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Great Neck History

The Great Neck peninsula encompasses nine villages and several unincorporated areas within the Town of North Hempstead in northwest Nassau County. It has roughly 40,000 residents across 9.6 square miles, and is dotted with more than 20 parks and surrounded by Little Neck Bay, Long Island Sound and Manhasset Bay. Great Neck is known for its easy commute to Manhattan, along the Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington Branch. The Great Neck train station is also a hub for several buses operated by Nassau Inter-County Express. The Great Neck peninsula was first settled by Native Americans who supported themselves through hunting, farming and fishing. They lived along the shorelines and established trading relationships with Dutch and English explorers. When the European visitors colonized the peninsula they brought African slaves in order to clear and farm the land. In 1799 New York State abolished slavery, stipulating that all slaves had to be free by 1827.

One of the first European families to settle in Great Neck Plaza was the Allen family. They worked as farmers and merchants, passing their land down to their children. Another prominent landowner was Bloodgood Cutter (1817 - 1906). Cutter was best known as a potato farmer and poet. He was good friends with Mark Twain, taking a trip with him on the steamer Quaker City in 1867. Among Cutter’s land holdings were several acres on Cutter Mill Road, so named after him.