Hamlet of Wyandanch (Town of Babylon History Book, Chapter 13)

Town of Babylon History Book - Hamlet of Wyandanch (chapter 13; July 2025)

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Hamlet of Wyandanch

History Highlights

The rural community grew after the arrival of the Long Island Rail Road’s Main Line in 1842. Then known as West Deer Park, the first railroad depot was built in 1875.[1] The LIRR changed the name to Wyandance, in 1889.[2] Some say that the name change was to dismiss confusion with the station in Deer Park, while others contend that the request came from the Wyandance Brick Company. By the early 1900s, both the railroad and post office were designated Wyandanch.

The Wyandanch railroad station, circa 1910.

A brick from the Wyandance Brick & Terracotta Co. Image courtesy of Robert and Geraldine Marcor.

Industry developed, particularly the manufacturing of bricks which were made from the natural clay and sand in the lower Half Hollow Hills. The natural clay and sand in the lower hills were found to be ideal for brick making. By the late 19th Century, more than 1.6 million bricks were produced each year from regional brick yards, and shipped by rail for use in New York City.[3]

As a small rural community in the 1800s, Wyandanch children attended the schoolhouse in nearby Deer Park. As the population grew, a new school was opened in 1912, on the grounds of the present Wyandanch Public Library.[4]

Parade for dedication of Wyandanch Fire Department at Straight Path, 1959.                                   Images courtesy of Thomas Cronogue.

Geiger Park was gifted to the Town of Babylon by real estate investor William Geiger, whose developments included Wheatley Heights Estates and Colonial Springs Park.[5]

Map of Wyandanch, 1915. Atlas of Part of Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, South Side – Ocean Shore, Volume One; Published by E. Belcher Hyde, 1915.

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 • Deer Park • East Farmingdale • North Amityville • North Babylon • North Lindenhurst • West Babylon • Wheatley Heights • Wyandanch • 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 Wyandanch is bounded on the east by the Carll River, which runs through Geiger Lake, and on the north by Nicolls Road/Main Avenue. On the south, the delineation between Wyandanch and North Babylon is not clearly defined. Edison Avenue, Cumberbach Street – between Straight Path and Mount Avenue, and Wyandanch Avenue – east of Mount Avenue, approximate the southern boundary. From a historical perspective, regardless of zip code designations, and the western boundary is Wellwood Avenue, although the dominant existence of cemeteries can give an impression that Little East Neck Road is the western edge.

The area bounded by Wellwood Avenue (west), Patton Avenue (north), Little East Neck Road (east) and Edison Avenue (south) was historically known as “Sheet 9.” The name came from the mapping of property owned by Abby and Thomas Wellwood and Charles Schleier, who developed the “City of Breslau,” the 1870 community that became Lindenhurst. Historically, “Sheet 9” was considered part of the Wyandanch community. Today, the old parcel is split between the school districts for Wyandanch and West Babylon and is largely served by the West Babylon Post Office.

The present Wheatley Heights community was historically identified as part of the hamlet of Wyandanch up through the mid-1900s. The two hamlets share the same base zip-code, 11798, but the establishment of the Post Office Sub-Station in 1974 established the Wheatley Heights community name and identity.[6] 

A Brief Look at Wyandanch 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 Wyandanch and the Town of Babylon.

Since 1990, Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights have been separate CDPs. Censuses up through 1980 used a CDP that included both communities, making it appear that the population of Wyandanch decreased, but it was actually a change in the area in which residents were counted.

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.

Wyandanch – the Name, the Zip Code, Etc. 

The community of Wyandanch is the only one in the Town of Babylon to be named for a real person. The name Wyandanch refers to the 17^th century Sachem, or Chief, named Wyandanch, who is believed to have been born around 1615 in Montauk, the east end of Long Island, and have died in 1658 around Long Island City, the western part of Long Island.

Plaque displayed at the Wyandanch train station: “Wyandanch (c.1615-1658) was a leader of the Montaukett Indians on eastern Long Island, referenced in many land agreements with 17^th century European settlers. In 1889, the LIRR honored Sachem Wyandanch in bestowing the name to the station previously known as West Deer Park.”

While there are no drawings of Chief Wyandanch from his lifetime, Shinnecock artist David Bunn Martine created this interpretation of the Sachem’s appearance. 

Sachem Wyandanch is referenced in many land documents with the European settlers in the 1600s. Contrary to local legends, there is no evidence that Chief Wyandanch ever resided in the community named for him, nor was there a band of Native Americans known as “the Wyandanch.”

Huntington Town Records recorded at least nine different spellings of “Wyandanch” between 1642 and 1659, including: Waiandance, Waindance, Wayandanch, Weandance, Weyrinteynich, Wiantanse, Wyandance, and Wyandanch. Reportedly, the name Wyandanch could be interpreted as “the wise speaker.”[8]

Located in the lower portion of the Half Hollow Hills, the present community of Wyandanch was previously known as West Deer Park. The name Deer Park came into use when the Long Island Rail Road established one of its first depots there, in 1842. Being to the west of Deer Park, the name West Deer Park was assigned to the railroad depot established around 1875.[9] Reportedly, this was followed by years of confusion and complaints by railroad travelers that mistakenly got off the train in West Deer Park when they had intended to go to Deer Park.

To reduce the station confusion and create a unique identity for the western station, the LIRR made the following announcement:

Announcement of the new railroad station name, published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 30, 1888.

Wyandance …, not a typo. As referenced above, that was one of the many interpretive spellings of the Chief’s name. Both Wyandance and Wyandanch were used throughout the 1800s in Long Island newspapers, which frequently wrote stories about the European Colonists and their transactions with the Native Americans. However, by the early 1900s, the spelling Wyandanch, became the preference.

The Wyandanch General Store, which also housed the local post office, pictured c. 1910.

The Long Island Rail Road appears to have influenced, or changed, the names of many communities, including Massapequa (formerly South Oyster Bay) and Copiague (formerly East Amityville). In many instances, a Post Office typically named itself after the local railroad station, and vice-versa.

Not just in the Town of Babylon, but across Long Island, the assignment of zip codes can cause confusion about “where” things are located. The West Deer Park Post Office was established on August 23, 1875, with George W. Conklin as Postmaster. The post office name was changed to Wyandance on December 30, 1888 and to Wyandanch on February 11, 1903.[10]  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 pick up their mail from the post office. For example, in 1905, a letter addressed to “Miss Mary Jackson, Wyandanch, New York” or “Wyandanch, Long Island,” was sufficient to have the letter delivered to the Wyandanch Post Office, where it would wait for Miss Jackson to pick it up. The Wyandanch Post Office introduced residential mail delivery in 1958.[11]

In 1963, the U.S. Postal Service introduced the basic 5-digit zip code, across the country. The Wyandanch Post Office was assigned 11798. 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, as illustrated by the sample addresses.

Contrary to local myth, the community of Wheatley Heights has never been part of the Wyandanch School District. The two communities share a zip-code, 11798, however, the area now known as Wheatley Heights has been part of the Half Hollow Hills School District since the mid-1800s. When the Town of Babylon separated from the Town of Huntington, in 1872, the town dividing line ran through an existing school district, creating a sometimes confusing situation where Town of Babylon residents (Wheatley Heights) were in a school district based in the Town of Huntington (Half Hollow Hills).

This 1873 shows the red division line between the towns of Babylon and Huntington. The Half Hollow Hills School District appears on both sides of the line, in green. The old Wyandanch-Deer Park School District, in pink, is shown stretching from the Wellwood Avenue on the west to the Islip Town border on the east. Atlas of Long Island, NY published by Beers, Comstock & Cline, 1873.

Wyandanch School District

Up until 1923, the current Wyandanch and Deer Park School Districts were one school district known as Town of Babylon School District No. 7. Prior to the 1872 creation of the Town of Babylon, the school district was known as Town of Huntington School District No. 24.[12] The first schoolhouse for the old School District No. 7 was most likely a one-room design built in the mid-1800s, on Deer Park Avenue. Students from the western part of the old school district traveled to a schoolhouse at the eastern end of the district, in Deer Park, before a schoolhouse was opened on Straight Path, Wyandanch, in 1912.[13] The old school site is occupied by the present Wyandanch Public Library.

A postcard view of the Wyandanch schoolhouse opened in 1912 (left). The Wyandanch Public School, c. 1940 (right).

A few years after the 1923 district division,[14] a new brick school was built. Opened in 1937, the Wyandanch Public School was built on the east side of Straight Path, further south than the first school.[15] The building was subsequently expanded and is presently the School District Administration Building.[16]

The 1950s population boom brought many changes to Wyandanch, particularly the need for more school facilities. Prior to the establishment of a dedicated high school for the Wyandanch School District, students typically attended high schools in Babylon or Lindenhurst.

School District Mascot – Warriors

School District Colors – Green and White

·    Martin L. King Jr. Elementary School (formerly Mount Avenue Elementary School) – opened 1956 [17]

o   The school was renamed in 1968, honoring the Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

·   Lafrancis Hardiman Elementary School – opened 1999 [18]

o   PFC LaFrancis Hardiman, a graduate of Wyandanch Memorial High School Class of 1966, was killed in action in the Vietnam War, November 13, 1967.[19]

·   Milton L. Olive Middle School – opened 1966 [20]

o   Just 16 days before his 19^th birthday, PFC Milton L. Olive was killed in action in the Vietnam War, October 22, 1965. Milton threw himself on the grenade, sacrificing his life and saving four others. For his heroic actions, Milton L. Olive was awarded, posthumously, the Congressional Medal Honor, our country’s highest military honor. PFC Milton L. Olive was the first African-American recipient of the Medal of Honor, from the Vietnam War.[21]

·   Wyandanch Memorial High School – opened 1961 [22]

o   The "memorial" name is highlighted by a plaque in the main foyer, which reads: “Dedicated to all the members of the community who served in the Armed Forces of our country.” 

Wyandanch Union Free School District – 1445 Straight Path, Wyandanch, NY 11798 – (631) 870-0400 – www.wyandanch.k12.ny.us

 

Wyandanch Public Library

Efforts to open a public library in Wyandanch began in 1973 when the Wyandanch Community Development Corporation established a Library Committee, comprised of Joyce Bagnall, Delia Burnett, Geraldine Diggs, Sister Carol Kenz, Maria Lightner, Edith Reisner and Barbara Rooks. The following year, 1974, voters approved a referendum to establish a library.[23]

Housed in two leased, temporary buildings, the Wyandanch Public Library opened in January 1976, with Wendell Cherry as Library Director.[24]

The present library building dedicated in April 1989, is on the site of the first schoolhouse built in Wyandanch in 1912.[25] 

Babylon Beacon, January 29, 1976

Wyandanch Public Library – 14 South 20^th Street, Wyandanch, NY 11798 – (631) 643-9664 – www.wyan.suffolk.lib.ny.us  

Wyandanch Fire Department and Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corp

The hamlet of Wyandanch is served by the Wyandanch Fire District and is served by the Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corp.

The Wyandanch Volunteer Fire Company was established in 1925, and the first firehouse was established in 1929.[26] Adjacent to the first firehouse on Straight Path, the second (and present) station opened in 1959. Another station was built on Main Avenue in 1964.

(left) The first Wyandanch firehouse, on Straight Path and South 17th Street. The department’s first piece of equipment was a used Model T Ford fire truck purchased from the Hicksville Fire Department. (right) A 1920s Mack Chemical Combination Pumper, used by the Wyandanch Fire Company.

Wyandanch Volunteer Fire Company – 1528 Straight Path, Wyandanch, NY 11798 – (631) 643-9431 (non-emergency) – www.wyandanchfireco.org

 

The Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corp was established in 1979.[27] A local responders’ team was started in the 1950s by the Martin Kessler VFW Post, and was replaced by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Rescue Squad in the 1970s, prior to the formation of the Ambulance Corp.

The founding members of the Ambulance Corp., pictured in 1989.

Photos courtesy of the Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corp.

Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corp – 295 Merritt Avenue, Wyandanch, NY 11798 – (631) 491-3234 (non-emergency) – www.wwhac.org

Monuments and Memorials   

Veterans Memorial at George Sims Plaza, Straight Path. The plaza was named for Wyandanch resident George Sims around 2001. At the age of 23, Sims was a member of the 377th Ordnance Motor Vehicle unit, a black Army regiment, which was part of the D-Day invasion at Normandy, June 6, 1944.

In Memorial

A. Grey • W. Houston • K. Hurley • E. Johnson • H.L. Johnson, Sr. • W. Powell • C. Pugh • C. Williams • La. F. Hardiman • A. Graham • R. Johnson • C.L. Ridley • R. Walker • W. Johnson • W. Monroe • J. Wickniffe • R. Gholson • W. Speight • R. Thomas • Fred Washington • Henry Washington • Herman Washington • C. White • A. Wilson • W. Bennett • J.R. Smith • J. Houston • B. McClean • J.M. Ellison • G. Sims • D. Bizzle • S. Harper • R. Harris • W. Gaskins • T. Smith • M. Conyard • J. Gholson • F. Horton • G. Johnson • V. Hubbs • W. Scipo • B. Wagner • E. White • W. Mason • D. Kidwell

_______________________________

 

The Wyandanch Honor Roll lists the names of 193 local men and women who served in the war, including five who died in service (marked below with “¶”). At the time that this monument was dedicated, the communities of Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights were identified singly as Wyandanch.

The community Honor Roll is displayed at Martin A. Kessler VFW Post #2912, 19 Colonial Springs Road, Wheatley Heights.

Wyandanch Honor Roll 1943-1947

Erected in Tribute to All the Members of this Community Who Served Our Country.

Thomas A. Brown • ¶ Edward Bulin ¶ • Joseph Bulin • Gerard Bultman • Carlton Busch • Frank Calabrese • William Callaghan • William F. Carberry • Joseph Carpenter • Frank Cioffi • Ralph Cioffi • Carl Class • Major H. Coleman • Rudolph Coleman • Kenneth Cook • Carl F. Cooke • Charles E. Cosey Jr. • Frank Curry • Raymond P. Curry • Charles Davidson • Ralph Davidson • John Delaney • Thomas J. Delaney • William A. Delaney • Edward J. Donahue • James P. Donahue • John W. Donahue Jr. • John E. Donald • Milton H. Dumper • Howard G. Ehlinger • Paul Ehlinger • John Howard Epp • Edgar Evans • Curtis Fabio • Mary M. Farley • ¶ William M. Farley ¶ • Rocco Fazio • Albert Field • Herbert E. Field • Dominic Formica • William A. Franz • Elmer Bolton • Edward Goonan • Frank Goonan • George L. Goonan • Joseph T. Goonan • Jean Gordon • William H. Grant • ¶ Edward H. Green ¶ • Marvin Greenberg • Clarence Gress • Leon J. Guido• John Guido • Robert Hall • ¶ John Halubowitz ¶ • Merrill Hawkins • George F. Henry • Joseph Hikade • Albert J. Hobbs • Irving J. Hogan • Rudolph H. Hogner • Joseph L. Horbert • ¶ Mary M. Iasenzanird ¶ • Dominic F. Idone • James J. Imbragnia •  Edward N. Jacobson • Henry Jahnsen • Leif O. Jahnsen • George Jermusyk • George Johnston • Laurence Johnston • Leonard Johnston • John R. Johnston • James T. Karika • Daniel Kash • William J. Kearney • James S. Kirk • Robert Kirk • Harold Koltzau • Walter L. Kudlicka • John L. Kupetz • Robert Larson • William G. Leacock • Frederick Liedtke • John F. McKenzie • James Mackin • John Mackin • Arthur Mahoney • Martin J. Maloney • Robert E Marcor • Henry C. Marsh • Harry Maske • Joseph Mazza • Raymond Mazza • William Mazza • Lawrence Mennig • John Michno • Chris T. Miller • William C. Miller • Anita L. Moeller • Jack Momperler • Henry J. Moore • Henry C. Mullen • Harold Murphy • John McCarthy • Thomas J. McCormack • Thomas J. McCormack Jr. •John McGuinness • Thomas McGuire • Frank McNally • Robert McNally • Harry A. Neumair • Harry Neumann • Richard Neumann • Harry Norman • Richard K. Norman • Charles Novotny • Herman Nietner • Alfred A. Nyholm • William R. Nyholm • Paul Oberreuter • James P. O’Brien • William J. O’Brien • Theodore Paschalides •Harold Patterson • Richard E. Piggott • Robert D. Pilnatek • Frederick E. Prince • Robert Rattazi • Rocco F. Razzano • Thomas Reilly • William F. Reilly • Anthony J. Rinaldi • Kenneth Ritchie • Lester Roe • Charles Rogers • George L. Rose • Barney Phillip Russo • Benjamin Russo • Eugene H. Ryder • Joseph Ryder • Stephen Ryder • Frederick Schneider • William C. Schnitzer • Betty Shaw • Clarence W. Simerell • George Slater • Mitchell Sofolarides • Charles W. Spady • Jerome F. Spilker • Peter Staudt • Harald F. Strower • John Sutherland • Joseph Taglieri • Frank Troiano • James Troiano • Frederick Ungerer • William Ungerer • Albert Van Nuis • Russell L. Vaughn • Thomas J. Ver Pault • Albert A. Wahlberg • Harry Wahlberg • John O. Wahlberg • Charles Ware • Henry J. Weisheit • Edward G. Welsch • Robert H. Willis • Courtney Wilson • Laclede Wilson • James C. Wilson • John P. Wilson • Russell E. Wilson • Frederick A. Wimmer • Joseph W. Wimmer • Edward G. Winter • John A. Wyckoff • Herbert R. Zirk

_______________________________

 

At the corner of Straight Path and Mount Avenue, a “Wyandanch Welcomes You” sign includes a rider commemorating Wyandanch as the “Home of Actor Daryl ‘Chill’ Mitchell.”

Another performing artist who grew up in Wyandanch is the rapper Rakim, born William Michael Griffin Jr.

 

Historical Markers within the Hamlet of Wyandanch

Town of Babylon Parks and Recreational Facilities

Geiger Lake Memorial Park, Spray Park, Carll’s River Botanical Garden, Grand Boulevard

Park facilities include junior baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, a spray park, picnic area, playground, restrooms, lake fishing and free Wi-Fi access.

Geiger Memorial Park, September 1958 (left).Geiger Park concession stand at Geiger Lake, 1950s (right). Melvin and Kitty Cronogue operated the concession from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s.

William Geiger (1874-1934)[28] was a real estate developer, across Long Island, in the early 1900s, and created suburban home developments in the present communities of Deer Park, Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights. Before his death, William Geiger set aside 23-acres with a lake for the Town of Babylon and its residents.

Spanning the boundaries of Wyandanch and Deer Park, the lake has been known by many names, depending on who owned the property – Deer Park Lake (1892), Colonial Springs Lake (1917), and Wyandanch Lake (1950). The Town of Babylon formally dedicated Geiger Memorial Park in 1957, and the lake is known as Geiger Lake.[29] Geiger Lake is part of the Carll River, which was formed from underground streams to the north. The river flows south from Geiger Lake, through Belmont Lake (North Babylon), Southard’s Pond and Argyle Lake (Babylon), and to the Great South Bay.

 

Wyandanch Park, Mount Avenue

Park facilities include football and junior baseball fields, basketball, handball and tennis courts, a picnic area, playground, restrooms and free Wi-Fi access.

In 2019, the Babylon Town Board passed a resolution for the ceremonious renaming of Wyandanch Park as “Sergeant Robert ‘Bobby’ Brooks Park.”[30] Sgt. Brooks was a graduate of North Babylon High School, Class of 1965, and served in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Army. He was the first African-American 1^st Assistant Chief of the Wyandanch Volunteer Fire Department. He also voluntarily worked to maintain Wyandanch Park.

Wyandanch Park, 1958.

The Rinx at Wyandanch Village, Straight Path

A seasonal ice rink in the Wyandanch Village development, near the railroad station.

 

Wyandanch Senior Nutrition Center, Wyandanch Avenue

As a Nutrition Center, this center provides nutritional lunches for all seniors, including those at other Town senior centers, with a minimum of 100 lunches served daily. The average attendance is 60 to 80 seniors per day. Services include:[31]

• The Food and Nutrition Program (FAN) sponsored by Catholic Charities Food and Nutrition Program
• The Frail and Elderly Program
• The local schools' Inter-generation Program
• The center is also host for the Office of the Mental Retardation Developmental Disability
• The Wyandanch Senior Citizen Nutrition Center also provides:
• Transportation for seniors to the local supermarket and convenience store (Walmart, etc.) every two weeks
• One hour of chair exercise on Mondays and Wednesdays
• Thursday yoga classes
• Daily arts and crafts
• Monthly Senior Center parties/social events
• Computer class Monday through Friday, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
• Access to pool tables, Monday through Friday

---

Hamlet of Wyandanch

[1] “West Deer Park,” South Side Signal, June 5, 1875, p. 2.

[2] “Changed Its Name,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 30, 1888, p. 9; “Long Island Laconics,” Long Island Traveler, January 4, 1889, p. 2.

[3] “West Deer Park,” South Side Signal, June 5, 1875, p. 2; “West Deer Park,” South Side Signal, July 29, 1882, p. 3; Clay Beds – Those that Have Been Opened on Long Island,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, November 12, 1882, p. 1; “Wyandance,” South Side Signal, June 21, 1890, p. 3; “Wyandance,” South Side Signal, January 17, 1894, p. 3.

[4] “New School for Wyandanch,” Babylon Leader, February 23, 1912, p. 8.

[5] Advertisement, “Wheatley Heights Estates,” Elmira Star-Gazette, October 30, 1912, p. 10; “L.I. Springs to be Opened to Public,” Daily News, July 19, 1930, p. 11;“William Geiger,” The New York Times, June 14, 1934, p. 23; “Babylon Dedicates Geiger Park Area,” Long Islander, July 4, 1957, p. 11.

[6] “Postal Name Sparks Feud,” by Joan LoBiondo, Newsday, July 26, 1974, p. 19; “Post Office Name Raises Civic Ire,” by Joan LoBiondo, Newsday, August 11, 1974, p. 19.

[7] 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.

[8] 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.

[9] “West Deer Park,” South Side Signal, June 5, 1875, p. 2.

[10] Ancestry.com. U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

[11] “Grateful Residents Buy Mailman a Cart,” Newsday, August 23, 1958, p. 10.

[12] “Renumbering the School Districts of Babylon,” South Side Signal, March 30, 1872, p. 2.

[13] “Wyandanch Rejoices – Interesting Ceremonies at Breaking of Ground for New School Building on Saturday Last,” South Side Signal, April 26, 1912, p. 1; “To Dedicate New School – Wyandanch Institution Had Offers of Three Pianos,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 27, 1912, p. 5; “Dedicate New School – Children and Officials Take Part in Excellently Rendered Programme at Wyandanch’s Pride,” South Side Signal, October 4, 1912, p. 8.

[14] “Wyandanch,” Babylon Leader, August 17, 1923, p. 2.

[15] “Wyandanch Votes To Build School With PWA Funds,” Brooklyn Times Union, October 18, 1935, p. 18; “Two Long Island Villages Approve Propositions for New School Buildings,” Suffolk County News, October 25, 1935, p. 9; “Wyandanch Gets Extension by PWA To Build School,” Brooklyn Times Union, February 10, 1936, p. 14; “New Elementary School Building is Dedicated at Wyandanch,” Suffolk County News, November 19, 1937, p. 9.

[16] “Wyandanch School Dedicated Tomorrow,” Newsday, June 7, 1950, p. 12.

[17] “Air Wyandanch School Plans Tomorrow,” Newsday, January 10, 1955, p. 16; “Wyandanch School Plans Get Tentative State Okay,” Newsday, January 31, 1955, p. 24; “Wyandanch to Honor King,” Newsday, April 17, 1968, p. 25.

[18] “Martin Luther King Elementary Opens New Wing,” Newsday, September 19, 1999, p. G23.

[19] LaFrancis Hardiman was born May 2, 1948. He had an older sister and would later be joined by two younger brothers. LaFrancis grew up in Wyandanch and graduated from Wyandanch Memorial High School in 1966. “The Wall of Faces” website displays a photo of Hardiman wearing a football uniform with the number “71.”ⁱ

After graduation, LaFrancis joined the Army on September 9, 1966, and he was deployed to Vietnam on March 27, 1967. He was a member of the 173^rd Airborne Brigade, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, B Company. PFC LaFrancis Hardiman died of wounds sustained on Hill 875 in the Battle of Dak To, in the Kontum Providence of South Vietnam, on November 13, 1967. Newsday reported Hardiman’s death on November 21, 1967, along with the deaths of Sgt. Donald E. Kreuscher of North Merrick and Sgt. Robert A. Hartwell of Smithtown, all in the Army.ⁱⁱ The men were described as the 153^rd, 154^th and 155^th Long Island casualties in the Vietnam War. LaFrancis Hardiman was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart, and was interred at Washington Memorial Park, in Mount Sinai. His name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in Washington, DC, on Panel 29E, Line 89. ⁱⁱⁱ  

Hardiman never returned to his hometown, but his hometown did not forget him.  In February 1968, Wyandanch Memorial High School hosted a performance of “The Fantasticks,” in honor of its recent graduate. The musical was a fundraiser for the LaFrancis Hardiman Scholarship Fund, to benefit students exemplifying good citizenship.^iv In 1969, the LaFrancis Hardiman Early Childhood Center opened for pre-kindergarten students.^iv In 1999, the Wyandanch School District built a second elementary school, and named it in his honor – LaFrancis Hardiman Elementary School.

ⁱ “La Francis Hardiman.” The Wall of Faces, www.vvmf.org. Accessed February 4, 2021. ⁱⁱ “3 LIers Killed in Viet; One on Hill at Dak To,” Newsday, November 21, 1967, p. 11. ⁱⁱⁱ “LaFrancis Hardiman.” The Virtual Wall - Vietnam Veterans Memorial, www.virtualwall.org. Accessed February 6, 2021. ^iv “Plan Big New-Impressionist Show,” Newsday, February 2, 1968, p. 3A; “Schools Seek Night Scholars; Courses Offered Are Varied,” Newsday, February 5, 1968, p. 15A. ^v “’Playroom’ Has Eye on the Future,” Newsday, June 14, 1969, p. 11.

[20] “Name LI School for Negro GI Hero,” Newsday, September 28, 1966, p. 3; “Elementary School Dedicated For Medal of Honor Winner,” Newsday, October 3, 1966, p. 25.

[21] Milton Lee Olive was born November 7, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois. In August 1964, at just 17-years-old, he enlisted in the Army and was sent to Vietnam in June 1965. Just a month after his arrival he was injured. Private First Class Olive recovered from his injuries and received a Purple Heart. ⁱ On October 22, 1965, PFC Olive was with his fellow soldiers in a jungle in Phu Cuong when a grenade was thrown at them. Milton threw himself on the grenade, sacrificing his life and saving four others. He died just 16 days before his 19^th birthday. He was buried in West Grove Cemetery, in Lexington, Mississippi, ⁱⁱ where he finished school after leaving Chicago as a young boy.

For his heroic actions, Milton L. Olive was awarded, posthumously, the Congressional Medal Honor, our country’s highest military honor. PFC Milton L. Olive was the first African-American recipient of the Medal of Honor, from the Vietnam War. On April 21, 1966, the presentation was made at the White House to PFC Olive’s parents, Milton and Antoinette Olive, by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Excerpts from President Johnson’s remarks: “There are occasions on which we take great pride, but little pleasure. This is one such occasion. Words can never enlarge upon acts of heroism and duty, but this Nation will never forget Milton Lee Olive III. … The Medal of Honor is awarded for acts of heroism above and beyond the call of duty. It is bestowed for courage demonstrated not in blindly overlooking danger, but in meeting it with eyes clearly open. And that is what Private Olive did. When the enemy's grenade landed on that jungle trail, it was not merely duty which drove this young man to throw himself upon it, sacrificing his own life that his comrades might continue to live. He was compelled by something that's more than duty, by something greater than a blind reaction to forces that are beyond his control. … Milton Olive died in the service of a country that he loved, and he died that the men who fought at his side might continue to live. For that sacrifice his Nation honors him today with its highest possible award.”

The Medal of Honor Citation: “Private First Class Milton L. Olive, III, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty while participating in a search and destroy operation in the vicinity of Phu Cuong, Republic of Vietnam, on 22 October 1965. Private Olive was a member of the 3d Platoon of Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, as it moved through the jungle to find the Viet Cong operating in the area. Although the Platoon was subjected to a heavy volume of enemy gun fire and pinned down temporarily, it retaliated by assaulting the Viet Cong positions, causing the enemy to flee. As the Platoon pursued the insurgents, Private Olive and four other soldiers were moving through the jungle together when a grenade was thrown into their midst. Private Olive saw the grenade, and then saved the lives of his fellow soldiers at the sacrifice of his own by grabbing the grenade in his hand and falling on it to absorb the blast with his body. Through his bravery, unhesitating actions, and complete disregard for his own safety, he prevented additional loss of life or injury to the members of his platoon. Private Olive's conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.”

Nearly one year after PFC Olive was killed in action, the Wyandanch school board held a ceremony on October 2, 1966 naming the community’s new $1.3 million, 870 pupil, elementary school building in his honor.ⁱⁱⁱ Appearing before the school board, James Ellison suggested the idea of naming the school after Milton L. Olive and having “pointed out that Private Olive had given his life to save fellow soldiers, without worrying about their race, creed, or color,” the board members unanimously agreed that the naming of the school after this great role model would be a lasting tribute to his sacrifice and to the hopes and aspirations of future generations.

The Wyandanch school is not the only tribute to Private Olive. Chicago, Illinois – Milton Lee Olive Park on Lake Michigan was named in his honor. Olive-Harvey College is named for Olive and Carmel Bernon Harvey Jr., another Medal of Honor recipient. Lexington, Mississippi – A State Historical Marker was erected in 2007. ^iv Fort Campbell, Kentucky – Fort Campbell dedicated the PFC Milton L. Olive III Gymnasium in 2020 ^v Fort Benning, Georgia – Fort Benning has a simulations facility – Olive Hall – named for him, in 2012.

Milton Lee Olive’s name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in Washington, DC, on Panel 2E, Line 131.^vi

ⁱ “Parents Learn Dead Son Was Viet Nam Hero,” Chicago Tribune, October 26, 1965, p. B6. ⁱⁱ “Memorial for Milton Lee Olive III.” Find-A-Grave, www.findagrave.com ⁱⁱⁱ “L.I. School Named For Negro Soldier Who Died a Hero,” New York Times, October 3, 1966, p. 26. ^iv “PFC Milton Lee Olive III.” The Historical Marker Database, www.hmdb.org. ^v “3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry ‘Iron Rakkasans.’ ” GovServ, www.govserv.org. ^vi “Milton Lee Olive, III.” The Virtual Wall - Vietnam Veterans Memorial, www.virtualwall.org.

[22] “Wyandanch to Ask State OK Of Pleas for 1^st High School,” Newsday, August 15, 1958, p. 20; “Wyandanch Will Vote On School Plan,” Newsday, January 5, 1960, p. 10.

[23] “Wyandanch Library: Needed, Costly,” Newsday, March 26, 1974, p. 17; “A Hearing Is Scheduled On Wyandanch Library,” Newsday, April 15, 1974, p. 20; “Voters in Wyandanch Approve New Library,” Newsday, April 25, 1974, p. 26.

[24] “Preview Suffolk/II – Libraries & Museums,” Newsday, January 19, 1976, p. 20A.

[25] “A Primer of Hope,” by Donald P. Myers, Newsday, April 6, 1989, Part II, p. 4-5; “New Library Looking Up,” Newsday, April 17, 1989, p. 31; “Lending a Hand To the Handyman,” by Betty Ommerman, Newsday, November 26, 1989, p. SBA5.

[26] “Dance at Wyandanch Saturday,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 28, 1928, p. 23 (raise funds for firehouse); “Town Board Had A Busy Day Last Friday,” Long Islander, May 25, 1928, Section Three, p. 6, 7.

[27] “Wyandanch Ambulance To Roll Again,” by Cathy Davidson, Newsday, May 30, 1974, p. 17; “Ambulance Corps Recuses Itself,” by Cathy Davidson, Newsday, December 12, 1974, p. 19; “Town Approves Contract With Ambulance Service,” Newsday, March 18, 1981, p. 33; “A Nun’s Effort Revives Dying Ambulance Corps,” by Scott Minerbrook, Newsday, February 22, 1981, p. 21.

[28] “William Geiger,” The New York Times, June 14, 1934, p. 23; “William Geiger,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 15, 1934, p. 17.

[29] “Wyandanch Shaft Honors Land Gift,” Newsday, June 19, 1957, p. 29; “Babylon Dedicates Geiger Park Area,” Long Islander, July 4, 1957, p. 11.

[30] Babylon Town Board Resolution No. 544, August 7, 2019 “Authorizing the Ceremonious Renaming of Wyandanch Park ‘Sergeant Robert ‘Bobby’ Brooks Park’.”

[31] Wyandanch Senior Nutrition Center | Babylon, NY - Official Website, https://www.townofbabylon.com/276/Wyandanch-Senior-Nutrition-Center. Accessed November 1, 2022.