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Fire Island history through a small collection of images
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Detail from 1755 map shows "South Beach of Sand and Stones" (Thomas Jeffereys, A map of the most inhabited part of New England, London, 1755) Full map at LOC
This is a detail from an engraving of the Surf Hotel, probably from around 1880. It shows the main three-story building, outlying guest “cottages”, central piazza, ferry dock and covered walks to the ocean and bay. The hotel opened in June 1856 close to present-day Kismet and was originally intended as a sportsmen's retreat. It rapidly became popular as a family destination and after numerous extensions could receive well over 500 guests. It was not the first hotel on the island, but was clearly the most ambitious with resort facilities including a ballroom, bar, restaurant, billiards, bowling, hundreds of acres of land (including all of what is now Robert Moses State park), wooden bath houses on the beach, etc. NY state acquired the hotel and land in 1892 for use as a cholera quarantine station, but later leased the property to private operators for continued use as a resort. The hotel was demolished following the collapse of its roof in 1908.
An 1871 letter from Surf Hotel proprietor David S. S. Sammis to Frederick Townsend, the NY state Attorney General, discussing a boat rental.
A detail view from an 1873 map shows the steamboat line from Babylon to the Surf hotel. Two other hotels are indicated near present-day Saltaire, while the railroad extension to the Babylon dock was never built. Surf hotel guests could also arrive at the hotel by twice-daily steamships direct from Manhattan or by private yacht.
1873 satirical engraving of a Fire Island outing ("Sea-side Sketches - A Chowder Party at Fire Island", Harper's Weekly, 23 August 1873). Full-size image available here.
Fire Island Lighthouse, Harper's, March, 1874
Unidentified "surfman", Fire Island Lifesaving Station, ca. 1880
Kimball & Co. cigarette card, Fancy Bathers series, ca. 1889
Round-trip combined train and ferry ticket to Fire Island dating from 1899. Includes ferry from Manhattan to Long Island City, train to Bay Shore, transfer to Bay Shore docks and transport on the Great South Bay Steamboat to Fire Island. The Great South Bay Steamboat company began daily service to Point O'Woods in 1895 and the Surf Hotel near Kismet in 1897.
Detail from 1755 map shows "South Beach of Sand and Stones" (Thomas Jeffereys, A map of the most inhabited part of New England, London, 1755)
Full map at LOC
A map of the most inhabited part of New England, London, 1755)

Full map at LOC" href="javascript:openLB(18216497,'',XLarge,'',1004,519);">Detail from 1755 map shows "South Beach of Sand and Stones" (Thomas Jeffereys, A map of the most inhabited part of New England, London, 1755) Full map at LOC
Detail from 1755 map shows "South Beach of Sand and Stones" (Thomas Jeffereys, A map of the most inhabited part of New England, London, 1755)
Full map at LOC
Original size: 1004x519 |
Current: 800x414 |
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Keywords: map history historical jeffereys long island fire island
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