East Hills, New York

The Village of East Hills was incorporated on June 24, 1931, and its first election was held a couple weeks later on July 8.[2]

However, the area now occupied by the village has played a role in the history of both Long Island and the country, as a whole, long before then.[2] In 1643, John Carman and Robert Fordham sailed across the Long Island Sound from Stamford, Connecticut and purchased the land that is now occupied by the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead from the Marsappeaque, Matinecock, Mericock, and Rockoway Native Americans.[2]

The legacy of the Native Americans in what is now East Hills lives on to this very day. Harbor Hill Road, which was once a Native American trade route, is the oldest road in the village, and is one of the more important roads in East Hills.[2]

George Washington's diary mentions making a visit to Oyster Bay, and of his breakfast at what was previously the George Washington Manor (now Hendrick's Tavern). The paper mill in Roslyn park was inspected by George Washington.

The one thing in East Hills which has been in existence longer than any other man-made object is Harbor Hill Road in East Hills. The road is found in records going back as far as 1661, as "A path alongside Harboure Hill".

For a long time, much of what now is East Hills was home to a few wealthy families. The current neighborhood of Fairfield Park, located across from Roslyn High School on Round Hill Road, was once a polo field. The Country Estates neighborhood was formerly home to Clarence Mackay, Katherine Mackay, and their family for 30 years, beginning in 1898. Their estate was called Harbor Hill (named after the hill of the same name that it sat on). In 1924, the Prince of Wales, who later abdicated the throne of England to marry Mrs. Simpson, was entertained at the Mackay estate. Aviation pioneer Charles A. Lindbergh even rested at the Mackay estate in 1927 after returning to the United States following his historic solo flight to Paris, France. Despite the fact that the Stanford White-designed mansion was sadly demolished prior to the construction of Country Estates, three remaining buildings from the former Harbor Hill estate thankfully still stand, and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991:[3] Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage, Mackay Estate Gate Lodge, and Mackay Estate Water Tower.

On June 24, 1931, representatives of the 269 people residing in the future village met inside the home of Robert H. Willets. The Willets family had resided in the area for eight generations. At the time, the Willets family lived in the house where Stephen Taber lived in 1839. That house, which is still standing, is located at 50 Andover Road, off of the Long Island Expressway's South Service Road near the entrance to the Norgate neighborhood. The name of "East Hills" was adopted after then-Nassau County Attorney, H. Stewart McKnight, recommended it.

Two weeks after the village was incorporated, an election was held in barns on the Mackay estate, and Mr. Willets was elected as the Village Mayor. John Mackay, Stephen Willets, Ellen A. Hennessy, and Catherine Hechler were elected as the Village Trustees. Charles Hechler, the husband of Mrs. Heckler, was designated as the Village Clerk.

Robert Willets served as Mayor until his retirement in 1945. William W. Murray, Jr. succeeded him, he resigned for health reasons in 1952. Murray was succeeded by Raymond E. Dolar. Dolar served as mayor until 1966, when he moved to Florida. In 1967, William R. Fleischer succeeded him, becoming East Hills' fourth Mayor.

On Labor Day 2006, The Park at East Hills opened on the land previously occupied by the Roslyn Air National Guard base.[4] It has a pool, nature walks, senior facilities, and tennis and basketball courts. The construction of the park was financed through the sale of bonds; carrying and operating costs are paid through taxes.