MASTIC BEACH IN THE 1930's

 

Here are some photos I brought back from the January trip. They came from many sources including Queensboro Public Library's Long Island Room, Brooklyn Historical Society, NY Historical Society, Suffolk County Historical Society, Websight Readers like you and my own camera. Any info you may have on these or any other photos you might have in your attic or in your grandmothers closet are always welcome.

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"The Old Entrance To Mastic Beach At The Fork 1938"

An earlier shot than the other one I have posted. Look how straight Mastic Beach Road is! That was the work of either the Hulse's or The Penney's. Notice there is a tower on the right side of the road. This one either was knocked down by a motorist or taken out by the hurricane of '38. It too is now pointing to "New Town" aka 5 Corners. If you went straiht you went to Old Town in Section 1. The Kiernan family would be building their cottage on the left just behind that fine looking vehicle. Their little blue cottage is still there today....I wonder about the car? The arrow signs say "INFORMATION /SAMPLE BUNGALOW & BROOKLYN CITIZEN (the newspaper sponsor Home Guardian used)

New and Improved Photo Courtesy Of Greta L. Tucker

 

The Fork Circa 1940 Mastic Beach & Mastic Roads

 

THE MASTIC BEACH HOTEL

That is Friede Schulte, standing in front of her fathers establishment. This was the very first business in Mastic Beach, erected by Paul Schulte in 1925. It was located on Orchid & Birch behind the MBPOA Clubhouse. Paul ran it until 1932 when he sold it. According to Greta Tucker (Friede "Mamma Schulte" Spiess' daughter) it burned down in the fall of 1937. She also said her grandfather "bootleged out of it" Those were the days!!

Photo courtesy Greta L. Tucker

 

 

 

For the rest of the pics just click on them to enlarge

 

 

A: 1915 Looks like it might be Sheepspen Point area (Section 5) / 1933 I think this is the same area looking eastward / Close up of Bungalow or Fishing Station? there were many of them in the 1930's squatting on the shoreline. The '38 Hurricane and The MBPOA took many of them out.

B: January 2, 1933 unidentified man standing on what looks like could be the start of Beach 5 / Mystery Man Who was he? Warren or Arthur Smadbeck from Home Guardian or Julius Newman or Ira Schlossberg of the MBPOA or the photographer Joe Burt in a self portrait? One person he probably isn't is the elusive Dodi Knapp...who would most likely be in sunny Florida in January. / Same area looking westward you can see that new bulkhead jutting out.

 

 

C: The Richard Floyd Estate 1937....Richard was long gone by the time this pic was taken. He backed the British in the Revolution and took off for Canada when the war was over. For many years this place was in limbo till The Robert Family took title. At the time of these photos it was known as the Lawson Estate. Screenwriter / Playwright John Howard Lawson was one of the "Hollywood Ten" swept up in the House Un American Activities Hearings in 1948. After that Doc Frank Calabro bought it around 1946 ......at first he used it for a summer home for the ever growing Calabro, DiPierro, Messenetti, Calabria, Siriani Family. Then he turned it into Bayview Hospital. In November 1958 it would host a major field trip from William Floyd when the entire school came down with food poisoning from a ( bad turkey ) Thanksgiving Dinner. Around 1960 a modern addition was added to the back and young Doctor Frank tried valiantly to keep it going.... then it too suffered the fate of way too many historic landmarks (Knapp, Dana, etc) in Mastic Beach...Someone Burned It Down

 

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D: A rare shot of General "Nat" Woodhull's house still looking good. Would you believe this one got torn down because it became an eyesore ???? / Meantime a few hundred yards away they make a postcard from his grave yard. Old "Nat" never seemed to get any respect even from the idiot officer of the British Army who struck him as a prisoner with his sword when Nat said God Save Us All instead of God Save The King! Is calling him "Nat" instead of Nathanial disrespectful? I Think Not...It's something I picked up from Mr. Turpin one of my teachers at Floyd...He used to always refer to Shakespeare as "Will"

To me what was disrespectful was letting his house become an eyesore

NEXT STOP OLD MASTIC

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