Port Washington
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The Way We Worked
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Manhasset BayWalk

Port Washington, also, The Way We Worked, also, Manhasset BayWalk. . (Side one), Port Washington, The Villages and the BayWalk , Port Washington was first inhabited by the Algonquian Indians, who called the area "Sint Sink". Dutch traders and English farmers arrived after 1640. Manhasset Bay was known then as Howe's Bay and later as Cow Bay when the peninsula was used for communal grazing. The British gained control of colonial New York from the Dutch in 1664. During the American Revolution (1776-1783), British troops occupied the region, seizing crops and destroying forests. Following independence, North Shore patriots separated from the loyalist Town of Hempstead and established the Town of North Hempstead. In 1857, Cow Neck was renamed Port Washington in honor of the nation's first president., The BayWalk Waterfront Park is designed as a continuous 1.7 mile promenade extending from the south end of the North Hempstead Town Dock, along the shoreline of Sunset Park, through the waterfront of the Villages of Baxter Estates, Manorhaven and Port Washington North, past Sheets Creek and ending at the west end of the Town's Manorhaven Park., The BayWalk is designed to introduce residents and visitors to Manhasset Bay, provide a safe path for walking, jogging, and bird watching, and create public access to the water for canoeing and kayaking. The trail is also a walk through four centuries of history. The BayWalk links the Town Dock and Sunset Park to Baxter's Pond Park and beach, Robert Dayton Park, Mill Pond Park, Thomas Pellegrino Park, Barbara Johnson Park, Manorhaven Park and Manorhaven's Wildlife Preserve, providing a necklace of scenic jewels along Manhasset Bay., (Photo captions) , Antique stores on Main Street . Manhasset Bay from Sunset Park . The HarborFest at the Town Dock . Great Egrets at sunset in Manhasset Bay . Baymen and a Sandbagger Sloop, (Side two), The Way We Worked, Baymen , The commercial shellfish industry began in 1832 with the "seeding" in Manhasset Bay of small hard clams. By 1855 it had expanded into softshell clams, oysters and lobsters to supply New York City. Oystering was the largest industry in Port Washington in 1880, with 200 of the area's 320 (male) voters listed as oystermen. Over-fishing and pollution killed the industry, and in 1925 local oysters linked to a typhoid epidemic resulted in their harvest being banned., Boat-building , Boat-building was an important industry. Carl Fisher brought the Purdy Boat Company to his Bayview Colony in 1920. During more than 50 years on Manhasset Bay, the Purdys designed and built many luxury yachts, Gold Coast Racers and racing sailboats. The company also built 88 utility and rescue boats for the Navy in World War II., Sand mining , Sand mining was another major industry in Port Washington. Between the 1870s and 1980s, it employed Italian, Irish, Norwegian and Polish workers. The local sand, an abundant mix of fine and coarse grains was used to make concrete for New York City's skyscrapers, sidewalks and tunnels. Sand mining altered the coastal landscape, leveling the hills of Manhasset Isle, Manorhaven and Port Washington North., The Era of Aviation , Port Washington was a key center of research and manufacturing for the fledgling aircraft industry prior to World War I. Giant Pan Glenn Curtiss experimented and trained pilots here. American Airlines Clippers took off for Bermuda from the Bay in 1937. By 1939, Pan American was flying the big seaplanes to Europe. In world war two, the hangars were then taken over by Grumman Aircraft to build Hellcats, Avengers and other fighters. Republic Aviation made the wings for F-105 and F84-F Thunderstreak jets, used in the Korean War, in the same plant., (Photo captions) , . Seaplane design started here in 1917 with development of the Glenn Curtiss M-Flying boat. (Note: this picture is of a later seaplane). , . Until 1925, the year that the industry collapsed, most of the male population in Port Washington was employed by the local shellfish industry. , . Sand mining in Port Washington provided the millions of tons of sand used in building the sidewalks and buildings of New York City. , . Purdy Boats and Staff, c. 1920s, (Side three), Manhasset BayWalk, The concept of a Manhasset Bay shoreline walk was begun under the administration of Supervisor May Newburg, as part of her commitment to the environment and vision of public access to the waterfront. Her vision is shared and continued by Supervisor Jon Kaiman. With the help of the three villages, Baxter Estates, Port Washington North, and Manorhaven, and Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi and Legislator Craig Johnson, this plan of continuous trail from the Town Dock to Manorhaven Park will be a gift to the citizens., Points of Interest, 1. Bayview Colony – Developed in the 1920s by Carl Fisher, developer of Miami Beach and Montauk. He brought Gil and Ned Purdy to this area and established the Purdy Boat Company in 1925 in what is now Inspiration Wharf., 2. A. and B. Marshall Shipyard – A well known Atlantic seaboard marine service and supply station from 1929 to 1964. It is still used as a shipyard and can be seen from the Town Dock., 3. John Philip Sousa Memorial Band Shell – located in Sunset Park, was named for John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), a local resident and the "March King." Sousa was the composer of many famous military marches that are played to this day. Concerts are held during the summer., 4. Baxter Homestead, c.1700, the site of Port Washington's first library, established in 1892. It became home to noted architect Addison Mizner (1872-1933) who restored it early in the 20th century., 5. Ike Smith Boatyard – The first 12 Star-class racing sloops, the most successful one-design class in the world, were built on this site in 1911., 6. Dodge Homestead – Built in 1721, and inhabited by seven generations of the Dodge family. It is now maintained by the Cow Neck Historical Society and listed on the State and National Register., 7. Mill Pond Model Yacht Club, organized in 1898, still holds regattas on the Mill Pond., 8. Site of Cock's Grist Mill, built in 1781 by Adam Mott. The mill was torn down early in the 20th century., 9. Manhasset Bay Sportsmen's Club, founded in 1945 and recognized for its sporting and civic events and the annual “Blessing of the Fleet.”, 10. Pan Am site – An 11 acre site that was the center of a booming aviation business with a factory and the first Pan Am seaplane flights to Europe., 11. Old Ferry Dock – Where ferry service ran from Port Washington to New Rochelle from 1931 to 1939. In the early 1900s, the area was known as Locust Grove and large excursion boats from New York City docked here., 12. Regional sand mining sites – The level landscapes of Manorhaven and Port Washington North were created by massive sand mining operations conducted between 1875-1930., 13. Yacht Clubs – Founded in the days of the Gold Coast millionaires, four clubs host fleets of sail boats; Knickerbocker, Manhasset Bay, Port Washington and North Shore., (Photo captions) , . Images, left to right 1. The Cock's Grist Mill (1781), 2. View from the docks, 3. Boys and the model sailboat regatta, 1900 , . First PanAm Passenger Flights to Europe, 1939