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–Not graded
History · Hewlett

Hewlett’s post office opened in 1888, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 12 old photos and papers and maps from 1897 on.

1888first post office
0on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hewlett’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hewlett began

When was Hewlett founded?

1888

The Hewlett post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 7,262138 years
Founding year: the first Hewlett post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hewlett’s past

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

On the map since 18975 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1969. Watch Hewlett change.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1910–1958.Old housesHalf of Hewlett’s homes were built before 1948.
★ What stands out · On the map

Hewlett on the map, 1897 to 1969

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hewlett. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hewlett on the 1897 USGS mapHewlett on the 1903 USGS mapHewlett on the 1947 USGS mapHewlett on the 1954 USGS mapHewlett on the 1969 USGS map1897Hempstead sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hewlett.

By decade

Hewlett, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1950s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s2 items
Holly Arms interior1910sHolly Arms interiorLiberty Bonds - Advertising Methods - HEWLETT, L.I., MAKES TANK TO AID LIBERTY LOAN. Photo shows tank made by residents…1917Liberty Bonds - Advertising Methods - HEWLETT, L.I., …
1920s–1940snothing 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
1950s10 items
Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a255321958Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Ma…Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a255321958Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Ma…Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a255331958Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Ma…Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a255331958Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Ma…Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a255341958Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Ma…Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a255341958Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Ma…Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a255361958Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Ma…Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a255361958Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Ma…Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center. LOC gsc.5a257261958Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center. LOC gs…Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center. LOC gsc.5a257261958Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center. LOC gs…
1960s–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
The story

How Hewlett came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hewlett.

Read it all →

The hamlet's name comes from the Hewlett family. George Hewlett, the first Hewlett to settle in the area, was born in England in 1634. He was part of an English community which emigrated to Long Island - by way of Connecticut - and negotiated treaties with the Dutch governors and native inhabitants to establish a population center in what is now Hempstead.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hewlett, 1897 to 1986

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1897On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1910In the archiveHolly Arms interior
  5. 1918Born hereEric Ridder is born here
  6. 1934Born hereGordon Lish is born here
  7. 1948Born hereErrol Morris is born here
  8. 1958In the archiveHewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Community Center, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, Long Island. …
  9. 1986Born hereMichael Doneger is born here
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.

Holly Arms interior
Retake this viewHolly Arms interior, 1910s

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

5 famous people were born in Hewlett

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

See all →
Errol MorrisAmerican filmmaker and writer · b. 1948
E
Eric RidderAmerican sailor · b. 1918
Michael DonegerAmerican film director · b. 1986
G
Gordon LishAmerican writer and editor · b. 1934
S
Steven RossAmerican military historian · b. 1937
Help out

Finish Hewlett’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

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

History across the town line

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

Hewlett Bay ParkIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLynbrook4 historic placesB+WoodmereIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townValley StreamIts storyC+Hewlett HarborIts storyDEast Rockaway2 historic placesB+

Questions about Hewlett’s history

What year was Hewlett founded?

The Hewlett post office opened in 1888, 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 (12), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.