Hamlet of West Babylon (Town of Babylon History Book, Chapter 11)
Town of Babylon History Book - Hamlet of West Babylon (chapter 11; April 2025)
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Hamlet of West Babylon
History Highlights
The first West Babylon school was erected in the early 1800s, on Montauk Highway near Great East Neck Road. Poet Walt Whitman taught at the local school during the winter of 1836, while his family lived on a nearby farm (the site of which is now the Great South Bay Shopping Center).[1]
The Great South Bay Shopping Center debuted in 1956.[2] As pictured, stores included Abraham & Straus department store, Grand Union grocery store, and Pergament home store.
 |
| A Babylon Railroad trolley car, circa 1915 (left). The trolley appears to have a snowplow fastened to the front. Above the front windows is a “Great East Neck Rd” sign and on the side is an “Amityville” sign, indicating that the trolley was headed west, toward Amityville. Image courtesy of the Lindenhurst Historical Society. At right, an advertisement for the Belmont Junction station, excerpted from Long Island And Where To Go, complied by the LIRR, 1877. |
Starting around 1874, a branch of the
Central Railroad of Long Island joined with the Long Island Rail Road near the
intersection of Great East Neck Road and Railroad Avenue. Known as Belmont
Junction, the railroad operated a freight depot and telegraph station until
1888.[3]
Belmont Junction was also a trolley stop for the Babylon Railroad trolley line
that extended between Amityville and Babylon, from 1910 to 1920.[4]
Many flower farms and nurseries
flourished in the West Babylon area. In 1930, Bulk’s Nursery constructed a
windmill along Montauk Highway to mark the site of their garden center.[5] The
slogan for Bulk’s Nursery was “Where the Windmill Is!” Although the windmill
collapsed by the mid-1980s, the image of a windmill continues to be associated
with West Babylon.
 |
| Bulk’s Nursery, at the southeast corner of Montauk Highway and Bergen Avenue, circa 1960. |
In 1936, actor James Barton opened the
first lighted sports park in Suffolk County, which hosted baseball games and
wrestling matches.[6]
Barton’s Stadium operated during the 1936 and 1937 seasons and is now the site
of Santapogue Elementary School. (More information about Barton Stadium is
available from the Town Historian’s Office.)
 |
| Advertisement for Barton’s Stadium, Lindenhurst Star, August 7, 1936. |
Although it is now the most populous
hamlet in the Town of Babylon, the population of West Babylon was relatively
small until after World War II.
What is a Hamlet?
A hamlet is a community. The Town of Babylon is comprised of ten hamlets
and three incorporated villages. The hamlets are: Copiague Ÿ Deer Park Ÿ East Farmingdale Ÿ North Amityville Ÿ North Babylon Ÿ North Lindenhurst Ÿ West Babylon Ÿ Wheatley Heights Ÿ Wyandanch Ÿ And, the barrier beach communities of Captree Island,
Gilgo Beach, Oak Beach, Oak Island and West Gilgo Beach.
Local governments
in the state of New York include counties, cities, towns and villages. The
communities within Town governments are known as “hamlets.” The term “hamlet”
does not have a legal definition under NYS law, but is used to identify
communities within Towns (such as the Town of Babylon) that are not part of
incorporated villages, sometimes referred to as “unincorporated communities.”
A hamlet does not
have its own government and is under the jurisdiction of its Town for municipal
services (e.g. garbage pick-up, building codes). Causing great confusion …
hamlets have no official boundaries. (Outside of the state of New York, the
term “hamlet” is rarely used.)
Generally, the hamlet of West Babylon is bounded on the west by the
Village of Lindenhurst (Park Avenue on the north side of Montauk Highway and
Neguntatogue Creek on the south side of Montauk Highway). On the east, West
Babylon is bounded by the Village of Babylon (Beechwood Drive on the south side
of the railroad and Little East Neck Road on the north side of the railroad).
North of Sunrise Highway, the boundary between West Babylon and North Babylon
has historically been Little East Neck Road, and the boundary between West
Babylon and North Lindenhurst has historically been Route 109.
Of course, on the
south, West Babylon is bounded by the Great South Bay. Three necks make
up the waterfront of West Babylon – Santapogue Neck,[7] Great East Neck, and part
of Little East Neck – as described in the “Town of Babylon ‘Necks’” section. Reportedly, Santapogue means “a place of
cool water” and Neguntatogue means “abandoned” or “forsaken land.”
A Brief Look at West Babylon
Population
When it separated from the Town of Huntington in 1872, the Town of Babylon had a population of about 3,000 people. The chart below illustrates the population growth of West Babylon and the Town of Babylon.
The largest and fastest increase in population occurred after World War II, commonly referred to as the “Suburban Population Boom.” From 1940 to 1960, the population of the Town of Babylon increased by 485%. The rapid increase of residents brought an increased need for housing, schools, road improvements, stores and commercial developments, and employment. In those short decades, much of the Town of Babylon and its communities changed from rural countryside to suburban neighborhoods.
The left side of this 1873 map – the “pink” area – depicts Town of Babylon School District No. 2, commonly referred to as West Babylon. The old “School No. 2” is labeled to the south side of Montauk Highway, just east of Great East Neck Road. (If you find the words “Little East Neck,” look just above the “L,” and you should see the school.) This map shows only a small part of the community now known a West Babylon. At the time of the map’s creation, the Village of Babylon had not yet incorporated; the different colors denote the school districts. Atlas of Long Island, NY published by Beers, Comstock & Cline, 1873.
West Babylon – the Name, the Zip Code, Etc.
The earliest written evidence of the name
“Babylon” is found in the home of Nathaniel Conklin, built at the corner of
Deer Park Avenue and East Main Street, in 1803. The name is commonly credited
to Phebe Smith Conklin, Nathaniel’s mother, though two differing legends exist.
The first legend purports that she chose the
name from the Bible Psalm “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down.” The
Psalm describes the exile of the Jewish people from Jerusalem during the
Babylonian captivity (perhaps Phebe Conklin felt exiled from her previous
home). However, a more scandalous version suggests that Mrs. Conklin was
unpleased with the proximity of her son’s home to a raucous tavern at the
American House. Referring to the alleged corruption and depravity of Ancient
Babylon described in the Bible, she declared her new community as “another
Babylon!” Nathaniel proclaimed the community a “New Babylon,” and
engraved the name in his chimney stone. The
stone is now exhibited at the Nathaniel Conklin House museum at 280 Deer Park
Avenue, Babylon (the house was moved to that location in 1871).
Instead of “New Babylon,” the name Babylon was adopted. The post office name was changed from Huntington South to Babylon in 1830.
The Nathaniel Conklin House and stone inscribed “New Babylon – This House Built by Nat Conklin 1803.” The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The Nathaniel Conklin House, 280 Deer Park Avenue, Babylon, is now a museum. Images from the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, 1936.
The name “West Babylon” appears to have started as a
general reference to being the western end of Babylon or an area west of
Babylon. The broad area now known as West Babylon, North Babylon and the
Village of Babylon was generally referred to as “Babylon” up through the late
1800s. The incorporation of the Village of Babylon in 1893 established a
municipal boundary between the village and the hamlet of West Babylon, but much
of the area west and north of the Village of Babylon continued to be referenced
as “Babylon,” up until the mid-1900s.
In the decades after World War
II, the rapid population increase and expansion of community facilities –
schools, stores, and businesses – created the individual West Babylon community
identity.
The Babylon Post
Office was established on March 8, 1851, with Nathan E. Bassett as Postmaster,[10] and likely served the areas now known as
West Babylon, North Babylon and the Village of Babylon. In the 1800s and early 1900s, post office operations were
typically conducted from an existing store/office location, and the
merchant/Postmaster received modest compensation for the job.
Up through the
early 1900s, it was common for residents to retrieve their mail from the post
office. For example, in 1905, a letter addressed to “Miss Mary Jackson,
Babylon, New York” or “Babylon, Long Island,” was sufficient to have the letter
delivered to the Babylon Post Office, where it would wait for Miss Jackson to
pick it up. The Babylon Post Office started residential mail delivery in 1909.[11] As the West Babylon community grew, the delivery
area was extended.[12]
A substation of the Babylon Post Office, for West Babylon, was opened on Little
East Neck Road, near Park Avenue, in January 1950.[13]
However, it used the name Babylon, not West Babylon.
In 1951, the West
Babylon Taxpayers Association started a campaign to establish a “West Babylon”
mailing address. (Apparently, residents had been able to use “West Babylon” in
the late 1930s, but the Babylon Postmaster had told West Babylon residents to
use “Babylon,” by 1950-1951.) In writing to the Postmaster General, the WBTA
President, Samuel N. Smith, cited that the West Babylon population was 2,684
people and “We want our West Babylon
addresses back.”[14]
The West Babylon
Post Office moved to the south side of Sunrise Highway, at Burnell Place, in
October 1956. Under the direction of James Perretty, a 25-year postal employee,
16 letter carriers moved from the Babylon Post Office to West Babylon.[15]
Not just in the
Town of Babylon, but across Long Island, the assignment of zip codes can cause confusion
about “where” things are located. In
1963, the U.S. Postal Service introduced the basic 5-digit zip code, across the
country. The West Babylon Post Office was assigned 11704. The zip code assigned
to addresses is based on the post office assigned to deliver the mail, but can
be confused with all of the other facilities associated with an address. Here
are examples of addresses within the West Babylon zip-code and school district.
Including the community of Venetian Shores in the hamlet of West Babylon is confusing to many people. As noted above, the neighborhood is under the jurisdiction of Lindenhurst post office, school/library district and fire department, but the area is not within the Village of Lindenhurst. Therefore, the community is part of the hamlet of West Babylon. For census purposes, the Venetian Shores area is part of the West Babylon Census Designated Place (CDP). Also, a street repair on Granada Parkway, for instance, is not handled by the Village of Lindenhurst but, rather, the Town of Babylon.
West
Babylon School District
Most of our school district boundaries were established in
the mid-1800s. The landscape of our communities changed – from farms and fields
to streets and homes – but school district boundaries largely stayed the same,
with a few exceptions.
Prior to 1872, the school district was known as Town of Huntington School District No. 20, after the Town of Babylon separated from Huntington in 1872, it became known as Town of Babylon School District No. 2,[16] before the name West Babylon Union Free School District was adopted in the early 1900s.
(left) West Babylon’s
second schoolhouse, in its third location, at Elmwood Road and Route 109,
pictured circa 1890. At right, West Babylon students, and their lone teacher,
at the one-room schoolhouse at Elmwood
Road and Route 109, in 1898.
In the article “West Babylon’s First Schools,”[17] Eileen Smith outlined the
history of West Babylon’s early schoolhouses and locations. The first known
school was reportedly built on the north side of Montauk Highway, about 500
feet east of Great East Neck Road (not far from the Montauk Highway entrance to
Stop & Shop); which Ms. Smith found on the 1835 U.S. Coast and Geodetic
Survey Map.
This first school is the one at which Walt Whitman was a
teacher, 1836-1837. Whitman lived with his parents who lived and worked on a
farm that is now part of the Great South Bay Shopping Center, so he did not
live too far away from the school.[18]
In 1871, the second West Babylon school was approved and
built on the south side of Montauk Highway.[19] The one-room schoolhouse
had seats for 30 students. Reportedly, this schoolhouse was later moved to
Muncy Road (south side of Montauk Highway, about a block west) and, moved
again, to Elmwood Road and Route 109 (Farmingdale Road).
By the turn of the 20th century, the one-room schoolhouse was inadequate for the community’s educational needs. In 1906, a one-story concrete-block school was built just south of the present West Babylon High School, on Great East Neck Road near Arnold Avenue.[20] In 1911, the roof was raised and a second story added, and in 1920 the school was expanded with a rear addition.[21] When the Main School was built, the old school was sold.
Progression of the West Babylon School,
1906-1920s. The roof of the one-story building was listed and a second-floor
was added. Later, an addition was built on the back the school.
To accommodate the growing school population, in 1930, a new
brick school, the West Babylon Main School, was opened on the west side of
Great East Neck Road and south of Muncy Avenue.[22] The two-story school had a Neo-Classical
design with tall columns supporting the front portico. The school educated
students up through the 8th-grade (at some point the school went up
through the 10th-grade). By the 1950s, the school was known as the
West Babylon Junior High, before the Old Farmingdale Road school was built.
Deemed an “outdated” building by the early 1980s, the school property was sold
and the building demolished. The old Main School site became the Holiday Square
apartment complex.
The 1939 West Babylon School Band posed on the front
steps of the Main School. Engraved above the front door were the words “Enter
to Learn, Go Forth to Serve.” Those words are displayed in the District’s
Administration Building, where the Board of Education meets. 
The West Babylon Main School, c. 1950 (left) and during its demolition in July 1982 (right).
The 1950s population boom brought many changes to West
Babylon, particularly the need for more school facilities. Prior to the
establishment of a dedicated high school for the West Babylon School District,
students typically attended Babylon High School. The present West Babylon High School occupies
the old Haab family farm, on the west side of Great East Neck Road and Route
109.
School District Mascot – Eagles
School District Colors – Navy Blue and Gold
·
Main School – opened 1930, closed 1977 (demolished
1982)
·
Santapogue Elementary School – opened
1952 [23]
· South
Bay Elementary School – opened 1953 [24]
o
During planning and construction, the
school was referred to as the Great East Neck Road School. The school district
held a naming contest for the new school. The winning name – South Bay School –
was submitted by 11-year-old Alice Boyn; she also received a $25 war bond.[25]
·
Forest Avenue Elementary School – opened
1956 [26], closed 2025 [27]
·
Tooker Avenue Elementary School – opened
1962 [28]
· John
F. Kennedy Elementary School – opened 1964 [29]
o
In December 1963, while the school was
under construction, and just a couple weeks after President Kennedy was
assassinated, the Board of Education passed a resolution to name the new school
in honor of the late President.[30]
·
West Babylon Junior High School – opened
1957 [31]
·
West Babylon Senior High School – opened
1960 [32]
West Babylon Union Free School District, 10
Farmingdale Road, West Babylon, NY 11704
– (631) 376-7000 – www.wbschools.org
Historical
Markers within the Hamlet of West Babylon
West Babylon Public Library
Founded in 1981,
the West Babylon “Friends of the Library” group was the catalyst that brought
forth the West Babylon Public Library. Through fundraising and public awareness
campaigns by the Friends of the Library, residents voted to create a local
library. The West Babylon Public Library opened its doors in September 1983.
 |
| Founding members of the Friends of the West Babylon Public Library; (l-r) bottom row: Ines Verderosa, Joan Haugen, Fran Porro, Ruth Ruymen, Louise Bruno; top row: Kathey Geiger, Barbara Lutz, Joan Bruno, Mary Ann Spinella, Mike Rizzo, Mary DeSimone, Bill Rowe, Carey Realbuto. |
 |
| The West Babylon Public Library, c. 1983. When the library first opened, the other half of the building was a snack food distribution center. So, if you ever attend a library event and there are Lay’s potato chip bags on a snack table, it is a nod to the library’s early neighbor. |
In 2003, the
library building was expanded, and opened in time to celebrate the library’s 20th
anniversary, which included the unveiling of an original sculpture by Laurie
O’Gara Hassels. Before there was a West Babylon Public Library, Ms. Hassels’
mother, Florence O’Gara, had helped to raise awareness for a library with a
bumper sticker that stated “Don’t follow me, I’m looking for the West Babylon
Library!” [35]
West
Babylon Public Library,
211 Route 109, West Babylon, NY 11704 – (631) 669-5445 – www.wbab.suffolk.lib.ny.us
West Babylon Volunteer Fire Department
The West Babylon Volunteer Fire Company organized in 1945. The town of Babylon approved the fire company on September 18, 1945 and the first official meeting was held on November 8, 1945. [36] At that first meeting, the volunteers approved the proposed by-laws and elected officers: President Ellison C. Driscoll, Vice-President Albert E. Kendall, Secretary Townsend E. Driscoll, Treasurer Hugo Avolin, and Trustees Stephen Smith, Max Ottens and James O’Brien. The new company purchased a 6-cylinder, 1944 Chevrolet truck from the War Assets Corporation and a company banner, but it did not yet provide fire protection.
In 1947, the company moved towards creating a fire department, separate from the Babylon Fire Department, and the West Babylon Fire District was approved in 1948.
(left) The fleet of
Station No. 1 in 1954 -- (l-r) 1951 Mack 505, 1944 Army truck, 1951 Mack, 1948
Ford LaFrance, 1952 Cadillac Ambulance, 1948 Maxim Hook and Ladder truck. (right) West
Babylon’s Station No. 2 on Herzel Boulevard, which was established in 1949.
Photos courtesy of the West Babylon Volunteer Fire Department.
 |
| First Chief’s automobile (Chief Joseph Kramarcik), 1956 Buick Special, purchased for $2800 (left). West Babylon Fire Department, 1958 American La France (called “Betsy”). The new truck was christened by Dorothy Reuss (right). |
West
Babylon Volunteer Fire Department,
126 Arnold Avenue, West Babylon, NY 11704 – (631) 669-7165 (non-emergency) – www.westbabylonfd.org
Monuments and Memorials
Several memorials, plaques, and a cannon are located at the
joint American Legion Sergeant John Sardiello Post No. 1634 and VFW Babylon
Memorial Post No. 2192, at 10 Bruce Street.
Established in 1946, the American Legion post was named for Giovanni
“John” Sardiello (1918-1944), who was killed in action in France, during World
War II.
Sgt. John Sardiello Post 1634 --
Historic Cannon Memorial
In Grateful Appreciation We Honor Those
Who Have Contributed Towards This Cannon and Memorial Site – Dedicated November
11, 2004
Special Recognition to New York State
Senator Owen Johnson • Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone • A.M.C. Canvas
Co. • Anthony & Albert Marino • Anthony Melecca • Bill Hudson • Boy Scout
Troop 1634 • Cub Scout Pack 104 • Design Distributors •Dominic A. Linsalatas • Fortis-Volpe
Families Memoriam • George W Caton • Heart of Worship Fellowship Church • In
Memory of Arthur A. Burnett • In Memory of Joseph Stroker • Jay and Karen
Abbondondelo • Joseph M. Abbondondelo III • John & Diane Walpole • Kay and
Jack Hanlon • Ladies Auxiliary Post 1634 • Mr. & Mrs. Charles J. Volpe •
Mr. & Mrs. Edward Lane • Mr. & Mrs. Julius Bostic • Mr. & Mrs.
Michael Panarese • Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Romano Family • Mr. John P. Sainola
Sr. • Mr. V. J. Campisi Past Cmdr. • Ms. Lorraine M. Miller & Jessica •
N.I.P.P. Inc. John Denza • Noce Funeral Home • R. C. S. Property Management LLC
• Richard & Ginny Bodt • Robert S. Schmitt • Shield Property Management •
The Iversen Family • The Paul Buffa Family • The Schillinger Family • The Spano
Family • The Vincino Family • Thomas B. Smith Babylon Historian • W.B. – H.S.
Global Classes 2004 • West Babylon Fire Dept.
_______________________________
In Commemoration of Our Heroes Who Have
Made the Supreme Sacrifice
This Plaque Donated by West Babylon
Lions
Monument Erected by Sgt. John Sardiello
Post 1634 American Legion – Babylon Memorial Post 2192 Veterans of Foreign Wars
– May 6, 1962
_______________________________
In Commemoration of Our Heroes Who Have
Made the Supreme Sacrifice – Donated by Joseph Mastro – Owen H. Johnson – West
Babylon Civic Association –
South Shore Detachment – Marine Corps
League – Sgt. John Sardiello Post 1634
______________________________________
In Memory of Our Deceased Veterans of
All Wars
Donated by Cadman H. Frederick
Town of Babylon Parks and Recreational
Facilities:
Capt. John C. Pape
(left). At right, the re-dedication of Capt. John C. Pape Memorial Park,
October 28, 2017.
Capt.
John C. Pape Memorial Park, Old Farmingdale Road
Formerly known as the North Street Ballfield, the 12-acre park was
renamed in 1970, by the
Babylon Town Board. [37] The park honors Capt. John C. Pape, who was a
graduate of West Babylon High School, Class of 1961, and served 6 years in the
U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division, before he was killed in action
in Vietnam, May 18, 1969.
Park facilities include football and junior baseball fields, a
playground, restrooms and free Wi-Fi access.
Van
Bourgondien Park, Albin Avenue
The 19-acre park is named for the family who previously owned the
parkland and operated a well-known flower growing business – Cornelius and
Clara Van Bourgondien. Suffolk County purchased the property in the 1970s and
the Town of Babylon contracted to manage the public park in the 1980s.[38]
In 2019, the renewed playground at Van Bourgondien Park was named for
Det. Peter Figoski, an NYPD officer who was killed in the line of duty, in
2011.[39]
Park facilities include soccer fields, tennis courts, a playground,
restrooms and free Wi-Fi access.
Scott Park, Junction Avenue and 3rd
Street
Park
facility with basketball courts and playground.
Anthony Sanchez Memorial Park and Pool, Sawyer Avenue and Bedell
Road
 |
| Baseball game, Sawyer Avenue Park, 1961 (left). Sawyer Avenue Pool sign, c. 1976 (right). |
This 12-acre park opened in 1962.[40]
Originally known as Sawyer Avenue Pool, the park was renamed on June 24, 1997
in honor of New York City Police Officer Anthony Sanchez who was killed in the
line of duty on May 19, 1997. Sanchez
was a West Babylon resident and a 10-year veteran of the Police Department.[41]
Park facilities include baseball, junior baseball,
and softball fields, basketball and tennis courts, a picnic area, playground,
restrooms, swimming facility and free Wi-Fi access.
The pool facility has handicap accessible
ramp, children’s pool, restrooms, changing area, showers, shade arbor, lounge
chairs, tables with umbrellas, and Wi-Fi access.
The old Sawyer Avenue Pool, 1962. Swim caps, like these stylish examples, were a public pool requirement in the 1960s.
Venetian
Shores Beach and Spray Park, Granada Parkway, Lindenhurst
The 26-acre bay-front park takes its name from the
residential home development named Venetian Shores, which started in 1926.[42]
Park facilities include softball fields, turf fields
for football/soccer, basketball and tennis courts and a roller hockey rink.
This facility also includes a boat launching ramp, picnic area, playground,
restrooms, beach swimming, Spray Park, fishing, food services and free Wi-Fi
access.
The spray park is a Resident Only bay beach facility with interactive spray park, restrooms, playground, concession, picnic area with grills, and Wi-Fi access.
Venetian Shores Beach
Pavilion, 1958 (left). Venetian Shores Beach
Pavilion, circa 2005 (right).
1. Walt Whitman’s America: a cultural biography, by David S. Reynolds,
Alfred Knopf: New York, 1995, p. 56-57.
2. “$2 Million Martin’s Store
1st to Open in Huge Project,” Newsday,
August 11, 1956, p. 15; Advertisement, “Opening Celebration Days of the Great
South Bay Center,” Newsday, September
21, 1956, p. 82; “A&S to Open Huge Babylon Store Tomorrow,” Newsday, October 8, 1957, p. 7c.
3. “Railroad Echoes,” Suffolk County News, September 29, 1888,
p. 2.
4. “Town Topics,” South Side Signal, July 10, 1914, p. 5;
“Trolley Franchise Hearing is Held,” South
Side Signal, June 25, 1920, p. 1
5. “Jac Bulk Is Having A New
Dutch Windmill Constructed,” Lindenhurst
Star, November 9, 1929, p. 8; “West Babylon News of Interest,” Lindenhurst Star, February 28, 1930, p.
2; “Bulk’s Windmill Office A Real Land Mark,” Lindenhurst Star, March 14, 1930, p. 4.
6. “Night Games at Barton
Stadium,” Lindenhurst Star, May 29,
1936, p. 12; “Barton Stadium Is Officially Opened,” Lindenhurst Star, June 12, 1936, p. 11.
7. The Indian Place-Names On Long Island and Islands Adjacent,
with Their Probable Significations, by William Wallace Tooker, G.P. Putnam’s Sons: New York, 1911. Please note: Spellings and
pronunciations of Long Island Native American words and names are subjective
and typically determined by community residents. The Native Americans of Long
Island had a spoken language, and records kept by Colonists, starting in the
1600s, contained interpretations of the Native American language. The European
settlers typically used phonetic spellings, which often differed among
documents and writers. The meanings of Native American words can also differ
among historians and researchers.
8. The estimated 1950 population figure was derived
from a 1951 newspaper article; “W. Babylon Civics Want Right Address,”
Newsday, June 18, 1951, p. 18.
9. Population from
"Historical Population of Long Island Communities, 1790-1980: Decennial
Census Data,” compiled and edited by State University of New York at Stony
Brook Library and Long Island Regional Planning Board, August 1982.
10.
Ancestry.com. U.S., Appointments
of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations,
Inc., 2010.
11. “R.F.D. Appointment.
William S. Johnson, Jr., Has Been Appointed on Babylon Route No. 1,” Brooklyn Times Union, May 1, 1909, p.
10.
12. “Man Shortage Hits Mails,”
Newsday, July 6, 1945, p. 10;
“Babylon P.O. Extends Mail Delivery,” Newsday,
September 3, 1948, p. 7.
13. “Post Office Business,” Newsday, January 18, 1950, p. 70.
14. “W. Babylon Civics Want
Right Address,” Newsday, June 18,
1951, p. 18.
15. “Post Office Rites Set at
W. Babylon,” Newsday, September 28,
1956, p. 29.
16. “Renumbering the School
Districts of Babylon,” South Side Signal,
March 30, 1872, p. 2.
17. “West
Babylon’s First Schools” by Eileen Smith, Long
Island Forum, September 1980, p. 192-193.
18. Walt Whitman’s America: a cultural biography, by David S. Reynolds,
Alfred Knopf: New York, 1995, p. 56-57.
19.
“The people of school district No. 20 …,” South Side Signal, October 28, 1871, p.
2.
20. “West Babylon School,” Brooklyn Times Union, May 30, 1906, p.
7; “Babylon Local Record,” South Side
Signal, September 8, 1906, p. 3.
21. “Will Raise School
Building,” South Side Signal, June
23, 1911, p. 1; “West Babylon,” South
Side Signal, April 2, 1920, p.1.
22. “School Proposed At West
Babylon,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March
19, 1929, p.3; “West Babylon Votes $250,000 Schoolhouse,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 30, 1929, p. 18.
23. “Commissioner Commits,” Newsday, December 26, 1951, p. 15S (cornerstrone);
“Santapogue School Opens Doors to West Babylon Pupils On September 10,” Lindenhurst Star, Sepatmeber 5, 1952, p.
5’ “Formal Dedication Ceremonies of the Santapogue School Set for
Tuesday,” Lindenhurst Star, June 4,
1953, Sec 2, p. 5.
24. “South Bay School To Be
Ready For New Students Upon School Opening, Sept. 9,” Lindenhurst Star, August 13, 1953, Sec. 2, p. 2.
25. “South Bay School,” Newsday, January 29, 1953, p. 23.
26. “Start School in W.
Babylon,” Newsday, May 20, 1955, p.
24; “Cornerstone Rites,” Lindenhurst Star, September 16, 1955, p. 5.
27. “West Babylon board of
education votes to close Forest Avenue Elementary School,” by Darwin Yanes, Newsday, February 12, 2025, newsday.com.
28. “W. Babylon Voters OK New
School,” Newsday, December 1, 1960,
p. 41; “W. Babylon Maps New School Plan,” Newsday,
December 13, 1961, p. 28 (under construction).
29. “News Briefs – West
Babylon,” Newsday, August 26, 1964,
p. 13C.
30.
“News
Briefs – West Babylon,” Newsday,
December 13, 1963, p. 19C.
31. “W. Babylon Meets ON 3
Million School Plan,” Newsday,
October 11, 1954, p. 22; “Junior High Cornerstone Put in Place,” Babylon Leader, August 22, 1957, Sec.2,
p. 4; “$2 Million Sr. High Asked in W. Babylon,” Newsday, August 27, 1957, p. 13; “W. Babylon Opening Junior High,”
by Thomas Collins, Babylon Leader, August
29, 1957, p. 1, 8.
32. “District Oks West Babylon
High School,” Newsday, November 20, 1957,
p. 14; “Suffolk News Calendar – West Babylon,” Newsday, December 11, 1959, p. 9C (cornerstone).
33. “A trip to Babylon’s
past,” by Denise M. Bonilla, Newsday, June 12, 2010, p. A10.
34. “Leaving
their Markers,” by Denise M. Bonilla, Newsday,
May 8, 2018, p. A25.
35. “West Babylon – Library
Celebration,” Newsday, August 31, 2003,
p. G37; “Loyalty, by the Book,” Newsday,
September 21, 2003, p. G2; “A renovated bookworm haven,” by Jennifer Smith, Newsday, March 28, 2004, p. G34.
36. “Fire Department Is Formed
at West Babylon,” Suffolk County News,
October 5, 1945, p. 9; “Certificates of Incorporation,” County Review, October 18, 1945, p. 10; “County Board Takes Up Many
Matters,” Long Islander, January 17,
1946, p. 11.
37. John Charles Pape was
raised in West Babylon and graduated West Babylon High School in 1961. In the
1961 West Babylon High School yearbook Pape appeared on several pages – as a
noted art student, for participation in stage crew, and as a baseball player. After
graduation, following the example of his father Charles who had served during
World War II, he joined the Army. His younger brother Donald later answered the
call to service, joining the Navy.
After
serving one tour in Vietnam, John Pape returned home for leave in 1967. The
local news touted the achievements of then Lieutenant Pape noting that “he
served with the 1st Air Cavalry Division as a Rifle Company
Commander … received the Army Commendation Medal, Air Medal, the 1st
and 2nd Award of Bronze Star for Valor … the Purple Heart [and
would] be receiving the Silver Star” when he reported to Fort Wadsworth, Staten
Island, after his leave. They also reported that he intended to make the Army
his career.
John
Pape returned to Vietnam where he was promoted to Captain and by all accounts
served with honor and distinction. Writing in 2006, William Hawkinberry posted
a tribute to his friend with whom he had graduated from Officer Candidate
School in 1965: “John was a hard-driving Platoon Leader, but never asked his
men to do something that he would not do.”
While serving in the Quang Tin Province of Vietnam, Captain John C. Pape
was killed in action. He left behind not only his parents, two brothers and a
sister, but a wife and two young children.
In
May 1970, Town of Babylon Councilmen Rowland Scott and Patrick Waters offered
the following resolution:
WHEREAS,
the late CAPTAIN JOHN C. PAPE, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. Pape of West
Babylon, died in the service of his country May 18, 1969 on a second voluntary
tour of duty in Vietnam, and
WHEREAS,
CAPTAIN PAPE, holder of The Silver Star, The Bronze Star and numerous other
decorations, distinguished himself by his gallantry and valor,
NOW,
THEREFORE, be it RESOLVED that after consultation with the Sgt. John Sardiello
Post, American Legion, the Town Board does hereby authorize the field known
only as “North Field” at North Street in West Babylon, be dedicated on Memorial
Day, May 30, 1970, as “THE CAPTAIN JOHN C. PAPE MEMORIAL FIELD” in memory of
Captain Pape, and in recognition of the sacrifices made by all the brave men
from the Town of Babylon who have given their lives in the service of their
country. Unanimously adopted.
His name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,
in Washington, DC, on Panel 24W, Line 49.
38. “Van Bourgondien Property
To Become A County Park,” Babylon Beacon,
July 3, 1980, p. 1; “After Five Years, Park Plan is Okd,” by Kristen Kelch,” Newsday, March 3, 1984, p. 11; “Property
Redemption Bill Approved,” by Rick Brand,” Newsday,
September 24, 1986, p. 21.
39. “Gunned Down: Wanted man
kills NYPD cop in Brooklyn,” by Emily Ngo and Chau Lam, Newsday, December 13, 2011, p. A3-4; “LI neighbors in harm’s way,”
by John Valenti and Olivia Winslow, Newsday,
December 13, 2011, p. A4; Playground dedicated to fallen NYPD Det. Peter
Figoski,” by Craig Schneider, Newsday,
July 27, 2019, www.newsday.com.
40. “Warm Spring Brings Early
Swim Season,” Newsday, May 25, 1962,
p. 32; “News Briefs – Babylon,” Newsday,
July 3, 1962, p. 17C.
41. “Murder of a Cop – City
officer from LI shot dead in battle with robber,” by Michele Salcedo, Newsday, May 20, 1997, p. A3, A50;
“’Excellent Family Man’,” by Olivia Winslow, Newsday, May 20, 1997, p.
A3; “Park Renamed to Honor Slain City Cop,” Newsday,
Niraj Warikoo, Newsday, June 26,
1997, p. A29.
42. “Venetian Shores Is A Beautiful Development,” The Chat, May 22, 1926, p. 58; Advertisement, “Make Your Reservation Now! Venetian Shores,” The Brooklyn Standard Union, June 3, 1926, p. 2.
