Until the year 1872, Amityville was a part of Huntington. Then the Town of Babylon was created and Amityville was included in the new township.

In Thompson’s History of Long Island he says: "the oldest part of the village lies on the South Country Road and formerly was known as Huntington South. It dates back to about 1780 and had its origin in a grist mill and saw mill erected in that locality ." (This mill was known as Ireland’s Mill-the land for which was purchased in 1750 and the mill was operated for several generations by members of the Ireland family). Thompson mentions George Washington’s tour of Long Island in 1790: "He stopped at Zebulon Ketcham’s Inn at the settlement and begged his host to take no trouble with the bill of fare." But one may be sure that Zebulon Ketcham was duly impressed with the guest and took plenty of "trouble" with the menu.

Washington’s Gift

There is a story in the Ketcham family that before Washington left the Inn, he gave a gold ring to one of the children. No one knows today what became of the ring, which would be considered a valuable treasure by a collector of historic relics.

The table at which Washington dined is now in the possession of the Huntington Historical Society. The elm tree, which was planted by Boy Scouts, and stone tablet in memory of this visit were presented to the Town of Babylon in 1927. This memorial is close to the site of the Ketcham Inn on the north side of Montauk Highway just east of the Amityville Village limits.

The Inn is no longer standing, but this memorial marks what is perhaps the most historic spot in the Town of Babylon.