There were seven houses on Merrick road between Main street and what is now Ocean avenue, three on the North side and four on the South side, my home being the second from Main street.

       In 1868 there were 118 houses in Freeport. located on the following streets and lanes;

       Main street, extending from the meadow land North to what is now Woodside avenue, 61 houses, 29 North of Merrick road and 32 South.

       Merrick road, extending from Merrick river to Milburn lake, 16 houses, Merrick road was then known as the plank road.  There was a toll gate near where the Freeport Hall apartment house now stands.

       Carman’s lane, now Ocean avenue, 4 houses.

       Coe’s Neck, now Bayview avenue, 10 houses.

       Treadwell’s lane, now Brookside avenue, 5 houses.

       Crooked avenue, extending from Main Street to Babylon
       turnpike, now Broadway and Grand avenue, 9 houses.

       Babylon turnpike, 5 houses.

       Whaley’s lane, now the East end of Atlantic avenue, 2 houses.

       Uncle Wash’s lane, now Franklin place, 1 house.

       Paper Mill lane, 3 houses.

       Turk’s Island, now Shell Island, 1 house.

       Church street, extending from the Merrick road north to 
       the railroad, 5 houses.

       Total, 118 houses.  

Raynors In Majority

       Of this number, 51 houses were the homes of farm owners.  In the Freeport area there were approximately 51 farms.  Nineteen were South of the Merrick road and the owners were Edward RAYNOR, Stephen RAYNOR, Daniel RAYNOR, Benjamin RAYNOR, Joseph RAYNOR, John C. RAYNOR, Richard BEDELL, James WHALEY, Henry SMITH, William SIMONSON, Thomas CARMAN, Samuel CARMAN, Albert WHALEY, Jacob BEDELL, Edward HERBERT, John COMBS, Daniel TREADWELL and Daniel D. SMITH.

       The 32 farm owners on the North side of Merrick road were Raynor Rock SMITH, Edward RAYNOR, Joseph J. RAYNOR, Riley RAYNOR, George SMITH, Benjamin SMITH, Abram V. TREADWELL, Elijah RAYNOR, Francis BENEDICT, Nelson PEARSALL, Sylvanus PEARSALL, Samuel SPRAGUE, Jerry CORNWELL, Mr. HOLLOWAY, Willet SMITH, John MEAD, Allan RAYNOR, George SOUTHARD, Miles SOUTHARD, William RAYNOR, John POWELL, Thomas RAYNOR, Sylvanus BEDELL, William R. SMITH, Mr. CHARLICK, Thomas SMITH, Samuel L. SEAMAN, Robert SMART, John H. RAYNOR and John A. SMITH.

       Main street was the Main street in Freeport in those days and has continued to be Main street all through the years that have come and gone up to now. In 1868 there had been very little increase in population or change in Freeport from what it was in 1860, for during the Civil War everything in the way of improvement was at a standstill.  Among the 61 houses on Main street those that didn’t occupy farm land were located on lots varying from one-quarter to an acre of land, giving plenty of space for raising garden vegetables. Freeport’s population in 1868 was chiefly native growth.  

Freight Came By Boat

       From 1860 to 1868 there were 25 business places within the limits of Freeport, as follows: 2 grocery stores,1 general country store that sold almost everything a family needed, 2 blacksmith’s shops, 2 grist mills, 2 paper mills, 1 saw mill, 1 harness shop (my father was the harness maker), 1 candy store, 1 carpenter shop, 3 hotels, 2 beer saloons, 1 wholesale liquor store, 1 lumber yard, 2 boat builders.  There were two or three sloops engaged in carrying freight between Freeport and New York City.  Paper, cord wood and clams were shipped to the city and store freight, hardware, lumber, coal and brick came back to Freeport.

       Fish, poultry, hay and straw were carried to the city all through the year in market wagons.  In the winter the market men would accommodate the storekeepers.  During Civil War days there wasn’t much business activity in the winter season except to cut and chop wood to keep the home fires burning.  But nine months in the year everybody was busy on the farm or on the bay.  Even in those days Freeport was a community of some importance. 

       There were two churches in the village, Presbyterian and Methodist.  With their Sunday schools they exercised a much-needed influence in the community. There were two day schools, public and private, the public school for large and small pupils, the private school for children under 10 years of age.  The public school was in operation 11 months of the year, one month for vacation.  There came a time when additional room was needed and during the vacation period the roof was raised and a second floor space was added for the older pupils.  I became one of that number.  Instead of it being the little brown schoolhouse on the hill or in the dale, it was the little brown school house on Main street.

       The playground was the street, a small space in front and back of the buildings included.  The water that was used to quench the thirst of the scholars was brought in by the pail full from the neighbors’ wells.  Any of the boys were pleased to go after the water if it didn’t occur at recess time.  The drinking was from the common tin cup or dipper.  The small private school was on the turn of South Main street, now opposite the Smith street corner, and is still there as an old building.  The lady teacher married and gave up the school.  Another was started to take its place farther south on Main street opposite the head of Freeport creek during the Civil War.

By William E. GOLDER
Freeport Review Star
(date unknown but probably in early 1940s)
Newspaper Clipping provided by Gerald V. S. Raynor, Huntington, L.I. 

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