Amityville (Postcard History)

Amityville, a small, close-knit community located on the south shore of Long Island, was originally referred to as Huntington West Neck South. A more proper name was adopted in 1846 when, after a particularly unruly village meeting, the wife of a prominent local businessman cried, "What this meeting needs is a little amity." Amityville depicts the history of the "friendly bay village," from its early days of salt hay that once grew abundantly along the shoreline, through the nearly forgotten era of its grand Victorian-style seaside hotels, to the present-day role it plays as a suburban oasis of metropolitan New York. Selected from the archives of the Amityville Historical Society and several private individuals, the postcards in Amityville reveal wide tree-lined boulevards, waterfront vistas, and gracious century-old homes, while depicting the daily comings and goings of early residents and famed visitors alike.