The Communities of Fire Island
by Ana Shore
To about 300 people, Fire Island is more than just a vacation spot, it is a place they call home all year long. These tiny villages and towns have shrunk in the past few years but seasonally, their population is stronger than ever. The summer months bring thousands of people at a time to the communities on Fire Island. One town, Cherry Grove, draws in those of the LGBTQ community which it has done since its founding. The island was originally seen as a getaway for those from New York City who wanted to experience nature, and as a refuge for those who did not feel free to express themselves. It still serves the same purpose today, but to a much larger audience.
Many struggles have been faced by the residents in keeping the beautiful land and houses passed on from previous generations, though. Families send their kids to a one room schoolhouse for some of their education but for secondary education, they have to go to the mainland. This means driving from wherever they live on Fire Island to the bridge connecting the two islands so the kids can be picked up by school buses. About a decade ago, some of the towns on Fire Island had been working on a project to restore the dunes and add more beach area. The residents of these towns agreed to a 17% increase in their property taxes to help fund the project. After a few years of labor it was completed, but this happened right before Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast. Most of the work that had been done was lost, but the buildup of the dunes helped protect the houses on the island from complete destruction.
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| This image shows the eastern view of Fire Island from the top of the lighthouse. In the distance are some of the houses that form the many communities on the island. |
How Fire Island Got Its Name
by Brandy Jones
Fire Island has become a historical landmark dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries when it became an important whaling center (History, 1996-2018). By the 20th century it was a popular summer destination for locals and tourists. The origin of how Fire Island was named has been debated for many years, with three theories dominating. The first theory comes from a simple error in the reading of the name in early documents. It may have happened during the time period that the Dutch dubbed it “vier” island, meaning four, because there were four inlet islands making up Fire Island during that time and early interpreters misunderstood it, believing it to read “fire” island. Another reason could be that the name given to the island by William Nicholls in 1688, the Five Islands, was misread as Fire Island (NPS, 2015).
The second theory of how Fire Island got its name came from the Native Americans. The name could have come from the abundance of poison ivy present on the island that turned red during autumn, giving off the illusion that the island was on fire. The third theory on the naming deals with pirates. Before light houses were used to direct ships into inlets, large fires were built on beaches to signal boats that they were at the correct spot and to come to shore. Pirates would build large fires along Fire Island in order to trick boats into thinking they had reached New York City ports, where they would come ashore and subsequently be robbed by the pirates. The abundance of fires being lit on the island may have led to the naming of Fire Island. While the true reason for how Fire Island was named may never be confirmed, the legends of the naming prove to be a unique and interesting aspect of the history of the island.
References
National Park Service. (2015, Feb. 26). Origin of “Fire Island”. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/fiis/learn/historyculture/fireislandorigin.htm
N. a. (1996-2018). History. Retrieved from https://www.fireisland.com/fire-island-history/
Fire Island Lighthouse – The Light
by Jennifer Repp
This (Image 1) is a first order Fresnel Lens. It has mirrors on the inside to redirect the light that bounces in all directions out to sea. The technology allowed the light to travel 22 miles, much further than the previous lens’ range of 14 miles. The layered circles are sections cut from a glass sphere. The glass has a green tint because it is from France, and at that time the sphere was made, manufacturers could not extract the green minerals from the glass.
The light rotated with clockwork mechanics and had to be re-wound every four hours by the lightkeeper. The light was originally produced using an oil lamp, and the lightkeeper’s duties included trimming the wick, filling the oil, and polishing the glass.
The top layer of glass is intentionally misaligned (Image 2), as it was during operation, to cast a small beam of light right before the main beam (Image 3). This gave sailors a sneak peak, warning them that the main beam was coming.
This (Image 4) is the current set of lights in the lighthouse. It rotates, with a beam shining every 7.5 seconds. Today, it is used as a private aid to navigation and stands as a reminder of its important role in the maritime history of Fire Island.
Long Island Coastal Guardians
by Flynn DeLany
During our trip to the Fire Island Lighthouse we learned of another organization stationed adjacently to the lighthouse. Even though lighthouses are meant to guide and protect ships from running aground, they weren’t always successful. The early life savers on the island were the United States Life Saving Service (USLSS). The USLSS had lifesaving stations every 3-5 miles along the island, the first being adjacent to the lighthouse and built in 1848. The stations were small shacks ran solely by volunteers. These volunteers were local baymen and farmers dedicating their time to protecting their shores. These men ran drills every day, lived in the stations, and patrolled the beaches from sunset to sunrise.
If a ship ran aground the USLSS would carry a wooden cart with their necessary supplies. I this cart was a small cannon called a Lyle Gun which would fire a line from shore to the ship. (Figure 1). Then an apparatus called the Breeches Buoy would be sent across the line to bring sailors safely to shore. (Figure 2). This method saved over 7000 men 1871 to 1915. Eventually, the USLSS merged with the current US Coast Guard to continue protecting the shore of Long Island.
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| Figure 1: The Lyle Gun was a small cannon (above) that shot a line from the shore to the ship. The projectile and line can be seen in a crate above the gun in the image. |
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Figure 2: The breeches buoy (above) was a life preserver ring with canvas pants tied to it. This allowed sailors to ride in the buoy across the line from their aground ship to shore.
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From Swampland to Summer Spot: Robert Moses’s Vision for Jones Beach
by Brad McGuire
The southern shore of Long Island is famous for its beautiful sandy beaches and a popular destination for tourists, locals, and city folk alike to beat the heat during the summer. One of the most popular of these beaches of course is the infamous Jones Beach. Swimming, sunbathing, fishing, boating, spending time with friends and family, or even just enjoying a nice day: all possibilities for those who visit Jones Beach every year. Yet this much loved state park was not always as it currently is. The pristine beaches enjoyed by many did not naturally form in their present state, prefect and ready for summer fun. In fact, the creation of Jones Beach was a longtime in the making with nearly a decade spent simply trying to bring the state and local towns into agreement about how to go about making such a park and what sorts of effects it would have on the area. Ultimately it took the dedication of one man with a vision and a well of perseverance to bring about the creation of the well-known and beloved park. That man was Robert Moses.
Preceding Moses’s discovery of the area, Jones Beach had initially been a barrier island commonly thought to be completely unusable for any sort of developmental purposes. Covered in marsh grasses, laden with swampy terrain, and infested with mosquitos, the barrier islands were seldom visited save for the excursions of fishermen, rare ferries, and the occasional naturalist enthusiast. It wasn’t until Moses’s introduction to the area in 1921 that anybody had considered developing the area. He imagined a sprawling beach area which would attract both city folk and island locals as a day trip destination during the summer. Using his position as a member of the New York State Park Planning Commission, Moses began laying down plans for the park through 1922 and 1923 before getting the plan passed in the spring of 1924. Through the rest of the 1920’s, Moses worked with state entities and local communities to acquire land, workout logistical problems of transportation and parking, and bring his grand design to light. Concerns about the park ranged from congestion of the local roadways, a takeover of the area by tourists and city folk, and how the development would affect the environmental states of local shore communities. After several years of debating and reworking the original plan, an accord was reached and development of the park began late in 1926. Construction continued up through 1929 when the park was finally opened to the public. Although completed at a seemingly inopportune time, with the crash of the stock market the year looming on the horizon, Jones Beach survived the lean years of the 1930s, gaining some small scale visitation before the outbreak of World War II. The true birth of Jones Beach as we know it today came about during the late 1940s into the 1950s where the increased commonality of car ownership by middle class families allowed Jones Beach to become the hot summer destination which Moses had envisioned nearly 30 years earlier.
Unwanted Residency
by Adam Dean
While visiting Fire Island, New York this past week, I found it interesting to note the sheer scope of development on this barrier island. The idea that only about 250 people live full time on the island seems relieving, but when you’re up on top of the Fire Island lighthouse it doesn’t look that way. During the summer months, between part time homeowners and visitors, it isn’t uncommon that the island will have a population of 15-17,000 people – which has many adverse effects on the barrier island itself.
First off, is the treatment of our beaches, and this one is not necessarily specific only to Fire Island. People who primarily aren’t from here often don’t care or know much about our beaches, and will commonly disobey signage, and partake in other behaviors that damage our beaches. Often visitors will feed wildlife, which not only can help undo control efforts, but can also attract them toward roadways, or toward high visitor traffic areas, which is never good for wildlife. Many visitors will also walk on barrier dunes, either as shortcuts, or for pictures etc. – which can uproot dune grasses and significantly speed erosion if these plants do not quickly recover.
Secondly people often come with needs that must be met- and all this means development. Fire Island is one of the more developed barrier islands in the northeast United States, which can equate to an additional plethora of problems. All the island’s summer residents and visitors are likely contributors to Great South Bay’s famous nitrogen loading/eutrophication issue. On top of this, all the development helps to contribute to erosion in that it eliminates wetlands and helps to loosen sediment. Development also promotes insurance issues in that it gives hurricane forces a hard surface to impact, which makes these developed surfaces more easily destroyed. Once destroyed, property owners would usually argue these homes and buildings should be replaced- although it will result in insurance and state money being wasted to rebuild homes that are not going to be permanent, as they will be destroyed by future storms.
Another unnecessary resident of Fire Island, are its deer. The deer presumably have come to the island by means of swimming across the Great South Bay in order to try and avoid habitat loss to development on the mainland. The deer once they got to Fire Island though, have no natural predators or competition- and reproduce in an uncontrolled manner- consuming copious amounts of beach grasses and other shrub plants, which would otherwise help retain the sand on the barrier island. Other than organized culls on the herd, the main major step toward restoring balance is to have the deer being fed through feeders laced with birth control- to stop reproduction and create a better balance. This does seem to be working, and is coupled with rolling doors that the deer must enter through to get the food, which remove ticks and are helping to curb their populations as well.
Fire in the Hull!
by Courtney Stuart
Today our class attended the 29th annual Halloween Boat Burning hosted by the Long Island Maritime Museum. This fundraising event attracts visitors from all around Long Island and the greater NY state, and serves as a start-of-fall celebration. Each year, a large wooden boat—which is either too damaged to repair or has reached its retirement—is donated for the event. With the help of the West Sayville Fire Department, the boat is set ablaze in the center of the museum’s grounds, creating an enormous fire that amazes visitors and helps them overcome the fall night’s chill. In fact, this is the largest bonfire on Long Island—no wonder it has become such a popular tradition in the community. The death of one boat marks the birth of another, as the museum raffles off a new boat hand-crafted by their boat shop volunteers. The holiday raffle is an opportunity to showcase the beautiful, custom-built and restored vessels coming out of the Museum’s Moonbeam and Frank F. Penney Boat Shops. Additionally, there is live music from local artists, food vendors, Halloween costumes, and plenty of spooky spirit. All proceeds from the event go toward the museum’s educational programs and initiatives to preserve Long Island’s maritime history.
The Long Island Maritime Museum, originally called the Suffolk Marine Museum, has been dedicated to research, conservation, and maritime education since it opened its doors in the spring of 1968. Over the years, the museum has collected several vessels, historic buildings, and machines. These artifacts are on display in the museum’s exhibits and lend themselves to educational programs on the long-standing maritime history and heritage of Long Island. The museum itself is located on 14 waterfront acres, serving as the perfect location to discuss the connections between the local community and the sea. On any given day, visitors can expect to participate in interactive exhibits, explore the library and galleries, observe scientists conducting onsite research, and tour the Boat Shop, Bayman’s Cottage, and Oyster House. The museum offers programs for children and school groups, and hosts several events for the community in addition to the boat burning, including the Seafood Festival, the ‘Tis the Season Gathering, and the Priscilla Downrigging (which prepares the museum’s 1888 oyster sloop, Priscilla, for winter).
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| Image 1. Large flames can be seen engulfing the boat at the start of this annual fall celebration. As you can tell from the crowd, this is a popular attraction for Sayville community members and surrounding towns! |
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| Image 2. Although the large boat burned rather quickly, its pirate flag defended its position on board and remained upright for several minutes. When the pole finally came toppling down, the crowd erupted with delighted cheers and celebratory claps. |
