Parks & Recreation Facilities

  1. Argyle Park, W. Main Street, Babylon 

The park was gifted by J. Stanley Foster to the Village of Babylon in 1922, as a memorial to his fellow World War I veterans. That same year the Board of Trustees officially named it Babylon Memorial Park, although it is commonly known as Argyle Park.

J. Stanley Foster died in 1925. His sister Caroline Foster Savidge donated the decorative overflow as a memorial to him, dedicated on Armistice Day (Veterans Day), 1928. The bench behind the overflow is inscribed “Babylon Memorial Park, presented to the Village of Babylon by J. Stanley Foster, Esq.” 

 

2. E. Donald Conroy Golf Course – 75 Cedar Street, Babylon, NY 11702 – (631) 669-2340 – https://www.villageofbabylonny.gov/e-donald-conroy-golf-course

  • The 9-hole golf course first opened in 1999.
  • Named for E. Donald Conroy (1929-2002), who served as Village Mayor 1987-2002.

 

3. Gilbert C. Hanse Village Pool – 700 Fire Island Avenue South, Babylon, NY 11702 – (631) 587-7707 –  https://www.villageofbabylonny.gov/gilbert-c-hanse-village-pool 

    • The Village Pool was first constructed in 1927 by Babylon Beach Inc., Walter J. Lipp, president. In 1947, the village of Babylon purchased the private pool complex for community use.
    • In 1982, the pool was re-named for Gilbert C. Hanse (1914-2004), who served as Village Mayor 1951-1965 and 1970-1987. 

 

A postcard image of the pool, circa 1930. At one time, the pool was purported to be the largest on the east coast, and was noted for its tile work. In the early years, the pool was filled with salt water from the Great South Bay.

Advertisement for the Babylon Bathing Beach and Swimming Pool, published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 21, 1929.

 

4. Southard’s Pond Park

    • Named for the Southard family that operated a grist mill at the south end of the pond in the 1800s. “Southards Pond,” a profile written by Tom Stock is available on the Beacon website. [ https://www.babylonbeacon.com/articles/southards-pond/ ] 
    • The famed Westminster Kennel Club had its clubhouse near the southwest corner of the pond from 1880 to 1904. 

 5. Babylon Village Park, Park Avenue 

    • Dedicated on December 28, 1969, the plaque reads: “This park is dedicated to the people of the Village of Babylon. Developed by the Village of Babylon with Sidney Shapiro, chief engineer and general manager of the Long Island State Park Commission. ● Syd Askoff, Mayor ● Board of Trustees ● Lane H. Foreman ● John T. Morris Jr. ● Peter O. Rasmussen ● Robert J. Wilbur.”
    • The park has a playground and tennis courts, and is part of the trail system to Belmont Lake State Park.