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History · Holbrook

Holbrook’s post office opened in 1862

Most of Holbrook was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 2000.

1862first post office
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Holbrook began, and where its name came from

When was Holbrook founded?

1862

The Holbrook post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 27,512 in 20002020 census: 26,487164 years

How did Holbrook get its name?

Holbrook is believed to have derived its name from a stream which was called, in various narratives, either "Old Brook" or "Hollow Brook."

Founding year: the first Holbrook post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Holbrook’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Holbrook are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19025 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1967. Watch Holbrook change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Holbrook’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Holbrook on the map, 1902 to 1967

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

Holbrook on the 1902 USGS mapHolbrook on the 1919 USGS mapHolbrook on the 1947 USGS mapHolbrook on the 1956 USGS mapHolbrook on the 1967 USGS map1902Setauket 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 Holbrook.

The story

How Holbrook came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Holbrook.

Read it all →

Holbrook is believed to have derived its name from a stream which was called, in various narratives, either "Old Brook" or "Hollow Brook."

The area was part of the 51,000 acre Islip Grange estate, acquired in 1697 by William Nicoll (son of Matthias Nicoll, who was the sixth mayor of New York City). It was largely a rural area until Alexander McCotter acquired 5,000 acres in the area in 1848 (after the Long Island Rail Road reached it in 1844) and platted the community. The oldest still standing building from this period is St. John's Lutheran Church, which was built in 1863. In 1875, the Nevins and Griswold cigar factory operated at the original LIRR station.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Holbrook, decade by decade

Today11 recent
SunVetMall2023SunVetMallSuffolk County Route 19 - New York2011Suffolk County Route 19 - New YorkSuffolk County Route 19 - New York2011Suffolk County Route 19 - New YorkSuffolk County Route 19 - New York2011Suffolk County Route 19 - New YorkSuffolk County Route 19 - New York2011Suffolk County Route 19 - New YorkSuffolk County Route 19 - New York2007Suffolk County Route 19 - New YorkSuffolk County Route 19 - New York2007Suffolk County Route 19 - New YorkSuffolk County Route 19 - New York2007Suffolk County Route 19 - New YorkSuffolk County Route 19 - New York2007Suffolk County Route 19 - New YorkSuffolk County Route 19 - New York2007Suffolk County Route 19 - New YorkSuffolk County Route 19 - New York2007Suffolk County Route 19 - New York
People over time

Holbrook, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00020002020Peak: 27,512

Between 26,487 and 27,512 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Holbrook’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

HoltsvilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake RonkonkomaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRonkonkomaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBayport1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBrookhaven52 historic placesA−Islip27 historic placesA−Bohemia1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorth PatchogueIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBlue PointIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Holbrook’s history

What year was Holbrook founded?

The Holbrook post office opened in 1862, 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 →
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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 (11), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.