SHOREHAM VILLAGE HISTORY
For a small place, Shoreham Village has a rich history. Developed in the early 1900's as a summer community and incorporated in 1913, it was and is home to many interesting and prominent people. Its institutions, including the Shoreham Country Club, the Shoreham Garden Club, and The Shoreham Village Association, each have interesting histories and have played an important role in Village life.
We present here several histories and photo displays of Shoreham Village through the years.
Shoreham Village Histories
A Short History of of Shoreham Village by Mervin G. Pallister, Village Historian 1972-1986
A History of the Incorporated Village of Shoreham by Mervin G. Pallister, Village Historian 1972-1986. (Complete 63 page text). Published July 4, 1976. This is the definitive history of Shoreham Village by the son of Claude V. Pallister, Shoreham Village's 1st President and a pivotal figure in the incorporation of the Village in 1913. Much of the early history of the Incorporated Village was witnessed first-hand by the author. It very well written and has some stunning illustrations. Many thanks to Mervin Pallister's daughter, Kathryn M. (Pallister) Spier for granting permission for its posting.
History of Shoreham by Mary Lou Abata (1979). This is an excellent history of Shoreham, its natural history and settlement, as well as the evolution of Shoreham Village and its institutions. The author is a long-time resident of Shoreham Village and a widely recognized educator and principal (retired) in the Shoreham-Wading River School District. This is a well-referenced, scholarly work, but it is also very well-written, readable and widely illustrated. Unfortunately, the original document cannot be located, so we had to scan an old photocopy of mediocre quality, resulting in some degradation of the illustrations. We will re-scan these when the original document is located. Many thanks to Ms. Abata for granting permission for the posting of her work here. NOTE: Requires Adobe Reader for viewing (can be downloaded free from www.adobe.com)
Abata's complete History of Shoreham (3.4 Mb)
Abata's History of Shoreham in parts (1 Mb or less per part)for easier download: Pg. 1-13, Pg. 14-28, Pg. 29-39, Footnotes, References and Appendix
The Shoreham-Wading River Tennis Tournament-- a friendly annual rivalry since 1924.
A Brief History of the Shoreham Country Club, 2016, written on the occasion of its Centennial by Village Historian Mimi Oberdorf and Joe Falco (caution-- 5 MB file-- takes several minutes to load)
Biography of Capt. Melvin Baldwin, Civil War Veteran and Shoreham hero. He died saving Shoreham from a fierce brush fire in 1901.
1917 Interactive Map of Views-- Click here . Large Format 1917 Map of Shoreham (including footprints of homes and other structures-- from the Belcher Hyde Atlas). Camera icons have been added to show the location and perspective of historical photos linked to the map. You can also view historical photos of individual homes and structures by clicking on the ones marked with a green dot.
(Map courtesy of David Madigan and Village Historian Mimi Oberdorf.)
Collections of Historic Photos
Postcards from Paradise-- Early 20th Century Shoreham in postcards-- the images and the words of delighted visitors to our paradise when it was brand-new! Courtesy, the Louise Bellport collection.
Postcards from Paradise Part 1xxxPostcards from Paradise Part 2
Shoreham, Long Island, A Book of Views, Shore Front Homes. Real estate book, early 1900's by the Shoreham Agency, 299 Madison Ave. New York, Power House Shoreham N.Y. and Shoreham Inn Shoreham, N.Y. Courtesy Lee Frei historic collection.
Shoreham, Long Island, N.Y. 1910 Photo Book by the Shoreham Agency, 11 Wall Street, New York, N.Y.
Early Views of the Shoreham Train Station, Tesla's Tower, and the Old Village
Some Views of Country Estates and Private Beach at Shoreham, North Shore, Long Island. This is a 1930's photo book by T.F. Kavanagh, a real estate agent who had offices in Shoreham and New York City.
Historic Postcards contributed by John Weiss
4th of July Photos
4th of July 1918, Original Club House ("Log Cabin") --note soldiers from Camp Upton in attendance.
Shoreham 4ths of July Thru the Years--Historical Photo Collection
Shoreham Centennial (2013) part 1 Shoreham Centennial (2013) part 2
4th of July 2017-- photo collection on Flickr by Celeste Desario (We apologize for any ads encountered while viewing the photos.)
Shoreham Village Newspapers
Shoreham Village is fortunate to have had good writers and a tradition of local, generally seasonal newspapers that portray, often in a whimsical fashion, contemporary life in the Village, starting in the early 1930's. These publications include the Shoreham Stroller (1930-1931), the Shoreham Scribe (1934-1936), the Shoreham Sounder (1937-1939) and the Shoreham Item, which began in 1940 and continues to the present. Items through the years 1930-1945 have been scanned and posted. Follow this link to the newspapers collection.
Shoreham Village Newsletters 2007-2014
Historic Videos
1961 Dedication of Post Office on Woodville Road courtesy of former Shoreham resident John Banslaben, whose father shot the film-- excellent quality and color for such an old film. Film features Mayor George Beatty and Congressman Otis Pike. E-mail the Webmaster if you recognize anyone else in the video
- a beautiful short film by Judy Buyar and Celeste DeSario that really captures the spirit and emotion of our extraordinary annual celebration of our wonderful community and its residents past & present.
Shoreham Village celebrated the Centennial of its incorporation in 2013. Click here to view schedules and photos of the many wonderful Centennial events as well as participants and other information.
