Long Island State Parks: A History from Jones Beach to Montauk. This item is unavailable.Long Island State Parks: A History from Jones Beach to Montauk

Discover the History Behind the Beauty of Long Island's Most Cherished Parks

Each year, tens of millions of people visit Long Island’s state parks. Most visitors are unaware that each one of the state parks has its own fascinating chapter in the region’s storied history. Some were once vast estates of New York’s elite during the turn-of-the-century Gilded Age, such as Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park. Others were “hunting clubs,” where wealthy members banded together to create retreats, including Caleb Smith State Park Preserve. Montauk’s Camp Hero has a multigenerational military history, even inspiring conspiracies that the government experimented with mind control and time travel. Underprivileged children from the bustling boroughs of New York City found fresh air and formative experiences at Camp William Carey in today’s Hallock State Park Preserve. Author Kristen Matejka presents the hidden history of the New York state parks on Long Island.

Kristen Matejka is a writer who has held various editorial positions at both local and national newspapers and magazines. She worked on a special Path through History project for Long Island as part of New York State’s Path through History program. She has worked for historical organizations on Long Island, including Southold Historical Museum on the North Fork and the North Shore Promotion Alliance’s historic Washington Spy Trail initiative. She also volunteered as an archivist at the Bohemian Citizens Benevolent Society of Astoria and currently serves as a trustee at Kings Park Heritage Museum, as well as on the Town of Smithtown Historic Advisory Council.