Grover Cleveland was President and Adlai Stevenson Vice President. The country had just experienced the Financial Panic of 1893 and Jacob S. Coxey was leading 500 unemployed on Washington, D.C. That year had been the coldest on record with temperatures as low as one degree above zero. We were in what the employed called a recession. Deja Vu and the more the change, the more the same!

Locally William G. Nicoll of the Village of Babylon, was Town Supervisor and Eugene Velsor of Amityville was Town Clerk. Our streets of the yet to be incorporated village of Amityville were dirt and without street lights or fire hydrants and the sidewalks were gravel or dirt. Travel locally was slow and by way of "shanks Mare", horseback, horse and carriage or wagon. There were very few "horseless carriages" and the Model ‘T’ car would not be produced until 1896. Not everyone had that new source of energy, electricity, in their house, and kerosene lamp globes had to be cleaned every day and the lamps refilled. There were less than a half dozen telephones and there was no Central Office here. The calls were routed through a Central Office in the Village of Babylon. There was no radio, television or fax machine. Edison’s Kinescope or moving pictures were only first publicly shown in New York City on April 14, 1894. Very few homes had what passed for central heating and the kitchen and parlor stoves kept the family warm. School was still "kept" in the 1872 wooden school house while the new brick building was being built just to the north on the new street, Ireland Place. The old building was sold for $925., moved and is now the office building on the west side of Broadway opposite Avon Place. We were not to have a high school until the new brick building was finished and fully functioning. Classes were still very small and only seven students graduated in 1893 and that was from the eighth grade. Nevertheless, because most graduates went no further in school at that time, it was momentous and significant occasion, so the ceremonies were held in the new Lyceum which seated 200 people.

Among the many professional, business and "trades" men serving the growing community were, to name but a few, John E. Ireland’s Mill, Timothy Carman’s Mill, Homan and Smith’s, the largest and most complete general store carrying everything from dry goods to paints, groceries and everything in between. It was a magnificent Victorian building with an extended turret-like tower located on the northeast corner of Main Street (Merrick Road) and Broadway; Brunswick Home, Long Island Home and Louden Hall, all hospitals, sanitariums and rehabilitation centers for "Nervous Invalids" and the similarily afflicted, with means; Powell’s Livery Stables and Warehouses on the west side of Broadway just north of Oak Street with a full stable also at the Newpoint Hotel; Lush’s Ice Cream Saloon; Henchel’s Hardware; Lauder’s Bakery; Cort & Baxter, Plumbers and Tinsmiths; Albert D. Haff, Esq., Attorney; Gutowitz watchmakers and Jewelers; A. K. Ketcham Builder; Arthur W. White Undertaker; Inglee’s General Hardware; Foster’s Drug Store; Tuthill’s General Store; Charles Wood Building Supplies and Coal; Heinley Coal Co.; Dr. Charles A. Luce; Dr. E. Forrest Preston; Samuel P. Hildreth, Esq. Attorney; Frank W. Smith Dry Goods; Solomon Ketcham Jr. Real Estate & Insurance; Capt. Frank Wicks, Boat Builder; N. Cohen, Clothing; Charles Axtmann Stoves & Furnaces; Capt. T. C. Wilmarth Fertilizers; H. Daunehauer Tailor; Wm. G. Albertson, Druggist; Eugene Velsor Gen’l Merchandise; Ketcham & Ireland Insurance; C. W. Homan Jeweler; G. W. Brush Restaurant; Charles de Quilfeldt Jeweler, Valentine Karst Barber and many more.

At this time, Amityville was the shopping and commercial hub for a wide area. It encompassed East Amityville (Copiague), North Amityville and South Farmingdale and Massapequa to the west and especially the half dozen or so Jones and Floyd-Jones estates along Merrick Road. Amityville doctors and tradesmen such as butchers, bakers, grocers, kerosene oil dealers, plumbers and the rest made their rounds throughout this vast area serving the needs of those distant by way of horse and carriage or wagon. The freight station at the railroad depot had its own building and station master. It was always busy receiving and shipping merchandise both east and west.

As a recognized summer resort and watering spot, we were graced with a number of commodious hotels among which were the big Newpoint Hotel on the bay built in 1893 and operated by Even Hathaway, who a few years later built the Hathaway Inn right across the street. In the village was the Fountain House at the Railroad Station. Kings Hotel and Wright’s Hotel were both on the east side of Broadway north and south of the Railroad tracks. The Russell House was on the northwest corner of Merrick Road and Broadway and the Central House was on the east side of Broadway opposite where the village clock now stands. In the next several years more were built to accommodate the trade. Because Amityville was only an hour commute from New York City, the well-to-do would deposit their families in these hotels during summer and the men would come out on weekends. They brought a lot of business to the village and many took up permanent residence.

In 1894 at the last annual School District meeting held in the 1872 school house, Andrew Burr, connected with the family who ran the short lived "Chronical" newspaper and Milard F. Griffith were elected to the school board. Mr. Burr immediately moved to increase the Board from seven to nine members. Mr. deLanguillette, publisher of "The Dispatch" opposed the move. Unfortunately the motion passed and for a time the Board was unmanageable and later reduced back to seven. The school budget for 1894 was $4100. but for 1895, undoubtly because of the recession, it was reduced to $3800.

The winter of 1894 was a severe one. In fact in January 1895, the "Seth Low", and 1147 ton vessel, was wrecked on the outer beach across from Amityville. Some of its timbers were used to construct a house in the village and it is still standing.

The churches serving the community that year were the First Methodist Church, Bethel African Methodist Church, Simpson Methodist Church and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

1894 was not an altogether happy year because of a diphtheria epidemic. The school was closed and several children died as a result of the disease. Classes were not resumed until February 1895. As a precaution, a heavy hawser of rope was stretched across Merrick Road at the west end of the village to keep out strangers possibly carrying the disease. They did, however, drop the rope to permit William K. Vandervilt to pass through on his way to Idle Hour, his estate out east. He was known in the village because he usually stopped his Talley-Ho here for a change of horse.

There was every indication that the community was growing. In 1891, only three years before the Bank of Amityville had opened for business as the first bank in the entire Town of Babylon. In about 1892 the streets now known as Greene Avenue and Ireland Place were cut through the woods known as Ireland’s Grove which was a favorite picnic area. 1892 was a boom year in construction. The ornate three story Victorian mercantile building, with turret, was built on the northeast corner of Broadway and Merrick Road, home of Homan and Smith, later Homan & Van Tassel. The "Amityville Lyceum Theater and Ball Room" seating 200 was built on the west side of Park Avenue just north of Ireland Place the same year. Last but not least the focal center of the heart of the Village Triangle, the Triangle Building was constructed at the same time. That structure immediately became the seat of power and authority when the Bank, Post Office, Electric Company, Water Company and Justice Court all moved in together with Ketcham & Ireland Insurance Co.

Entertainment consisted of concerts in the village square with the band in the gazebo, plays, shows, minstrels, dances and skating held in the Lyceum. There were picnics in Ireland’s Grove and ferry boat rides to the ocean beaches. The Gilbert Rod and Gun Club on the crik always had a party but most of its members were "Yorkers" i.e. from the city. The Waukewan Canoe Club was popular and had its headquarters in the Triangle Building where they met and played cards. Although another group of men met on a rather regular basis to play cards and smoke cigars, they were not to form the Amityville Club until 1897.

Although Amityville was still primarily a quiet community of meadows and farms with a small shopping area, it was growing. The more it grew the more was the concern about the dusty streets, the lack of street lighting, and police protection, among other things. About the beginning of the decade the men of substance in the village began to feel that Town government was not the complete answer to proper municipal service and responsibility. The feeling was not unlike that of 1872 when the people of south Huntington felt they could do it better themselves and formed the Town of Babylon. It was the same situation notwithstanding that Amityville was always represented on the Town level in one or another of the top offices, i. e. Supervisor, Justice of the Peace, Town Clerk or Town Assessor. Some neighboring communities such as Babylon and Rockville Centre had already incorporated as Villages.

By late fall of 1893, the population was about 1800 and it was decided by the movers and shakers that the time for action had arrived. So it was that on November 21, 1893 a petition was circulated declaring their intentions and calling for a meeting on November 28, 1893. The preamble of the petition, which some have called Amityville’s Declaration of Independence, read as follows:

The undersigned residents of Amityville L.I. believing that our rapidly advancing village cannot under a town government receive the benefits and protection that accrue to an incorporated village, with power to manage and control its own business and government; and believing that in becoming an incorporated village, we would be securing a greater measure of success, and advancing the best interests of this community, do hereby agree to do what is within our power to promote such incorporation.

This declaration was "dated Amityville, New York, November 21st, 1893" and signed by E. F. Preston, J.S. Davis, H.A. Van Tassel, Frank W. Smith, Geo. T. Homan, J. S. Baldwin, Jas. G. Shea, O. J. Wilsey, Jno. B. Baldwin, Chas. A. Luce, Ansel Smith, Oscar Ketcham, Alex Smith, E. H. Hulse, Edw. T. Purdy. Geo. W. Watkins, C. P. Williams, Geo. H. Conley, and S. R. Williams.

At the meeting, on the appointed day, held in the Lyceum, George A. Hooper, Esq., was elected Chairman and Gilbert P. Williams Secretary. Thereupon the following proposed resolution was read and adopted: Whereas Home government and the direct control and management of our local affairs is desirable and would, we believe, be conducive to the prosperity of our village, - "Resolved" that George T. Homan, Charles Wood, John E. Ireland, Leander Wright and Gilbert P. Williams be and are hereby appointed a committee to take such steps as may be necessary to incorporate the village of Amityville, with full power to act in the matter.

Thereafter the Committee wasted no time and held its first meeting the same night following the public meeting. George T. Homan was appointed Chairman. They immediately adopted a resolution describing the boundaries of the proposed new village which encompassed an area of two and 36/100 square miles and was slightly smaller than the size of the present village.

At the next meeting held in the Triangle Building in the offices of Ireland & Ketcham, Insurance Agents, they set February 27th, 1894 as the date for a referendum vote on the proposed incorporation and the first annual budget in the sum of $500. They also resolved to notify the Town Supervisor and to appoint George T. Homan to solicit and secure twenty signatures for the Notice of Election which was, of course really a referendum. The vote was had on the appointed day with Town supervisor William G. Nicoll and Town Clerk Eugene Velsor acting as Inspectors of Election. At the end of the year they were paid $8.00 and $15.74 respectively for their efforts. The polls closed at three P.M. and the vote was 174 for and 159 against and 2 blank ballots. With only the slim majority of 15 votes or barely 52% of the vote, a Certificate of the results was duly filed with the Suffolk County Clerk on March 3, 1894 declaring the village Incorporated effective that date.

Within 20 days of the filing, local factions spawned two slates of candidates. The Village Union Party nominated Charles Wood for President (Mayor) and George T. Homan, William Skinner and William A. Kritter for Trustees, Willis B. Inglee Treasurer, and John Kortwright Tax Collector. These people were among the prime movers for the incorporation. The Citizen League Party candidates were for President Fred S. Burr, Jr., Trustees James H. Purdy, William J. Ketcham and Asa Chichester, Treasurer Henry S. Purdy and Tax Collector William A. Wanser. Whether or not they represented the substantial number who voted against incorporation is not clear, but in any event on April 10th, all Union Party candidates were elected by large majorities. There seemed to be one thing the two factions did agree on and that was forming local political parties thereby avoiding the introduction of national parties into our local affair. This avoided dictation of policy by Town and County Leaders. The practice has continued to this day and has worked well and to the benefit of the community.

After the election and at the organization meeting of the first Village Board on April 27th, 1894 they appointed a young attorney, new in town from down east, one Samuel P. Hildreth, Esq., as Village Clerk, ordered stationery, a Village Seal and adjourned. Three days later at the next meeting, like all good municipal officials, they authorized the borrowing of money - $250. in this case from the local bank. A committee was also appointed to prepare and present ordinances and by-laws at the next meeting and they denied the first application to come before them. That was for permission to build a cellar way encroaching into the sidewalk on Ireland Place.

Thereafter and for the rest of the year they held meetings about every ten days or two weeks, and oftener if needed. At an early meeting they adopted local ordinances dealing with a variety of subjects. They covered such actions as loitering, parking in the street, obstructing sidewalks, disorderly conduct, prostitution, tippling, drunkards, fighting, repairing sidewalks, driving or leading livestock on the sidewalks, cattle or goats roaming at large, "fast driving of teams of horses or mules or both", publishing or posting indecent or obscene writing, nude bathing between sunrise and 8:30 P.M., profane and obscene language, exhibitions or shows, auctions, push carts, street stands operated by non residents, trees and fences, junk collectors, and no circuses, menageries, shows or exhibitions, hacks or peddling with our first having obtained a license. Violations resulted in penalties ranging from one dollar to twenty five dollars. Most penalties were in the one to five dollar range. With the ordinances in mind, no doubt, they appointed one Charles Howenstein as first village Constable at the monthly salary of $15. The Village did furnish him, at no charge, a cap and a badge. Because one of primary reasons for incorporation was to improve fire protection, about mid year they levied a special assessment of $1000. he assessment was for a specific purpose and was subject to a referendum or Special Election as they termed it. It passed and they bought 500 feet of fire hose for the two Hose Companies. It must have cost $2.00 a foot. They also contracted with the water company for 40 fire hydrants and with the electric Company for 30 sixteen candle power incandescent lights for the term of four winter months at the rate of $1.50 per light per month. A three man health board was appointed and the Clerk was directed to tell the Livery Stables "to instruct their boys to be more careful in driving their stages". William Skinner, one of the board members, and the man who opened up Avon Place, offered to dedicate the street to the village. Stephen R. Williams was appointed the first "Street Commissioner" and was no doubt responsible for hiring Lewis Haff to drive a water wagon through the streets sprinkling them with water to keep the dust down.

At year’s end they paid miscellaneous bills and to close out the year they "placed on exhibition" an assessment roll in the amount of $263,965.00 for the tax year of 1895. Since we do not know what the equalization rate, if any, was at that time, we can’t estimate what the true or market value of all property was within the village. In any event it resulted in the first village tax rate of 70 cents per $100. of assessed valuation which means the budget for 1895 was $1847.

Having all this in mind, we see that 100 years ago life here was different, but considering such matters as the economy, weather, taxes and politics, maybe not so different. Nevertheless, all in all, it was an exciting and progressive year in which a firm foundation was laid for good local government and a pleasant lifestyle for the then and future residents of the newly Incorporated friendly Village of Amityville on the Great South Bay.