Gold Coast Historical Highlights

BY AMY DZIJA DRISCOLL specialsections@antonmediagroup.com

The area commonly known as “The Gold Coast” was originally inhabited by the Matinecock tribe, a branch of the Algonquin, whose name means “Land that Overlooks”. They were one of the thirteen original Native American tribes of Long Island and lived in a stretch of the north shore running from Flushing to Port Jefferson. The Matinecock were nearly decimated by war and disease in the 17th century by the arrival of the English settlers from the New England colonies. Fortunately, a small tribe has been able to keep their culture and traditions alive.

The first non-Native settlers were Quakers who came to the area in the 1660s. They were extremely committed to their faith and organized a monthly meeting in 1671 and the building of a Meeting House in 1725. Matinecock Friends is recognized as having the oldest continuous Friends Meeting in the United States. The building at the crossroads of Duck Pond and Piping Rock roads is the heart of present day Matinecock, which became an incorporated village in 1931.

The early settlers sustained themselves by clearing land and planting crops and harvesting fish, oysters, clams and sea turtles from the surrounding waters and built small mills to process the forests into lumber which was then either sold west to New York City or used for local building. Three large settlements were Matinecock (present day Locust Valley) and Musketa Cove, a Matinecock name which means

“Place of the Rushes” (present day Glen Cove) and Oyster Bay.

Later industrial developments in Glen Cove, after the mills of the 17th and 18th century, was the mining of clay, followed by the Duryea Starch Works and Ladew Leather. Glen Cove continued as a North Shore business hub well into the 20th century with businesses such as Columbia Ribbon, Powers Chemco, Zoomar Lens and Wah Chang Smelting and Refining Company

At the end of the 19th century, wealthy families from New York City began to purchase large tracts of land on which to build their weekend estates and fulfill their baronial fantasies. These wealthy residents drew upon the rich pool of skilled and unskilled labor, often building housing for their workers. Families such as the Pratts, Doubledays and Morgans not only built homes but also endowed local projects such as the Neighborhood House and Fire Department in Locust Valley and the North Country Community Hospital in Glen Cove.

The Great Depression of 1929 and the passing of the estate era led to many of the larger country properties being dispersed. After World War II housing developments were built and the Gold Coast became bedroom communities with many of its inhabitants commuting by rail to employment in the city. Estate homes still standing are in use today as schools, houses of worship and executive retreats.

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