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History · Commack

Commack’s post office opened in 1839, and 4 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Commack was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1964. Below: 3 old photos and papers from 1902 on.

1839first post office
4on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
9famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Commack’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Commack began

When was Commack founded?

1839

The Commack post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 36,536187 years
Founding year: the first Commack post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Commack’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1839: 187 years of Commack.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.Famous sons and daughtersRosie O'Donnell, Samantha Prahalis and 7 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Commack’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Commack’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCaleb Smith House: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Commack, 1840 to 1990

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1840Born hereOrlando Hubbs is born here
  3. 20th century
  4. 1902In the archiveSuffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 3 (Map bounded by Long Island Sound, Smith To…
  5. 1933In the archiveCaleb Smith House
  6. 1962Born hereRosie O'Donnell is born here
  7. 1968Born hereJohn Macaluso is born here
  8. 1990Born hereSamantha Prahalis is born here
On the National Register

4 historic places in Commack

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
17
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Commack came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Commack.

Read it all →

The name "Commack" comes from the Secatogue Native American tribe who lived on the South Shore of Long Island between Copiague and Bayport. The Secatogue named their northern lands in the center of the island Winnecomac which means "pleasant lands." The name may have been inspired because of the area's flat lands with rich soil, and thick oak forests abounding with plants and wildlife. From its earliest days, Commack, originally spelled "Comac" had fertile soil which made it the perfect land for farming.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Commack, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1930s3 items
Suffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 3 (Map bounded by Long Island Sound, Smith Town Bay, St. James, Smith Town,…1902Suffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 3 (Map bo…MapCaleb Smith House1933Caleb Smith HouseCaleb Smith House1933Caleb Smith House
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
1462609 Autumn-street-of-Commack-Long-Island 62020091462609 Autumn-street-of-Commack-Long-Island 620New York State Route 454 approaching the SM Parkway South2008New York State Route 454 approaching the SM Parkway S…Commack-map2007Commack-mapMap
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Caleb Smith House
Retake this viewCaleb Smith House, 1933

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Commack’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

9 famous people were born in Commack

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Rosie O'DonnellAmerican comedian, producer, actress, and telev… · b. 1962
S
Samantha PrahalisAmerican basketball player · b. 1990
John MacalusoAmerican musician · b. 1968
Orlando HubbsAmerican politician · b. 1840
B
Brian PiesnerAmerican soccer player · b. 1974
Craig GreenbergAmerican businessman and politician · b. 1973
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Smithtown27 historic placesB−Dix Hills2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKings Park2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHauppauge1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHuntington99 historic placesABrentwood3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townIslip27 historic placesA−Elwood1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEast NorthportIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Commack’s history

What year was Commack founded?

The Commack post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (6), Wikipedia and Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.