LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the City of
Long Beach, New York, the City by the Sea, to be celebrated on June 3,
2012, and recalling its early beginnings

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor and commemorate
the proud and distinguished histories of the communities which comprise
this great Empire State; and
WHEREAS, In accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative
Body is pleased to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the City of Long
Beach, in Nassau County, New York, to be celebrated on Sunday, June 3,
2012, and to recall its early beginnings; and
WHEREAS, To commemorate this historic occasion, there will be music,
entertainment, vendors, a 1920's fashion show and other festivities on
Kennedy Plaza; additionally, the Long Beach Island Landmarks Associ-
ation's (LBILA) Long Beach Heritage Trail Tour will take people for an
historic ride around the island, escorted by a guide who will point out
various notable structures, homes, historic districts and other impor-
tant landmarks; following the tour, guests can visit the landmarked
Felix House located in the Red Brick District and step back in time as
they enjoy lemonade and treats on the grand porch of this historic home;
and
WHEREAS, The day and its festivities begin at 9am with a special pres-
entation of an historical marker to the Long Island Railroad, across the
street from Kennedy Plaza, followed by a period fashion show; there will
also be an exhibition of photos, memorabilia and video documentation
available for viewing in the lobby of City Hall; craft and food vendors
will fill the plaza and entertainment on the bandwagon will entertain
families of all ages; and
WHEREAS, Long Beach Island is a unique place; its story begins with
the formation of the island created approximately 10,000 years ago as a
barrier in order to protect the mainland from violent storms; and
WHEREAS, In the early part of the 18th Century, historians called Long
Beach the "Great Sand Beach"; the island was composed entirely of white
sparkling sand, driven up by the sea to 20 or 30 feet above the level of
the adjacent sea; and
WHEREAS, The earliest map of the island was drawn in 1797 by a man
named Stuart; it was separated from the mainland by an inlet known as
Wash Gut, inlets which have long since disappeared; north of Long Beach,
separated by a bay, was Hog Island known today as Island Park; and
WHEREAS, Long Beach as it was then and is still today, a long narrow
barrier with white sand, situated twenty-four and a half miles from
Manhattan; it forms a barrier on the south against the ocean and, on the
north side, it is cut off by a bay, Reynold's Channel, varying from one
to five miles wide; and
WHEREAS, On January 2, 1837, the "Mexico" went down off the shore of
Long Beach during a violent storm; sixty-two bodies, mostly Irish and
English immigrants, washed up on shore; those who perished were buried
at Near Rockway Cemetery at Merrick and Ocean Avenues; just before this
tragedy the "Bristol" was wrecked at Far Rockaway; and
WHEREAS, These two maritime disasters prompted Congress, on May 3,
1849, to authorize the construction of a Coast Guard Station on Long
Beach, approximately in the area of what is now known as New York Avenue
in the City of Long Beach; and
WHEREAS, On April 6, 1869, Davenport (Deb) Wright was the first year-
round resident of Long Island; Deb Wright was a fisherman and an oyster-
man who was granted permission from the Town of Hempstead to build a

house for himself and his family on Long Beach Island on a one acre plot
of the beach located approximately where New York Avenue is today; and
WHEREAS, In April 1870 a violent storm cut an inlet 500 feet wide and
washed Deb Wright's house away; it was named Deb's Inlet and is still
shown as such on present day maps; and
WHEREAS, Long Beach Island may have remained a sandbar, marshes and
sedge pastures if it was not for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR); and
WHEREAS, In 1877, the railroad had developed financial problems, over-
extending itself by building trunk lines; the court appointed Thomas R.
Sharpe Receiver and, in the summer of 1879, Mr. Sharpe and a number of
wealthy associates became interested in Long Beach; and
WHEREAS, One of Mr. Sharpe's Associates, William H. Bartlett of Brook-
lyn, leased all the land east of Rockway Inlet and west of Luca's Inlet
and set-up 20 year leasing for the sum of $300 per year; and
WHEREAS, The Town of Hempstead deeded a 200 foot wide strip of land
running from Lynbrook to Long Beach as a railroad right of way; a feeder
line was built from Lynbrook to Long Beach; and
WHEREAS, On July 17, 1880, the Long Beach Hotel opened on Long Beach
Island; it was, at that time, the largest hotel and most magnificent
example of the Queen Anne architectural style; and
WHEREAS, The hotel, designed by architect G. McLean, had a low roof
with projecting gables and shingled spandrals; the building was trimmed
with timberlings of dark green and gold; the roof gables and certain
walls were sheathed with redwood shingles brought from California; and
WHEREAS, The complex included Grace Chapel, which preceded the present
St. James Church located at Magnolia Boulevard and West Penn Street, a
large bandstand, Post Office, stables for horses, and 22 cottages which
were constructed by the Long Beach Improvement Company and were leased
then for the summer; and
WHEREAS, The passengers from the train disembarked at the Long Beach
station, a two-story structure with a clock tower; and
WHEREAS, During the winter of 1881, the railroad was extended to Point
Lookout where another hotel and cottages were built; and
WHEREAS, As time went on, the hotel found itself in financial diffi-
culty and, on February 5, 1906, State Senator William H. Reynolds
purchased the Long Beach properties for three million dollars; and
WHEREAS, The entry of Senator Reynolds marked a man destined to change
Long Beach's physical appearance and to start its successful develop-
ment; and
WHEREAS, On July 29, 1907, at the peak of the summer season, the Long
Beach Hotel caught fire and burned to the ground; Senator Reynolds began
rebuilding immediately; he hired Charles Leavitt, a landscape engineer,
to design the hotel to fit in with the natural environment; and
WHEREAS, At the same time, Senator Reynolds hired three dredges to
widen and deepen the water separating Long Beach from the mainland, a
waterway known today as Reynold's Channel; and
WHEREAS, Remaining fruitful over the ebb and flow of decades of growth
and change, the City of Long Beach, New York continues its commitment to
enhancing the quality of life of its citizens, ensuring a positive busi-
ness, institutional and educational climate, and providing all essential
services; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the City of Long Beach, New York, to
be celebrated on June 3, 2012, recognizing the significance of the role
it continues to play in the life of the community of the State of New
York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Alexandra H. Karafinas and to the City of Long Beach.