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–Not graded
History · Merrick

Merrick’s post office opened in 1802, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1897 on.

1802first post office
1on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
15famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Sullynyflhi · Public domain
Quick answers

How Merrick began

When was Merrick founded?

1802

The Merrick post office opened in 1802, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 22,040224 years
Founding year: the first Merrick post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Merrick’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 Merrick are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18977 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1994. Watch Merrick change.Deep rootsA post office since 1802: 224 years of Merrick.Old housesHalf of Merrick’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Merrick’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Merrick’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

Merrick on the map, 1897 to 1994

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

Merrick on the 1897 USGS mapMerrick on the 1903 USGS mapMerrick on the 1947 USGS mapMerrick on the 1955 USGS mapMerrick on the 1969 USGS mapMerrick on the 1979 USGS mapMerrick on the 1994 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 Merrick.

Timeline

Merrick, 1897 to 1985

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. 1957Born hereGregg Burge is born here
  5. 1969Born hereKevin Shinick is born here
  6. 1981Born hereScott Lipsky is born here
  7. 1985Born hereMatt Cardona is born here
The story so far

Merrick, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Merrick yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Merrick is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Merrick had a population of 22,040.

Its first post office opened in 1802. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 22,097 in 2010, 22,040 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Merrick, decade by decade

Today6 recent
NY Long Island Freeport-Merrick and East Bay IMG 19532012NY Long Island Freeport-Merrick and East Bay IMG 1953NY Long Island Freeport-Merrick IMG 19552012NY Long Island Freeport-Merrick IMG 1955MTA Long Island Bus Coach Equipment Condor van2010MTA Long Island Bus Coach Equipment Condor vanMTA Long Island Bus Orion VII NG N51 on Hewlett Ave and NY 272009MTA Long Island Bus Orion VII NG N51 on Hewlett Ave a…MTA Long Island Bus Coach and Equipment Phoenix 18002009MTA Long Island Bus Coach and Equipment Phoenix 1800Welcome to the Merricks2007Welcome to the Merricks
On the National Register

1 listing protects 22 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
22
each building in a district counts

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

Famous people

15 famous people were born in Merrick

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

See all →
Matt CardonaAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1985
Scott LipskyUS tennis player · b. 1981
Kevin ShinickAmerican writer · b. 1969
G
Gregg BurgeAmerican dancer · b. 1957
Tina PolskyAmerican politician from Florida · b. 1968
P
Patrick GardnerAmerican-Egyptian basketball player · b. 1999
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Freeport1 historic placeBBellmoreIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorth MerrickIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRooseveltIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorth BellmoreIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Merrick’s history

What year was Merrick founded?

The Merrick post office opened in 1802, 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), 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.