Bay Shore is one of the older hamlets on Long Island. Sagtikos Manor, located in West Bay Shore, was built around 1697. It was used as a British armed forces headquarters, at the time of the Battle of Long Island during the Revolutionary War. President Washington stayed at the Sagtikos Manor during his tour of Long Island in 1790.
The land that would become Bay Shore proper was purchased from the Secatogue Native Americans in 1708 by local school teacher John Mowbray for "several eel spears".
In 1840, Bay Shore had one of two churches in the entirety of Islip Town. This was a methodist church built in 1828. In 1850, Bay Shore was one of only two proper hamlets in the entire Town of Islip, along with Sayville.
The central portion of the thrifty village of Bay Shore occupies Penataquit Neck. Many years since this place was known as Mechanicville, next as Penataquit, and finally by its present name. As in the case of the other villages of the town, it is difficult to estimate the population because of the difficulty of fixing its proper limits.
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The first class at Bay Shore (then Penataquit) was organized in 1850, with Amos Doxsee as leader. About 1854 a small chapel was erected on the present site of the church. This church edifice, the corner stone of which was laid in 1867, was completed and dedicated in May 1869. It is a framed building with a brick basement; and has a seating capacity of three hundred and fifty. An elegant parsonage adjoining the church was
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Bay Shore, 1888 to 1978
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1909
1909
1909