Oyster Bay is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County in the state of New York, United States. The hamlet is also the site of a station on the Oyster Bay Branch of the Long Island Rail Road and the eastern termination point of that branch of the railroad.
Solomon Townsend was a merchant ship's captain prior to the American Revolution, owned an ironworks in New York State, and was a representative to the New York State Legislature. Stranded in London following the outbreak of hostilities, Townsend's passage back to America was facilitated by Benjamin Franklin. After the war he was a successful owner of an iron works plant, and a member of the New York State Legislature. One of his children followed him into the legislature and another was a founder of what became the New York Academy of Sciences.
Moore's Building is a historic building located in the downtown area of the Hamlet of Oyster Bay and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. First built in 1901, the building gained significance when Theodore Roosevelt had his staff take offices here while he served as U.S. President. The Moore's Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a Town of Oyster Bay Landmark, and a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk audio walking tour.
The Oyster Bay Post Office in Oyster Bay, New York was completed in 1936. New York architect William Bottomley designed this colonial revival structure to mirror the Oyster Bay Town Hall across the street. Inside are murals by the prominent American artist, illustrator and author Ernest Peixotto, depicting scenes in Oyster Bay from 1653 to 1936 when the Post Office was built. This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and featured on the Oyster Bay History Walk.
Raynham Hall is in Oyster Bay, New York. Home of the Townsend family, one of the founding families of Oyster Bay, on Long Island, New York, and a member of George Washington's Culper Ring of spies, the house was renamed Raynham Hall after the Townsend seat in Norfolk, England, in 1850 by a grandson of the original owner. The house is now owned by the Town of Oyster Bay and operated as a public museum by the Friends of Raynham Hall Museum, Inc. Raynham Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a Town of Oyster Bay Landmark, and is a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk audio walking tour. It is located at 20 West Main Street, right in the heart of Oyster Bay. The new education center is where guests purchase tour tickets, and is located at 30 West Main Street.
The Octagon Hotel, built as the Nassau House by Luther Jackson in 1851, was a pre-eminent political and social meeting space in Oyster Bay, New York. This eight-sided building is also believed to be among only a few like it on Long Island and perhaps the only octagon-shaped hotel in the United States.
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park is a park in the hamlet of Oyster Bay, New York, honoring President Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States.
Christ Church, founded in 1705, is a historic Episcopal parish located at 61 East Main Street in Oyster Bay, New York. Several church buildings have occupied this site, including one that served as soldiers' barracks during the Revolutionary War.
Robert Townsend was a member of the Culper Ring during the American Revolution. He operated in New York City with the aliases "Samuel Culper, Jr." and "723" and gathered information as a service to General George Washington. He is one of the least-known operatives in the spy ring and once demanded Abraham Woodhull never to tell his name to anyone, even to Washington.
The Oyster Bay History Walk is a path through downtown Oyster Bay, New York that leads the walker to 30 historic sites. It is a 1-mile loop and is the first certified American Heart Association Start! Walking Path on Long Island.
Wightman Memorial Baptist Church in Oyster Bay, New York, was first built in 1908. It is the third building on this site. The first Baptist congregation met in Oyster Bay as early as 1700, and Oyster Bay received its first ordained minister in 1724. The second church building, constructed in 1806 is still visible on the site, behind the newer structure.
The Oyster Bay Guardian is a weekly newspaper published in Oyster Bay, New York, since 1899. Nelson Disbrow began publishing the paper then, and built a building to house his operations on West Main Street. While the newspaper has moved to another building, their building on West Main Street remains and today houses a commercial printing operation. Today the house is a Town of Oyster Bay Landmark and a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk audio walking tour.
The Townsend Cemetery is located atop one of the most distinguished hills surrounding Oyster Bay, New York, USA. Members of the prominent Townsend family, some of whom built and later lived in Raynham Hall, are buried here. An old fort dating from before the Revolutionary War stood on this site.
This house was originally built on South Street in Oyster Bay, New York, around 1720, as a small one-room dwelling. During the 19th century two successive Baptist ministers made their home here. The house was later moved from its location on South Street to 20 Summit Street. In 1966 the house was donated to the Town of Oyster Bay, for the use of the Oyster Bay Historical Society. The society operates the house as a museum, with two rooms interpreting the periods 1740 and 1830. Inside you can see how an 18th-century tradesman might have lived, then you can see how Rev. Earle entertained his 19th century guests in the parlor. An authentic recreation of an 18th-century garden is on the grounds behind the house. Today the house is a Town of Oyster Bay Landmark and a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk audio walking tour.
St. Paul's Methodist Church was a small Methodist congregation that built their first church building on Orchard Street, Oyster Bay, New York in 1858. In 1895, Joseph B. Wright bought the building from them and continued his business there for many years. The congregation then moved to a new building on South Street which they had been working on since 1891. By 1913 the congregation had expanded. To create more room the building was raised, a basement excavated, and several rooms including a kitchen were built. A forty-foot bell tower was struck by lightning in the 1920s and had to be removed. In 1999 the building was purchased by North Shore Church and services continue to this day.
Wilson House is one of the oldest houses in Oyster Bay, New York, still standing on its original site. The house dates back to the 1750s, and is an example of saltbox architecture. This refers to houses, often south-facing, with sloping rear sections ending at a height of three or four feet. Two legends persist about famous visitors to the house. Marquis de Talleyrand is reputed to have spent a night in the 1790s while fleeing the ‘Reign of Terror’ in France. President George Washington is reputed to have stopped there and spoken to children from the porch on April 24, 1790. These legends bring added interest to an already special old home, one of the last of its kind. Today the house is a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk audio walking tour.
Henry Townsend (1626–1695) was an early settler of the American Colonies.
Council Rock is located on Lake Avenue, a hundred yards south of West Main Street in Oyster Bay, New York. It was a Matinecock meeting ground and the location of a sacred council fire. In 1672, George Fox, the founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), gave a sermon there during his visit to America.
Captain Thomas Townsend was an early settler of the American Colonies. Captain Townsend was the son of John Townsend and his wife Elizabeth, both early settlers on Long Island.
Sarah "Sally" Townsend (c.1760–1842) was thought to be an informant for George Washington's Culper Ring, a spy ring founded in the summer of 1778. Townsend lived in Oyster Bay and passed information to her brother, Robert Townsend, a main member of the ring. She died in December 1842 and is buried at the Townsend Cemetery.
