Brightwaters is aptly named, with frontage on Long Island's Great South Bay, a nearly mile-long yacht basin, and five pretty lakes. It is a village of about 3000 souls [Census of 2000: 3248) gaining in popularity among Long Island's residencies -- some homes valued in the $30,000 range in the 1960s are going for well over a million dollars in 2006.
Why the popularity?
Reasons include:
a) living near the water -- fronting Great South Bay's widest point (and this bay produced over half of the country's hard-shell clams until the 1960s, and still provides boating, fishing, and swimming); boasting the five fresh-water lakes; and the "yacht harbor" hosting dozens of boats every summer.
b) it's one of only three incorporated villages in Islip Town, thus with its own rules for zoning, police, highways, etc.;
c) several parks, including Walker Park, with its beach on the Bay for fishing, sailing, and swimming; Wohseepee, with playground, concerts, and tennis; and Gilbert on the Bay, featuring a beautiful new gazebo dedicated in 2003;
d) new home building in the village is pretty much "frozen" in place, thus no developments could be incorporated -- there are very few lots left for any new construction;
e) a remarkable comradeship between village residents, and
f) the village's location near the gateway to Fire Island and the Atlantic Ocean beaches, and on the LI Railroad, a short ride to New York City --- the world's financial, business, and cultural capital.
Early History
The Brightwaters area inhabitants trace their beginning back to two of Long Island's original thirteen Indian tribes... the Secatogues and Marsapeagues lived in the local area in the years before 1700. Title to the area -- represented today from Islip to near the Babylon line -- was granted to John Mowbray of Southampton in 1701 upon his purchase from nine Indian chiefs. The purchase was confirmed by a patent from Queen Anne in 1708. [the Mowbray Patent granted title to "the area from Orowoc Creek at the eastern end to the eastern creek -- present-day Sagtikos Manor -- north to near the middle of Long Island."] Through the 1700s the property was divided into large estates of the Beatty, Alexander, Phelps, and Lawrence families.
First human residents of the Brightwaters area were, of course, the Indians. That's true of all of the United States -- about half our states are named for Indians. The first transfer from the Indians to the "white man" in this area was, as mentioned earlier, the deed executed by nine Indian chiefs to John Mowbray in 1701. This was for the area now known as Bay Shore and Brightwaters, including the Bay Shore school district.
Brightwaters didn't?t just happen. It was the dream of Thomas Benton Ackerson (1856-1924) and his three brothers-- Charles F., Henry Ward, and Pierre T. Ackerson. In 1907, under the auspices of the T. B. Ackerson Company, they bought up several beautiful estates along the Bay and the lakes of West Bay Shore, primarily the holdings of Charles Phelps and F. C. Lawrence, but with other properties primarily from the Beatty and Alexander families.
T. B. Ackerson Company land purchases in 1907 comprised some 1200 acres including the chain of five spring-fed lakes, a white sandy beach on the Bay, the almost mile-long yacht harbor, and large stands of oak, pine, and shade trees.
The Alexander family had in the 1880's constructed a three-story building at the northwest corner of Windsor Avenue and Montauk Highway. It later became the Brightwaters Casino and was the focus of social activity, sports gatherings, and political meetings (a reservation could be made by dialing "Bay Shore 177.") The casino was ceded to the village and razed in the 1930s. In 2005 the acquisition provides a field for residents' sports, picnics, and village antique sales.
More memorable to today's older residents might be the building that was constructed on the southeast corner of Windsor-Montauk. Owned by John Ryan, it was sold in 1902 and became the Brightwaters Inn. It was last used by the NY State Troopers as barracks for "Troop K." In 1967 it was razed and rebuilt to become the home of the new Bay Shore-Brightwaters Public Library.
Building a "Little Venice"
Meanwhile, the Ackerson Company forged ahead, starting the work in 1908 that led to the Brightwaters "Venetian" Yacht Harbor. It was just short of a mile in length, 175 feet wide and, in the middle, twenty feet deep. The resulting canal has been bulkheaded and now plays host to hundreds of boats. There are none quite like it on Long Island -- carved out of typical south shore meadowland, the Ackersons provided an ornamental boat landing, a floral plaza with night lighting, and Roman stone pagodas. In addition, beaches were established along the Bay to provide fishing and swimming recreation for the residents.
Altogether, the Ackersons branched out and purchased some 1200 acres, including the lakes and a white sandy beach shoreline along Great South Bay. Then they went to work on all this prime acreage. The five pretty lakes were not neglected. The Ackersons connected them with channels and rustic ornamental Venetian bridges and between the two lower lakes built a crescent-shaped concrete dam over one hundred feet long. Land was also set aside for what has become two fine parks -- Wohseepee, with tennis courts, playing field, children?s playgrounds, and clubhouse; and George Walker Memorial Park on the Bay (revered Mr. Walker was Mayor from 1924-46.) In addition, several small triangular parks enhance the village?s many streets.
A Legal Village
Brightwaters was incorporated legally as a village November 30, 1916, by announcement of Islip Town Clerk Charles Suydam, Jr. The village looks today much as it did when these projects were first completed. Except, of course, a few more houses, and a few more people.
In summary, here is a Brightwaters Time Line---
1701 - original deed for area land from nine Indian chiefs to John Mowbray
1708 - (10-8) Mowbray's purchase confirmed by Queen Anne patent
1907 - T. B. Ackerson Company purchases 1200 acres*
1908 - Ackerson Company starts imposing yacht harbor
1910 - Bathing pavilion established at foot of Concourse East ["Great
South Bay Club" in 1919, "Riviera Beach Club" n1945;"Brightwaters
Beach and Cabana Club" in 1955; and Gilbert Park in 2004]
1912 - Ackerson Company erects first building (NE corner Windsor Avenue and Orinoco Drive) in business district... became first Post Office.
1912 - Brightwaters Post Office opens as a fourth class PO; now a first-
class PO at its location on Orinoco Drive east of Windsor Avenue
1916 - (11-30-16) Brightwaters incorporated as a village.
1920's - Business district expanded.
1927 - Land north and south of Shore Road was purchased through a $30,000 bond, also used to finance a new canal.
1936 - A $36,000 bond was floated to acquire two large plots on Montauk Highway and to improve Wohseepee Park, including building the clubhouse.
1982 - Festivities including a lively parade were held for the village's 75th anniversary.
The 1982 program stated: "Our 75th anniversary-- Recreation: Everything but Mountain Climbing. This tells the story of the wonderful recreation feature of Brightwaters. Nowhere on Earth is there Opportunityi for greater Variety of Outdoor Sports and Pleasures than in this Beautiful Arcadia of Spring Lakes, Pine Woods and Sea Shore."
Some of Our "Famous"
Understandably, Brightwaters has been host to some of the state and nation's "movers and shakers." The list below is just an introduction: there are many more that should be included (we'll keep this page open for more candidates!)
Hon. Joseph McNulty - Mayor of this village since 1999
Anita Stewart - Silent Film's national "Sweetheart" (Vitagraph Co.) in the early 1900s; she built a home in 1916 at 244 Windsor Avenue and named it "Wood Violet." It still looks much the same.
Zsa Zsa Gabor, another actress film star, lived at 78 Bay Way Avenue.
Fred Packer, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and a founder of the South Shore artist group. He lived at Lakeview-East.
Leon Swirbul, co-founder and President of Grumman Aerospace, lived on Plymouth Avenue.
Van Nostrand, King and Boots -- he's Tennis Men Seniors-70 No. 1
in the World and Boots is Women Seniors-70 No. 1 in the World
(as of 2005). King played, taught, and coached at BSHS for many
years. They lived on Peters Blvd before moving to Florida recently.
Van Nostrand, Allan and Mary - Allan was one of the premier tennis coaches in the nation in the !950-70 period, winning 13 straight county championships at Bay Shore HS... including a streak of 173 straight matches, the longest winning streak of any high school sport in the country at the time. Mary is also a star tennis player and coach. They live on Ackerson Blvd.
[NOTE - The Van Nostrand Tennis Center was dedicated in 2005 at Bay Shore High School in honor of these nationally-renowned Brightwaters tennis celebrities.]
Rick Lazio, US Rep. (1993-2001), Republican candidate for US
Senate 2002, currently on Board of Advisors, Washington Legal
Foundation.
John Cochrane, NY State Assemblyman, Suffolk County Treasurer.
Oliver Wendell Boch, "Al", fighter pilot veteran of World War II... owned a chain of vacuum cleaner stores, lived on Ackerson Blvd, and retired to Venice, FL.
Joseph Goncalves, CEO and a founder of New York Scholastic Insurance Reciprocal, an organization that insures Groups of NY State school districts, saving taxpayer money. Lives on Ackerson Blvd.
Donald Navratil, CEO of Navratil's "Always Better Grown" Nursery in Melville.. the nursery is a star at the annual Philadelphia Flower Show. Lives on Richland Drive.
Richard P. North, lived in Brightwaters (Bay Way Avenue) and attended Bay Shore HS, now curator of the Jack London Museum in Dawson City, Canada. He has written several books, including "The Mad Trapper" (MacMillan, Canada 1979), made into several movies.
