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History · Seaford

Seaford’s post office opened in 1868, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 2000.

1868first post office
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Seaford’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Seaford began

When was Seaford founded?

1868

The Seaford post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 15,791 in 20002020 census: 15,251158 years
Founding year: the first Seaford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Seaford’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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19016 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1994. Watch Seaford change.Old housesHalf of Seaford’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Seaford’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewParochial school, Seaford, Long Island.…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Seaford on the map, 1901 to 1994

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

Seaford on the 1901 USGS mapSeaford on the 1947 USGS mapSeaford on the 1954 USGS mapSeaford on the 1969 USGS mapSeaford on the 1979 USGS mapSeaford on the 1994 USGS map1901Babylon 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 Seaford.

The story

How Seaford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Seaford.

Read it all →

The original settlers of Seaford were the Marsapeaques, a Native American Indian tribe. They called the area "Great Water Land."

European settlement began with the arrival of Captain John Seaman, a native of Seaford, East Sussex, in England. After obtaining the patent for the area, Seaman oversaw the creation of Jerusalem South, the first European name given to the community which was to become Seaford. It was also widely referred to as Seaman's Neck.

ChaptersEconomy

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Seaford, 1901 to 1989

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1956In the archiveParochial school, Seaford, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a24364
  4. 1958Born hereBob Mancini is born here
  5. 1968Born hereJoe Fig is born here
  6. 1983Born hereAdam Bergen is born here
  7. 1989Born hereSean Nolin is born here
By decade

Seaford, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1950s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1950s1 item
Parochial school, Seaford, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a243641956Parochial school, Seaford, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a243…
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
Today5 recent
Seaford ny - panoramio (1)2009Seaford ny - panoramio (1)South NY 135 Stub-Exit 1E2008South NY 135 Stub-Exit 1ENY 135; First 10th mile marker2008NY 135; First 10th mile markerNY 135 South Stub (Close-Up)2008NY 135 South Stub (Close-Up)Welcome to Seaford sign2007Welcome to Seaford sign
Every building

Seaford, building by building, 1927

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Seaford fire insurance map, 1927, sheet 11927Sheet 1 of 6
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

Parochial school, Seaford, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a24364
Retake this viewParochial school, Seaford, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a24364, 1956

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Seaford, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00020002020Peak: 15,791

Between 15,251 and 15,791 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Seaford

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

See all →
Sean NolinBaseball player · b. 1989
A
Adam BergenPlayer of American Football · b. 1983
B
Bob ManciniAmerican ice hockey coach · b. 1958
J
Joe FigAmerican artist · b. 1968
George Morton LevyAmerican lawyer and harness racing promoter · b. 1888
Mary ManciniAmerican politician
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Massapequa2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHempstead29 historic placesAOyster Bay61 historic placesA−Wantagh3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorth Wantagh1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Seaford’s history

What year was Seaford founded?

The Seaford post office opened in 1868, 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, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.