User:Sakraft1/History Of Manhasset, NY

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History

The Matinecock had a village on Manhasset Bay. They made wampum from oyster shells. In 1623 the area was claimed by the Dutch West India Company and the began forcing English settlers to leave in 1640. A 1643 land purchase made it possible for English settlers to return to Cow Neck (the peninsula where present day Port Washington, Manhasset and surrounding villages).

Cow Neck was so call because it offered good grazing land. By 1659 there were over 300 cows and a five mile fence seperating Cow Neck from the areas South of it. The settlers came to an agreement that each of them could have one cow on the neck for each section of fence the individual had constructed. The area was more formally divided among the settlers when the fence was removed in 1677. Manhasset took on the name Little Cow Neck, Port Washington was known as Upper Cow Neck.

During the American Revolution, Little Cow Neck suffered at the hands of the British. Many structures and properties, such as the 1719 Quaker Meeting House were burned, seized or damaged. The Town of North Hempstead had separated from the Town of Hempstead in 1784 because the South was loyal to the King. The Northern towns and villages support independence.

The Manhasset name was adopted in 1840 and comes from the native word "Manhansett", meaning "island neighborhood." Dairy farming was still a major endeavor but the oyster industry was also on the rise. In 1898 the Long Island Railroad arrived bringing with it wealthy New Yorkers looking for country homes with easy transportation to more urban areas of New York City.

Manhasset Vallety and the area called Spinney Hill attracted a number of skilled workers and immigrant families.

The Town of North Hempstead finally opened a town hall in Manhasset on Plandome Road in 1907.