History Of Oyster Bay Town Hall North JENNIFER CORR

jcorr@antonmediagroup.com

The following is part of a series examining the history of multiple landmarks in Glen Cove and Oyster Bay.

It can’t be understated how much Oyster Bay has changed over the years.

Today, Oyster Bay Town Hall North sits on Audrey Avenue, overlooking a bustling downtown. Memorials sit in front of it, and residents, during the town hall’s open hours, are walking in and out to do town business such as obtaining dog or parking licenses, passports, death transcripts, marriage licenses, birth certificates; submitting FOIL requests or going to the Town Clerk’s Office.

But it wasn’t always that way.

History of Oyster Bay:

Before the town hall, and before the land was even known as “Oyster Bay,” it was occupied by a native group called the Matinecock Asiapum, or Mohannes, according to an article written by Dorothy Horton McGee archived in the Oyster Bay Historical Society’s records. The first record relating to the area was written in 1639 by David de Vries, who had sailed there aboard a West India Company yacht for an overnight stay.

In 1653, English colonists arrived by a sailing ship from Cape Cod, and purchased the land from the Mohannes.

In 1740, according to Raynham Hall’s website, 23-year-old Samuel Townsend purchased the property now known as Raynham Hall.

The shipping business he owned with his brother grew, and Samuel became Oyster Bay’s Justice of the Peace and Town Clerk, And while most of Oyster Bay had been siding with the British during the

American Revolution, Samuel sided with the Patriots, even when it was dangerous to do so.

Samuel’s son, Robert Townsend, became a member of the Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution. It can not be understated how big of a role Oyster Bay served in the Revolutionary War.

After the Revolution, according to the Town of Oyster Bay’s history webpage, “Oyster Bay continued primarily as an agricultural area through the nineteenth century. It didn’t come into national prominence again until the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, an Oyster Bay resident whose home, Sagamore Hill, served as the ‘summer White House’ from 1902 to 1908. This huge Victorian mansion, with its original furnishings, was dedicated as a national shrine during the administration of President Eisenhower. It has since been completely restored and is open to the public.”

History of Town Hall North:

According to Oyster Bay: Images of America, written by John Hammond, all town business, for more than 200 years, was conducted at two semiannual Oyster Bay town meetings. The semiannual Oyster Bay town meetings were held for more than a century at the hotel in East Norwich.

“All matters were voted upon in a meeting in the street outside of the hotel,” Hammond wrote. “The meetings were festive affairs and usually had over 800 attendees.”

The records of the town were always kept in the home of the town clerk. It was not until 1887 when the first office was built for the town clerk, and the records received a permanent and safe home. But in 1901, the basement flooded, causing damage to many of the old records.

Following the flood, the town acquired land on Audrey Avenue for a new town clerk’s office. The cannon to the right of the building had been dedicated by Former President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.

As town business grew in the early 20th century, a second floor was added to the town clerk’s office, plus a two-story extension to the rear in 1909.

According to Oyster Bay Historical Society records, the main part of the building was built in 1931 with additions in 1951, 1954 and 1958.

As for Town Hall South, located in Massapequa, the building originally served as the Lyric Theatre, which opened in 1911, and served as the town’s cultural center. It was purchased by the town in the early 1970s and was converted into office space for town agencies.

“With the advent of World Wars I and II, the town’s primarily agricultural economy began changing to one of industry and business, especially in the area of aeronautics,” the town’s webpage stated. “Farmlands gave way to business complexes, factories and new housing. Today, Oyster Bay enjoys a well-balanced blend of commercial, residential and recreational development, leading to the town’s slogan that ‘Oyster Bay is a great place to live, work and play.’

Today, the Town of Oyster Bay is made up by 18 villages and 18 hamlets stretching from the North Shore to the South Shore. It’s the fifth most populated town in New York State.

The Glen Cove Oyster Bay Record Pilot thanks the Oyster Bay Historical Society for their assistance in researching for this article.