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History · Oceanside

Oceanside’s post office opened in 1892, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1900 on.

1892first post office
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
25famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Oceanside’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Oceanside began

When was Oceanside founded?

1892

The Oceanside post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 32,637134 years
Founding year: the first Oceanside post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Oceanside’s past

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

Famous sons and daughtersHarold E. Varmus, Michael Rosenbaum and 23 more were born here.Old housesHalf of Oceanside’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Famous people

25 famous people were born in Oceanside

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

See all →
Harold E. VarmusAmerican scientist · b. 1939
Michael RosenbaumAmerican actor · b. 1972
D
David PaymerAmerican actor and director · b. 1954
Devin LoganFreestyle skier · b. 1993
Benjamin Brian CastroAmerican entertainer · b. 1989
B
Burke ByrnesAmerican actor · b. 1937
The story

How Oceanside came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Oceanside.

Read it all →

Originally known as South Bay, the English government established a township there in 1674 called Christian Hook, basing the name on the predominant religious affiliation of colonists in the area. Land development proceeded rapidly, and oyster sales took their place as a dominant force, with the local business "Mott's Landing" becoming a favorite place to buy oysters.

Chapters19th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Oceanside, 1900 to 1993

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1900In the archiveMother and child posed by G. O'Malley .... at Oceanside, Long Island in 1900
  3. 1917In the archiveNew York - Oakdale through Shelter Island
  4. 1939Born hereHarold E. Varmus is born here
  5. 1954Born hereDavid Paymer is born here
  6. 1972Born hereMichael Rosenbaum is born here
  7. 1993Born hereDevin Logan is born here
By decade

Oceanside, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s5 items
Mother and child posed by G. O'Malley .... at Oceanside, Long Island in 19001900Mother and child posed by G. O'Malley .... at Oceansi…Boy with dog, a study made at Oceanside, L.I1904Boy with dog, a study made at Oceanside, L.IBoy with dog, a study made at Oceanside, L.I1904Boy with dog, a study made at Oceanside, L.IBungalows at the water's edge1905Bungalows at the water's edgeHermine (Käsebier) Turner and her son in a garden1905Hermine (Käsebier) Turner and her son in a garden
1910s1 item
New York - Oakdale through Shelter Island1917New York - Oakdale through Shelter Island
1920s–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
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.

Mother and child posed by G. O'Malley .... at Oceanside, Long Island in 1900
Retake this viewMother and child posed by G. O'Malley .... at Oceanside, Long Island in 1900, 1900

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

Retake this view · +15
Help out

Finish Oceanside’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 viewMother and child posed by G. O'Malley .…: 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.

Baldwin1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRockville Centre1 historic placeA−Bay ParkIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEast Rockaway2 historic placesB+Barnum IslandIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Oceanside’s history

What year was Oceanside founded?

The Oceanside post office opened in 1892, 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 (2), the Library of Congress (4), 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.