Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Industry & Commerce, Site, Transportation

Location

151 W Merrick Rd, Freeport, NY 11520, USA

Lat/Long

40.653175, -73.586908

Grant Recipient

Freeport Landmarks Preservation Commission

From 1852 until around 1883, the Merrick & Jamaica Plank Road ran through the village of Freeport in Nassau County, New York. After the dissolvement of the plank road company, the stretch of road through Freeport became known as Merrick Road. In 1894, the village of Freeport worked to macadamize the road, an early form of pavement that used small, crushed stone compacted into a smooth surface. The road quickly became a favorite among bicycle and early automobile enthusiasts.

In “Hum of the Wheel” published in the April 30, 1894 edition of the Brooklyn Citizen, the Merrick Road was praised as one of the best riding roads on Long Island. It was said to be “as hard and smooth as a pebble all the way from Jamaica to Babylon” and Freeport was referred to as one of the favorite villages frequented by cyclists traveling on the road. On September 15, 1894, the New York Times reported that:

“The office of Justice of the Peace has been created at Freeport, and bicycle riders have been warned not to ride on the sidewalks under penalty of arrest. The Merrick Road, a favorite with city wheelmen, runs through Freeport, and the village constable will be on duty there every Sunday and holidays to catch bicyclists who ride on the sidewalks.”

Merrick Road was a favorite with early automobilists as well. In 1902 the Long Island Automobile Club held their second annual one-hundred-mile endurance test, with the route including a portion along Merrick Road through Freeport. By September 4, 1914, the Nassau County Review referred to the “celebrated Merrick Road, known far and wide by automobilists” running through the village of Freeport.

For many years, Merrick Road continued to provide the only east-west access on the South Shore of Long Island, leading to Freeport’s development into a successful summer resort and later a bedroom community to New York City.