1919 Lawrence Sperry established his airplane factory in Farmingdale
1923 Sperry Aircraft Company collapses with the death of Lawrence Sperry due to plane crash
1926 Sherman Fairchild established manufacturing in former Sperry factory
1927 Fairchild Flying Field Opened (now known as Republic Airport)
1929 Fairchild moves to Maryland
1932 Grumman moves to Farmingdale
1934 Sherman Fairchild returns to Farmingdale and opens Ranger Aircraft Engines Factory
1935 Alexander de Seversky moves into former Fairchild building
1939 Liberty Aircraft Finishing Corporation opens. Seversky Aircraft reorganized as Republic Aviation Corporation
1956 Fairchild moves to Deer Park
1957 Liberty Aircraft closes its doors
1965 Sherman Fairchild returns to Farmingdale again and the company is renamed Fairchild Hiller and then Fairchild Republic
1966 Republic Airfield becomes Republic Airport
1983 Republic Airport taken over by New York State Department of Transportation
1987 Fairchild Republic closes its doors
1875 Roslyn Savings Bank organized
1907 First National Bank, Franklin National Bank, & Bank of Farmingdale opened
1920s Bank of Farmingdale torn down
1934 Bethpage Federal Savings & Loan established
1947 Bethpage Federal becomes Farmingdale Federal Savings & Loan
1952 Explosion destroys Farmingdale Federal Savings & Loan. Franklin National Bank and Bank of Farmingdale merge
1957 Farmingdale Federal Savings & Loan renamed Sunrise Federal Savings & Loan
1963 First National Bank of Farmingdale closes
1968 Farmingdale branch of Roslyn Savings bank opens
1974 EAB purchases Franklin National Bank
1996 Sunrise Federal Savings & Loan bought out by Reliance Federal Savings & Loan
2001 Citibank purchases EAB & closes branch on Main Street
1841 Ambrose George opened a General Store
1870 Brick works opened. Later re-named Nassau Brick Company.
1880’s Richard Bausch opened picture framing company on Richard & Rose Streets
1888 Jarvis Andrew Lattin started a pickle & sauerkraut factory
1890 Richard Runge opened glass making factory. Richard Street is named after him
1894 Aaron Stern bought pickle factory from Jarvis Lattin & names it Stern’s Pickle Factory
1906 Brown’s Hotel erected on the corner of Main & Conklin
1909 Heiselmann’s Opera House opened
1910 Bausch Picture Frame Company moved to Eastern Parkway
1915 Frank Manker opened Manker’s Quality Roses. Independent Silk Dyeing Factory moved to Farmingdale
(Name later changed to Independent Textile Dyeing Factory)
1916 Unqua Movie Theatre on Main Street opened. It closed in the late 1920s
1920 Fred Apple and George Earle started Farmingdale Laundry on 120 Elizabeth Street
1920s Strand Theatre opened
1923 Heiselmann’s Opera House burned down
1927 Morris Karp & Son established
1930 Max Staller Wholesale Fruit and Produce Exchange Inc. opened
1931 Farmingdale Laundry built new plant on Route 110
1932 Slovin’s Coat Factory opened
1935 Moby Drugs opened
1936 Max Staller moved to Eastern Parkway
1939 Von Leesen’s opened
1942 Farmingdale Theatre on Main Street opened. Strand Theatre closed
1952 Explosion destroyed Farmingdale Savings and Loan Association
1971 Dinda’s Florst opened on Main Street
1980s Farmingdale Theatre closed
1981 Nassau Brick Company went out of business
1985 Stern’s Pickle Factory closed
1998 Von Leesen’s closed
2005 Dinda’s Florist sold
2022 Farmingdale Lanes closed
Updated NK 11/2023
Farmingdale Events
1687 Land purchased by Thomas Powell, Sr. from local Indian tribes (Marsapeque (Massapequa), Matinecoc and Secatogue)
1699 Rim of the Woods purchase
1721 Thomas Powell died
1840s Ambrose George changed name of town from Harscrabble to Farmingdale
1845 Post Office built
1899 Phone service installed. Mile-a-Minute Murphy
1904 Farmingdale Incorporated. Village Board elected August 20. First Village Board Meeting August 24
1905 Phone system erected and poles with wires placed on streets
1906 Lights put up on streets
1909 Village Water Plan built. Heiselmann Opera House opened
1913 Women’s Club of Farmingdale formed
1915 Village jail built
1919 Farmingdale Girls’ Gym Club started
1920 Jesse Merritt founded Farmingdale Post. Masonic Lodge formed
1923 Farmingdale Free Library created
1924 Farmingdale Free Library opened
1925 Police Department formed. Charles Woop bus line started.
1926 Houses were numbered and free mail service was started. Garbage removal began
1928 Farmingdale Rotary Club established.
1929 Farmingdale Drum & Bugle Corp started. Literacy Club formed
1930 Farmingdale Home Bureau started. Farmingdale Girls Gym Club became Colony Club
1932 Farmingdale Village Hall & Firehouse dedicated. Farmingdale Girl Scouts formed
1933 Farmingdale Branch of American Red Cross opened
1938 Farmingdale Men’s Business Association started
1942 Farmingdale Police Department merged with NCPD. Farmingdale Theatre opened
1948 Word War II memorial dedicated
1951 Farmingdale Youth Council originated
1952 Farmingdale Little League formed
1954 YWCA Chapter in Farmingdale organized
1955 Dial telephone system installed
1968 Village Green dedicated
1977 Village jail demolished
1983 Most recent iteration of Chamber of Commerce started
2004 Gazebo in Village Green dedicated
2022 Five Corners restored
1886 Hook & Ladder No. I organized. Building was on the corner of Washington St. and Conklin
1889 Water Witch Engine Company No. 1 organized. Building was on Rose Street
1892 Hook & Ladder and Water Witch merged
1903 Fire District created by Board of Supervisors
1915 Name changed to Hook Ladder and Hose Company No. 1
1926 East End Volunteer Company organized on Maplewood Avenue
1931 New Farmingdale Fire Department formed
1932 Firehouse built on Main Street
1938 East End Volunteer Company moved to new headquarters in Conklin Street
1940 First Aid squad formed
1958 East End changed its name to East Farmingdale Volunteer Fire Company
1993 Old East Farmingdale headquarters demolished & new one built
1741 First Quaker Meeting House built
1810 Second Quaker Meeting House built
1842 Philip Ketcham began the Methodist Society of Farmingdale
1843 Methodist Church built
1845 Farmingdale Christian Camp Meeting held
1875 St. Thomas Episcopal Church founded
1878 St. Thomas Episcopal Church opened
1888 Second Quaker Meeting House burns down
1890 Current Quaker Meeting House built
1898 St. Kilian Catholic Church opened
1906 New St. Thomas Episcopal building opened
1907 Ladies Aid Society of Farmingdale Methodist Church organized
1909 Holy Name Society started at St. Kilian's
1910 Altar Society of St. Kilian’s started. St. Luke's Lutheran Church founded
1911 Ladies’ Aid Society of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church founded
1926 First Hebrew congregation founded. St. Luke's new building dedicated
1927 Farmingdale United Methodist Church building on Main Street was dedicated May 1
1930 Quaker Meeting House moved across the street
1948 Farmingdale Jewish Center built
1954 Young Women's Christian Association organized
1955 Hassadah chapter of Farmingdale Jewish Center organized
1956 United Methodist Church Educational Building opens
1968 Farmingdale Methodist renamed United Methodist. Farmingdale Jewish Center on Fulton Avenue dedicated
1979 Farmingdale Christian Church established on Main Street. Church began Bible study meetings at homes in 1971
2004 Living Faith Christian Church moves activities and Ministry Center to Farmingdale
2007 Farmingdale Jewish Center moves to Wantagh
2010 Living Faith Christian Church opens new facility
2017 Bride of Christ Intl. Christian Church moves to Farmingdale
1923 Farmingdale Free Library Established in Kolkebeck House
1929 Library moved to Main Street School
1951 Friends of the Farmingdale Library organized
1952 195 Main Street branch opens
1958 Bookmobile launched, Main & Conklin branch opens in November
1961 Main & Conklin Street branch dedication
1962 South branch opens
1994 Merritts Road branch opens
1841 October 15, diesel powered railroad station service began
1890 Trolley/Street Car opened
1895 Land for train station given by Amos G. Sullivan
1898 LIRR acquired trolley & turned it electric
1909 Trolley extensions added (line was 18.5 miles in length). Tower added to Farmingdale train station
1919 LIRR ended services of trolley due to high cost of war
1987 Railroad electrification
1812 Hempstead-Bethpage Turnpike was created. Drivers had to pay a toll to travel between Bethpage & Hempstead
1923 First concrete road built in Farmingdale
1930’s Route 109 (Fulton Street in Farmingdale) was assigned its current alignment
1936 Bethpage State Parkway opened
Circa 1936 The section of NY 24 between Farmingdale and Riverhead was removed, splitting NY 24 into two pieces
Cornelia Street was named for Ambrose George’s wife
Elizabeth Street was named after Ambrose George’s daughter
Main Street was once named Walt Powell’s South Path. Walt was the son of Thomas Powell
Conklin Street was called Nicholl’s Path. Colonel Richard Nicholl was the first English governor of Colonial New York
Secatogue Avenue, once called Secatogue Path was the name of one of the thirteen tribes of Native Americans who once lived on Long Island
Melville Road was once named Huntington Path
Powell Place, Powell Street, & Thomas Powell Boulevard were named after Thomas Powell
Staples Street was named after Captain Staples, who planned many of Farmingdale’s building sites
Yoakum Street & Avenue were named after Benjamin Yoakum
Amos G. Sullivan named Sullivan Road & Sullivan Avenue
Van Cott Avenue was named after George Van Cott
Richard Runge Sr. and Stephen J. Williams were responsible for the name of Richard Street and Williams Street. Mr. Runge was the first road supervisory and Mr. Williams lived in Farmingdale for years
Doud Street was named after Joseph Doud, the first village president
Merritts Road was named after Jesse Merritt
1786 First private Quaker school opened
1887 Farmingdale Council 1052 of National Council of Royal Arcanum founded
1892 Farmingdale became a Union Free School District. First Board of Education meeting held
1900 Nazareth Trade School opened
1906 St. Rose Industrial School opened
1912 SUNY Farmingdale (then known as New York State College of Agriculture) and Main Street School opened
1917 Farmingdale schools enrolled in Junior Red Cross
1922 Main Street school expanded
1924 Hi-Life (school paper) started
1925 Farmingdale Parent-Teacher Association organized
1926 Knights of Columbus started. Old St. Killian School opened
1929 Main Street school expanded again
1930s Girls’ Leaders’ Club established at the high school
1930 Farmingdale Choral Club and Farmingdale Garden Club started
1933 French Club organized at the high school
1934 Honor Society organized at the high school
1935 Biology Club formed at the high school
1940s High School Library Club organized
1941 Spanish Club organized at the high school
1943 Farmingdale Chapter of the New York State Junior Historical Association organized
1946 Farmingdale Union Free School District purchases Nazareth Trade School & property. Classroom Teachers’ Association formed. Long Island Agricultural and Technical Institute Industrial-Technical Division rented out Nazareth Trade School building
1947 First edition of Dalers Skyline rolled off the press
1949 Advanced Health Club organized at the high school
1952 Ground breaking for Howitt High School. Citizen’s Association for Education formed
1953 Howitt High School opens
1954 Future Homemakers of America started in the high school
1955 Woodward Parkway and original East Memorial schools open. Boy’s Leaders’ Club and Astronomy Club established at the high school
1957 Albany Avenue and Parkway Oaks schools opened
1958 Vote for FHS
1961 Northside Elementary School opened
1962 Farmingdale High School and Mill Lane Junior High opened
1963 New St. Kilian Catholic School opened on Cherry Street
1977 Parkway Oaks school closed. Main Street School property sold
1980 Mill Lane Junior High closed
1981 East Memorial school sold & moved to former Mill Lane Junior High School building
1994 St. John the Baptist de la Salle opened
2000 East Memorial renamed Saltzman East Memorial
2002 Sixth grade wing opened at Howitt Middle School. Full day of Kindergarten begins
2012 St. John the Baptist de la Salle closed
2018 Athletic complex at Howitt Middle School opened
2022 Aquatic Center at Howitt Middle School opened
The school district was established in 1814. In 1864, the State Education Department designated Farmingdale school district 22. Its number was switched with Huntington and then switched back in 1894. Farmingdale became a Union Free School District on September 13, 1892.
1904 First Board elected with Joseph Doud as President. The Village Hall was rented from the Town.
1923 Purchased Village Hall from Town of Oyster Bay
1926 Began to number houses for mail delivery
1927 Office of President of Village to be known as Mayor
1932 New Village Hall facility dedicated
1968 Village Green dedicated
1972 Fountain in Village Green dedicated
1979 New entrance, lobby, and meeting chambers added
1980s Korean War, World War I, and World War II memorials moved to Village Green
2005 Gazebo in Village Green built
2011 Civil War Memorial dedicated in Village Green
Mayors
2012 - Present Ralph Ekstrand
2008-2012 George Starkie
2004-2008 George Graf
1992-2004 Joseph Trudden
1984-1992 Willis B. Carman Jr.
1971-1984 John T. Hallahan
1963 -1971 Joseph Zureck
1961- 1963 Joseph G. Brune
1955-1961 Rudolph Weber Jr.
1953-1955 Alfred E. Russel
1947 -1953 Howard T. Hogan
1939 -1947 Fred G. Murray
1931-1939 Frank G. Scholl
1926-1931 Rudolph H. Weber
1921-1925 Clarence H. Terry
1919-1920 Norman D. Ketcham
1917-1918 Mahlou E. Smith
1913-1916 Clarence C. Doud
1909-1912 Adolph Bausch
1908 George H. Fueschel
1907 Walter Powell
1905-1906 Joseph H. Doud
1904 John Simonson