accompanying picture was taken June 19, 1950 at the 40th Annual Nassau County Firemen's Association Tournament, held on the tournament grounds at Prospect and Union Avenues. An article in the June 16th issue of the Nassau Herald portrays the expected festivities:

"Some 45 departments will be represented in line of march together with 40 bands and a total of over 3300 men and women and 175 fire engines. The marchers will assemble on the corner of Prospect Ave. and Broadway. Grant Park, Hewlett and will parade on Broadway to Franklin Place, Woodmere, pass a reviewing stand at the corner of Hartwell Place and Broadway and return to the tournament grounds ..."

Attending dignitaries included Grand Marshall George Metzler, former chief of the Hewlett Fire Department; Superintendent of School District 14 Chauncey Ogden; County Executive J. Russel Sprague, and local clergy.

Links

Hewlett Fire Department

Woodmere Fire Department

Nassau County Firemen's Association