John Townsend Bronze

Oyster Bay History Walk

Origins and Development

The first settlers arrived in Oyster Bay in the 1650s.[citation needed] Over the ensuing 350 years several important events in the religious, military, and social history of Colonial America and the United States occurred there. A few of these events and the people associated with them are celebrated in the History Walk.

Seven of the sites included on the History Walk are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The tour was designed through the collaborative efforts of historian John Hammond,, Oyster Bay Historical Society Director Thomas A. Kuehhas, and sound recording artist Claire Bellerjeau.

An audio commentary was created to accompany the maps to enable interested walkers to understand the significance of each of the sites on the Walk. These tracks were originally released under the title Talk of the Town, but the name was changed to the Oyster Bay History Walk in 2008 at the time of certification by the American Heart Association as the first Start! Walking Path on Long Island.

Sites on the Walk

Details of the locations of the site on the walk are available on the linked map.

1. Introduction

The Walk starts at the Baykery Cafe with a general introduction to Oyster Bay and its history.

While many people know Oyster Bay as the home of Theodore Roosevelt there is, of course, much more to tell. Before the first arrivals of European colonials over 350 years ago the Matinecock Indians settled in the area at least a thousand years ago.[citation needed] Dutch and English merchants, fishermen, and shipbuilders later made this a lively center of maritime trade. One of George Washington most important spies Robert Townsend lived here. The notorious pirate Captain Kidd visited for a short time, as did Typhoid Mary.

2. Fleet’s Hall

Oyster Bay ca. 1890. Snouder’s Drug Store in left foreground, Moore’s Building in right background, and Fleet’s Hall to its right in foreground.

Main article: Fleet’s Hall

Fleet’s Hall is a building that once stood in Oyster Bay, New York. The building served as an important civic and social meeting place during the time that Theodore Roosevelt was a resident of Oyster Bay and served as Governor of New York State and later President of the United States. The building was used for events such as public meetings, concerts, receptions, dances, and dinners. It was also the site of the first moving picture screening in Oyster Bay.

Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity

Boundaries, when to say yes, when to say no to take control of your life

Townsend's Narrative

Scalpels, Stitches & Scars

The first plant patents, a discussion of the new law and Patent office practice; abstracts of 84 patents and history of the law