Developed in the late 20’s American Venice was a section of Copiague modeled after Venice, Italy complete with gondala rides and all. The only remians are two pillars affixed with winged Lions.Once home to one of the most notable family in Long Island history, the Belmont Estate now exists as much of modern day North babylon and as the Belmont Lake State Park. August Belmont Jr., one of long Islands leading business mogels created the Belmont Racetrack and was one of the saviors of Thoroghbred racing. In his TIME magazine obituary, August Belmont, Jr. “is credited with having saved thoroughbred racing when it was at its lowest ebb in the East, after the repeal of the racing law in New York State.” After his death, his wife, Eleanor, sold much of the estate to a property developer. New York State the took over control of the family mansion, lake, and main farm buildings as there were no children to pass them too. In 1935 the mansion, which served as the headquarters for the LI State Park Commission, burned down. Now one of the only remnants of the original estate is the tree lined road which once led to the Belmont’s mansion. Now the roadway sits barren of the carriages and cehicles which once came and went from the estate. The roadway sits tucked between the eastbound and westbound Southern State Parkway which sees thousands of cars pass by this unsuspecting strip of ancient roadway everyday.Originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, Roosevelt Field Airport was renamed in 1919 in honor of Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest son of President Theadore Roosevelt, who was killed in arial combat over the skies of France on July 14, 1918. The airport was also the takeoff point for Charles Lindbergh’s famous solo transatlantic flight in 1927. In the 1950’s the airport was converted inro one of the east coast’s largest indoor shopping mall.The Republic Aviation Corporation was once the predominant aircraft supplier for the Army Air Corp. and later the US Air Force. Now the site is home to shopping center.Since the 1880’s over 140 million yards of sand has been dredged from the sand mines of Port Washington. This “Cow Bay Sand” as it was called accounts for 90% of the sand used to produce the concreate which built the sidewalks, skyscrappers, and infrastructure. Since ceasing production in 1989 the area has been reeveloped into a golf course.Located in the village of Babylon, the spot where Guglielmo Marconi helped pioneer radio and first comunicated ships from his shore based radio station is now a quiet suburb.Once the largest prarie east of the Allegheny Mountains the Hempstead Plains once exceded 60,000 acres. The plains were famous for the breeding of horses and use for horse racing. In 1905 Belmont Park was created on the grasslands with a mile and a half track, the largest dirt Thoroghbred race course in the world. The grasslands are now covered with residencial and commercial property spreading from Hempstead Village, Garden City and the majority of Nassau and some of Suffolk Counties.East Farmingdale was once home to farms as far as the eye could see with homesteads strewn about. Now a large portion of what once was farmland is cemetaries and the mountain which is the Town of Babylon Dump and Incinerator.Named after medal of Honor recipient Major General Albert L. Mills, Camp Mills, in what is now modern Garden City, was once bustling with nearly 40,000 transient troops waiting for deployment overseas during World War One. Now Garden City is still bustling, but instead of a tent city there is an upper middle class neigborhood and near the center of the former camp sits a park which is now accustomed to children playing rather than troops marching.
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