DANA'S DOCK

aka

Mastic Beach Property Owners Dock

 

This 1980's photo may be the last one ever taken of the dock / landing on Fire Island across from Forge River. It appears in Van and Mary Fields book Illustrated History Of Moriches Bay Area.

From the 1920's - 1960's it was a very tall , long and strong dock built by yachtsman William S. Dana (1892-1939) It had to be big because Dana had some very big boats, as did his friends like The Libaires, The Fenners, The Knapps etc. Knapp's cruiser "Storm King" alone at 53 feet would of taken up most of one side of it. Along with the dock Dana built a LARGE bungalow on the beach, that I would certainly like to find a photo of.

ONCE UPON A TIME

That's Pete Mezzapelle's Chris Craft cruiser "The Melody" and Phil Van Tassel standing behind his Lyman lapstrake "Dear 1" Our "Little Chief" spent many a summer day in the 1960's here

Circa 1958 photo: Phil Van Tassel

In 1949 his widow Ella sold it all , 12 acres of Fire Island Ocean Beach , The Dock, The House to the Mastic Beach Property Owners Association for the amount of $4,700.00 on easy terms! at 5% interest. According to the MBPOA records it came to a total $7,200 over the 5 years they paid it off. It paid off big time for the MBPOA membership however for the 18 years they had it. I remember some great times going over to it in friends boats in the 50's and in our own boat The Little Chief in the early '60's

 

When it got condemmed in 1967 by Suffolk County as part of their parks expansion, MBPOA got close to $52,000.00 for it. Ella Dana was still around then and I have to wonder what she might of thought of that deal?

Here Is Ella's Deed To The MBPOA

click

 

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