Eastern Nassau Eastern Nassau: Wantagh, Seaford, Massapequa, Amityville and Jones Beach At first glance the eastern part of Nassau County resembles a typical post-war suburban region with few historic maritime structures or activities, in stark contrast to the working waterfronts of Freeport and Point Lookout in the western region. However its past was directly connected […]
South Shore Survey Welcome to the survey and nomination section of the South Shore Estuary Reserve portal site. In 2004 LI Traditions conducted a maritime survey of the communities spanning from Oakdale to Brookhaven Hamlet, focusing on boat yards, fishermen and baymen, duck hunters and decoy carvers, summer homes, bungalows and commercial fishing operations. Visit […]
Summer Bungalows Since the 1870s out of town residents have built summer homes along the south shore, in order to escape the oppressive heat and high population density of New York City. The most popular communities for summer homes were Freeport, Point Lookout, Long Beach, Babylon, Oak Beach, Fire Island, Bay Shore, Patchogue, Blue Point, […]
Bay Houses Bay houses stand on the fragile marshlands in the Town of Islip and the Town of Hempstead. Built by fishermen and baymen, duck hunters and recreational boaters, they come in all shapes and forms, with as many variations as there are builders. Most of the houses that stand today range in age from […]
Baymen’s Homes The earliest European colonists were fishermen and baymen, along with farmers and various tradespeople, all of whom depended on each other for their livelihoods. They settled throughout Long Island, with English settlers living primarily on the East End, and Dutch settlers in the western areas. By the mid-1700s English and Dutch families coexisted […]
South Shore Portal Long Island’s South Shore is one of the oldest historic regions in the United States, from the pre-contact period when Native Americans harvested shellfish and finfish for survival, to the arrival of European settlers beginning in the 1500s. Over the past 300 years it has grown from a rural economy to a […]
Historic Preservation Long Island Traditions focuses on traditional and vernacular architecture, sites and structures built by ordinary individuals for their own needs or those of their community. We work on behalf of those sites that are in danger of demolition, as well as working with communities to preserve their historic past. Long Island Traditions has […]
Surveys & Research Long Island Traditions uses oral interviews, photography, participant observation, historical research and artifact analysis to document cultural traditions passed down within families and communities. Rather than responding to a specific situation, Long Island Traditions’ research projects focus on a particular tradition, such as a kind of music or craft, that is part […]
Read this Newsday article about a Rockville Centre Historic House. This home is part of our Historic and Cultural Resource Survey of Rockville Centre, which can be viewed here.
Mission Long Island Traditions documents local architecture, from beach bungalows and bay houses to garden apartments and farm buildings. As fishermen and farmers disappear, we fight for the preservation of Long Island’s contemporary maritime and farming culture throughout the region. To recognize and pay tribute to Long Island’s diverse ethnic cultures, we support Irish stepdance, […]