Friday, February 17, 2017

Online newspaper archives

Recently, in trying to learn about the parish of St. William the Abbot, I have increased my searches for the older history of Seaford and its residents, generally in the years 1928 to 1950. However, I am delighted to report that the staff of the Massapequa Library has made available a helpful resource of more recent times. With funding secured by a legislator, they have made available digital images and a search engine of the Massapequa Post from the year 1952 to 1986. Its link is below.
http://massapequa.advantage-preservation.com/
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Yes, Seaford news is sometimes covered by the Massapequa Post. One does not have to register to use this website.
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Likewise, a very useful site, Fulton History, covers many of the lesser newspapers in New York State. Because so many newspapers are included, one has to introduce something geographical or otherwise specific to the search terms. The link is below.
fultonhistory.com
Click on the large Enter. The small search blank will appear in the top left corner. When clicking on a link to an article, right-click to open in a new tab.  Otherwise, you will be stuck in an unwieldy frame. Most of the Seaford news that I have discovered on fultonhistory.com has been from Freeport or Hempstead daily newspapers.
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The Brooklyn Public Library has also provided a useful tool that includes news of Seaford, the famous Brooklyn Daily Eagle, years 1841 to 1955, when the Eagle suddenly quit.
Link:
https://bklyn.newspapers.com/
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Subscribers to the New York Times can search since 1851 at nytimes.com
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Newsday's search engine seems woefully inadequate.
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The Seaford Public Library has several newspaper search engines.  Please visit 
http://www.seafordlibrary.org/databases.html

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Sunrise Highway construction, 1928

I have been puzzled about the date of the construction of Sunrise Highway through Seaford. This 1914 map in the collection of the New York Public Library shows Rail Road Avenue running east from Seaman's Neck Road (not west) on what appears to be the current alignment of Sunrise Highway.
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I have now chanced upon a brief news story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of May 13, 1928, "To Start Seaford Section of Sunrise Boulevard." The announcement was made by August Weber, jr., the realtor developing Seaford Manor north of the tracks.  Laying the foundation for the highway had already begun, and streets in the Seaford Manor development had been started.
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That news story may imply the Sunrise Boulevard connection from Wantagh, but it does not prove it.
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The aerial photo below was taken before the rectory of St. William's parish was built in 1940. Note a narrower Sunrise Highway in the upper left. The photo may be enlarged by clicking on it, but the quality of this snapshot of a glossy on display at St. William's (2.12.2016) is poor. The view is east. Jackson Avenue crosses the foreground. Washington Avenue can be seen crossing Sunrise Highway.