East Farmingdale Community Profile

Hamlet of East Farmingdale

Historical Profile:

On June 30, 1899, Charles “Mile-A-Minute” Murphy claimed record-breaking fame for racing a bicycle, one-mile in less than one minute, behind a Long Island Rail Road train along the tracks beginning in East Farmingdale. He started from an area that was known as Maywood, near the intersection of Routes 110 and 109. 

The Clyde Motor Truck Company was founded in 1916, but changed its name to Fulton Truck Company, reflecting the claim that their trucks were designed to carry loads weighing up to one-ton.

In the 1940s, thousands of workers built fighter planes for World War II in local defense plants. Local aviation companies included Seversky Aircraft Company, which later became Republic Aviation Corporation in 1938, and Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, which formed in 1929. The flying field for the Fairchild Airplane Manufacturing Company, established in 1926, later became Republic Airport, which continues to the present day. Some of the most famous planes manufactured in Farmingdale were the F-84 Thunderjet, the F-105 Thunderchief, and the P-47 Thunderbolt, which was highly successful against the German Luftwaffe.

Known for producing excellent farmers, the State School of Agriculture on Long Island was established in 1912 – now named Farmingdale State College SUNY.

In 1936, the War Department purchased 175-acres from Pinelawn Cemetery, establishing the Long Island National Cemetery as a place of honor for World War I veterans. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

History Highlights 

Visit the Town Historian’s Blog for articles about local history topics: https://tobhistorian.blogspot.com/