SUFFOLK CLOSEUP : Lawrence R Samuel Explains LI's Growth And The American Dream

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

Lawrence R. Samuel has written a book about Long Island which, as the invitation to his presentation last month at the Hampton Bays Public Library said, “charts how the island evolved over the decades and largely detached itself from New York City to become a self-sustaining entity with its own challenges, exclusions and triumphs.”

It’s titled “Making Long Island: A History of Growth and the American Dream” and indeed provides an insightful examination of the island’s problems, prejudices and achievements.

Samuel is a Long Island native (from Lawrence in Nassau County) and has spent time in Suffolk, in East Hampton. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, yet his book, just-published by the History Press, is breezy and includes much that is not widely known.

Says a blurb as the book begins from Jennfer J. Thompson Burns, a lecturer at SUNY’s University at Albany: “Not only does the book illuminate the island’s development and shifting population over time and space, but it also reminds us that by shining light on the underbelly of the American dream, we are better equipped to reconsider and reimagine it.”

Samuel started his talk and book, his first presentation on it, he noted, by addressing historical tidbits. These include how the Long Island Rail Road goes back to 1834 and is the “oldest continually operating railroad system in the United States” and was involved in the “very first train-car collision” in the U.S.  And, he relates, how 43-mile long Vanderbilt Motor Parkway which ran for 43 miles was “the world’s first limited-access concrete highway”—cars only. It was built privately by William Kissam Vanderbilt II and opened in 1908. Taken over by the state in 1938, parts of it still survive as sections of other roads.

He points to how, “Despite cold winters, Native Americans found the island a place to live for centuries” and notes: “The Shinnecock occupied part of the eastern end of what would be called Long Island, although by the twentieth century their land had been taken over.” 

He tells of how Long Island became the “Cradle of Aviation,” with large tracts of flat land “ideal for airfields” and available at low cost. The “original Roosevelt Field” is from where Charles Lindbergh took off for his famous flight to Paris in 1927. The airfield “stopped operating” in 1951, however, “and Roosevelt Field Mall was built on the site.”

Development on Long Island—specifically between 1920 and 1980—is a central focus of the book. And a major focus, too, is about bias. “Alongside the much-flaunted beauty and festivity of suburban bedroom communities and country clubs was the decidedly darker side of Long Island,” he writes. “As in many other parts of the country, the Ku Klux Klan had quite a presence on the island in the 1920s and were not afraid to show it.” The KKK” often greatly swayed civic and community activities….There were real fears that the KKK would go further by becoming a recognized political party…for those who hated people of color, Jews and Catholics.”

He tells the story of Levittown and its infamous “Clause 25” that, “No dwelling should be used or occupied except by members of the Caucasian race.” 

“In addition to serving as an opportunity for racism to foment, the development of Long Island…came at another significant cost. The early 1970s were a golden age of environmentalism, and the effects of the massive changes to the ecosystem of the island were, deservedly, getting increasing attention,” he writes. 

He relates the push of a New York State public works commissioner, Charles Sells, for the extension to Orient Point of the then “in progress” Long Island Expressway, and a “twenty-five mile series of causeways and bridges from Orient Point” to Rhode Island. “Sells had the structure jump across various islands in the Sound to break it into smaller segments; Plum Island, Great Gull Island and Fishers Island served as ideal ‘stepping stones,’” in Sells’ view. But “the proposed span across Long Island Sound was never built, deemed literally a bridge too far.”

Samuel says: “The year 2000 appeared to be a turning point in the history of Long Island, as it became clear that its twentieth century model of development was no longer relevant or useful. Entering a new century and new millennium seemingly encouraged Long Islanders to imagine a different kind of American dream.”

He writes about how Lee Koppelman, long-time Suffolk County planner and executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk Regional Planning Board, sought to tackle development with a Nassau-Suffolk Comprehensive Development Plan issued in 1970. “The first priority of the plan was to preserve open space” and “to use vacant land for agricultural, recreational or conservation purposes.”

“Today,” he says, “rather happily, the cultural ecosystem of Long Island and its built environment are being reexamined in light of concepts such as…smart growth, the green movement and sustainable neighborhoods. The days of Robert Moses are clearly over, as planners reimagine the possibilities of suburban life with its dependence on cars and lack of communal interaction (save for that a shopping malls.)” 

“All in all,” he writes,” much of the island’s natural beauty and original appeal remain, offering hope that a new and improved American dream can and will emerge in the years ahead.”

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.