Early history Tompkinsville, located in the
Town of Castleton, was the site where early European explorers replenished their fresh water supplies and was known in colonial times as the "Watering Place". It was opposite the Watering Place that the then largest British expeditionary force, with 450 ships and 32,000 soldiers, arrived in
Upper New York Bay and landed in advance of the
American Revolutionary War. In 1799, the
New York state government took along the waterfront, upon which it established the
New York Marine Hospital (also "The Quarantine"), a contagious disease hospital and
quarantine station. In 1815, a settlement was established by
New York state governor,
Daniel D. Tompkins, in the neighborhood next to the hospital. He was elected
Vice President the following year. In 1817 Tompkins built a
dock at the foot of present-day Victory Boulevard and began offering
steam ferry service to
Manhattan. Angry residents burned down the Quarantine in 1858 in a series of attacks known as the
Staten Island Quarantine War. Although there were no deaths as a result of the attack, the arsonists completely destroyed the hospital compound. During
World War II, it was designated Tompkinsville, SI, New York.
21st century In the 21st century, Tompkinsville became a racially mixed area, and a little
Sri Lanka had developed. There is also a large population of Italian-Americans, African Americans and Mexicans. In 2014, black Staten Island resident
Eric Garner was killed by police in Tompkinsville, in an incident that received widespread media coverage. In 2019, the section of Bay Street in Tompkinsville was
rezoned to allow for a higher concentration of residential, commercial, and office space along the street. The plan was controversial, as the vast majority of
Staten Island Community Board 1 members had rejected the plan, as did many residents of Tompkinsville, The city government announced the North Shore Action Plan in 2023, which included various improvements in
St. George, Tompkinsville, and
Stapleton. In Tompkinsville, these would include a promenade, the reconstruction of Pier 1, the completion of
Lighthouse Point and the
Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center, and new or repurposed housing developments, scheduled to open in Spring 2026. == Culture ==