Being the local history librarian and in honor of our Semiquincentennial, I’m writing this blog.
I wish I was able to tell you all about the many patriots from Oceanside and the south shore. But that’s not the situation I’ve found. I’ve dug through the local history books and spoken with local experts on the topic.
What I’ve found is that our area was largely loyalist. Not that there weren’t any patriots here, but I could not find any by name connected to Oceanside, or Christian Hook as it was known at the time. North Hempstead and Suffolk County have the patriot stories.
The only tie I could find to Oceanside and the American Revolution was that British troops of the 60th Regiment occupied our original schoolhouse. It was located near the intersection of Foxhurst Road and Oceanside Road. This was briefly mentioned in Documents and Letters Intended to Illustrate the Revolutionary Incidents of Queens County, N.Y. by Henry Onderdonk Jr.
Any of Oceanside’s structural traces to that time are long gone or very well hidden. So I was excited to be able to plan a trip to Rock Hall for our patrons in nearby Lawrence. We’ll be touring the Martin home and property as it was back during the time of the American Revolution. Check out their website here. Our tour is on June 10th and there’s still room available! Here are the links to sign up for the morning tour or the afternoon tour.
What we’re lacking in Revolutionary War history, we make up for in Bicentennial history. We have lots of evidence that Oceanside was very active in the Bicentennial Celebrations. Click here to see photos of all the festivities! There was a parade, costume ball, musical entertainment, and activities for kids and adults. We have video recordings as well. Check them out here.
I love sharing our history and making it available. I’m not an expert and I’m always learning. If I’ve missed something or someone, please do let me know. If you have a piece of information (Revolutionary or otherwise) that you’d like to share, please reach out.
Blog was written by Erin McCauley, Local History Librarian!
