– a landmark listed on the
National Register of Historic Places – as seen in 2008
Pre-incorporation The central, flat, grassy part of Long Island was originally known as the
Hempstead Plains. In the 19th century, various communities were started in this area. One of those communities was called "Hempstead Branch," which would ultimately be known as "Mineola" later on. As early as 1609,
Long Island was part of Henry Hudson's original claim in the name of the
Dutch East India Company. In the 18th century, the Dutch and English settlers worked to clear farmland to start their life on the Hempstead Plains. It was in 1858 when the community was named by the locals after an Algonquin Indian Chief, Miniolagamika meaning, "Pleasant Village". The name was later shortened and altered to "Mineola". From about 1787 until the 1870s, the area was the county seat for
Queens County, in a section then known as
Clowesville – located just outside the Village of Mineola's present territory. That area today is largely in the adjacent hamlet,
Garden City Park. The western portion of Queens became a borough of New York City in 1898, and in 1899, Nassau County was formed from the part of Queens that did not consolidate. Voters selected Mineola (in the Town of North Hempstead) to be the county seat for the new county of Nassau in November 1898(before Mineola incorporated as a village in 1906 and set its boundaries), winning out over Hicksville and Hempstead. donated four acres of land for the county buildings just south of the
Mineola LIRR station and the present day Village of Mineola, in the Town of Hempstead; these buildings today are physically located within the territory constituting the Village of Garden City but use the Mineola ZIP Code. In 1888, the Mineola Fire Department was formed in the Willis Avenue School house. The department soon moved to a new location on Washington Avenue. The department originally consisted of volunteer firemen and would officially be incorporated as an official company in 1889. In 1839, the
Long Island Rail Road reached Mineola, with
the community's eponymous station along what is now the
Main Line opening that same year. Main Street was the center of village business as well as a popular meeting place for farmers and the business community alike. The general store offered an array of goods that would fulfill most everyday needs, such as hardware, toys, wool, dry goods, clothing and food. The small glass-fronted mail and delivery boxes filled the existing six-foot post office. As the Mineola population grew, the post office was relocated to the Meyer Building on Mineola Boulevard, and then twice more to 3rd Street and 2nd Street. It eventually found its permanent home on 1st Street and Main Street. As years passed,
Jericho Turnpike became the commercial "main street" within Mineola. Farmland was sold off and homes and offices were built. Mineola would continue to be a community of growth and development – a trend continuing into the 21st century. Mineola's first theater named Allen's Hall drew in many early moviegoers to see "the flickers". Motion picture success drew in other theaters to the area, the most lavish being the Century Opera House. Most theaters had a showing in the morning and in the evening, usually featuring a live pianist who kept up with the action of the movie while playing music that suited the story. Developments for this celebration originated in 2004 from a Centennial Committee formed by then-mayor
Jack M. Martins. Co-chairing this were John DaVanzo, former mayor Robert W. Hinck, Sr., and Candida Maia. Various events commenced in January 2006, including the Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra performing at
Chaminade High School, the installation of LIRR Caboose #50 in Memorial Park, the unveiling of a historical quilt by the Nimble Fingers quilting group, and a Centennial Journal delivered to residents and businesses. In March, a fashion show entitled “Decade by Decade” was hosted by Fox’s department store at the Corpus Christi
Knights of Columbus Hall, and a
marching parade consisting of 80 units took place later in October. The final event was an
ecumenical service at Mineola Middle School in December, followed by fireworks in Mineola Memorial Park. In 2005–2006, as a result of numerous recommendations from the community that Mineola increase its police force, a Mineola Police Task Force was appointed by then-Mayor
Jack M. Martins to evaluate the feasibility of withdrawing from the
Nassau County Police Department and establishing a village police department. The Mayor indicated to the Task Force at its inception that if the feasibility study resulted in a positive report, Mineola would only have its own police department if the residents approved such through a village-wide referendum. The village board was split 3–2 in favor of the police force, with Mayor Martins, Deputy Mayor Werther, and Trustee Davanzo supporting it – while Trustees Fargrieve and Cusato opposed it. On December 5, 2006, the measure was defeated by a 2–1 margin by village residents in a
referendum. In the 2010s and 2020s, the Village of Mineola's downtown has seen significant growth, in part credited to the creation of large-scale
transit-oriented development in the vicinity of the Mineola LIRR station. On May 20, 1927, at 7:52 a.m.,
Charles Lindbergh started his historic flight on the
Spirit of St. Louis from nearby
Roosevelt Field. Thirty-three hours later he landed in Paris and became the first person to complete a solo flight from the United States across the Atlantic Ocean. This historic feat was given numerous test flights in the weeks leading up to his departure, particularly in
San Diego and
St. Louis. On May 20, 1977, fifty years after the flight, a thirteen-cent commemorative stamp depicting the
Spirit of St. Louis over the Atlantic Ocean was issued in commemoration.
1982 Long Island Rail Road auto-train collision At approximately 2:18 A.M. on Sunday, March 14, 1982, ten teenagers were riding in a
Ford Econoline van on their way to a nearby popular nightspot in
Garden City South after attending a friend's house party when the driver swerved around the closed Herricks Road railroad crossing gates, only for their vehicle to be struck broadside and dragged an estimated 100 yards. A 17-year-old girl, Kathleen Caemmerer (the daughter of former New York State Senator
John D. Caemmerer) was the only survivor despite being severely injured. The county's worst vehicular accident and railroad accident in its history sent shockwaves across New York and across the country. In an investigation made and concluded by the Nassau County Police Department, the primary cause of the accident was the driver's failure of judgement contributed by
driving under the influence.
Etymology The village's name is derived from an
Algonquin Chief, Miniolagamika, which means "pleasant village." ==Geography==