Mae
West, Gypsy Rose Lee, and the Marx Brothers, all lived in Freeport.
False
The only connection to Freeport Mae West has
is that her image appears on the Freeport mural in the Recreation Center. Some Freeporters contend that West lived on
Southside Avenue. The only West that
lived on that block was Edna West, another actress but no relation to Mae. Similarly, the vaudeville act of the Leigh
Sisters lived in Freeport but they were not related to Gypsy Rose Lee. Around 1907, long before they were famous,
Harpo and Chico Marx work as piano players at Shang’s Happy Time Tavern, a bar
and brothel located on East Merrick Road.
Freeport
got its name from being a “Free Port.”
False
The prevailing story is that
we were a free port, where ocean going ships would not have to pay import taxes
as they would have to at New York City and Sag Harbor. A look at the historical record may refute
this long held explanation. Sources say,
during the Revolutionary War the British didn’t land on the south shore of Long
Island because there were no places to dock.
In 1853, when Raynortown residents voted to change the name to Freeport,
there were only two waterways. Both
Milburn Creek and Freeport Creek were not navigable for ocean going
vessels. All other present day waterways
(Hudson Canal, Woodcleft Canal, and Randall’s Bay) did not exist. Access to Freeport Creek from the shore ended
at Ray Street and Main Street. All land
south was marsh. Local baymen and
fishermen had their own docks and would allow neighboring boats to moor at them
without charging a fee. The locals would
be bringing oysters, seafood, wood, and farm products to New York City by boat. The railroad was not built yet and the road,
the Jamaica-Merrick plank road, entailed a long journey for conveying
goods. Additionally, the only inlet was
the Jones Inlet which was iffy at best (still is). Many small islands and marshes prevented
large vessels from coming to Freeport.
Perhaps, we need to change Freeport’s name back to Raynortown.
