Oyster Bay

Oyster Bay details the rich history of this diverse community.
Settled by the Dutch and English in the mid-17th century, the small hamlet of Oyster Bay has a rich history and retains much of its charm and character. Theodore Roosevelt purchased land at Oyster Bay in 1880 on which he built his home, Sagamore Hill. Oyster Bay became the focus of national attention from 1902 through 1908, when Roosevelt brought the executive branch of the government to Oyster Bay each summer. Many other wealthy New York City families built summer homes at Oyster Bay in the late 19th century, forming the nucleus of what became the gold coast setting for F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Louis Comfort Tiffany built his 110-room mansion at Oyster Bay, and Typhoid Mary Mallon was identified while working as a cook in the hamlet.

John E. Hammond is the official historian of the town of Oyster Bay, where his ancestors settled in 1653. Using images from the author's own collection, as well as from the Oyster Bay Historical Society, Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, and private collections, Oyster Bay chronicles the history of the hamlet in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.