Who are the ten most influential people in Levittown's history? Opinions may vary.
Here's my list:
John Seaman (1615-95). He was an Essex-born convert to Quakerism who arrived with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630 and became one of the original score of patentees in the Hempstead Purchase of 1643. In 1664, his Jerusalem Purchase - which included Wantagh, Seaford, and southeastern Levittown - became the beginnings of the exodus of Quaker families into our neighborhood.
Takapausha (?-c.1690). Representative of the Massapequan, Merrick, and Rockaway Indians in the many land purchases in the Town of Hempstead throughout the middle decades of the 17th Century. He is believed to have lived in a small village along the Wantagh Creek roughly where Salk and MacArthur schools are situated today.
Valentine Hicks (1782-1850). Quaker businessman and ardent abolitionist whose home - now the Maine Maid Inn - was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Hicks was a significant landowner when, as president of the LIRR, he oversaw the creation of a depot just north of the Island Trees area. He first conceived of establishing a village at this spot in 1837 which became Hicksville and, via land sales to German land speculators Frederick Hyne and John Heitz, fostered the influx of settlers into what's now the Hicksville/Levittown area.
Alexander Stewart (1803-76). The Father of Garden City, Stewart's Central Branch of the LIRR ran through the Island Trees area between 1871 and 1926. Land-holding trusts established in conjunction with this rail line - the Merillion Estate and Hempstead Plains companies - provided Levitt & So0ns with most of the acreage upon which Levittown is built.
William K. Vanderbilt (1878-1944). Playboy millionaire, naturalist, and technology-enthusiast whose 1908-10 Vanderbilt Cup Race and Motor Parkway not only promoted Henry Ford's automobile production, but made the future Levittown more accessible to the motoring public and to real estate developers looking for inexpensive land on Long Island.
Ernest McFarland (1894-1984). Congressman from Arizona and principal architect of the Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944 (the GI Bill) which created extensive government insured housing and educational opportunities for returning GI's and reduced the investment risks for such real estate developers as Levitt & Sons.
Robert Moses (1888-1980). Creator of Long Island's state park and highway system, his Wantagh State Parkway made the future Wantagh/Levittown/Hicksville area more accessible to motorists, businesses, and real estate developers like Herbert Gould, William Levitt, and Jerry Spiegel.
Leroy Grumman (1895-1982). Founder of Grumman Aviation Corporation which produced fighter planes in the 1940-80 era as well as the NASA lunar module. Grumman's massive industrial facility in Bethpage was the largest employer in the area during the post-War period; providing jobs that made middle class homeownership affordable.
Alfred Levitt (1912-66). Artist, architect, historian, and brother of William Levitt, he designed many of the features in Levitt & Sons houses that gave Levittown its distinct style and character.
William J. Levitt (1907-94). The Father of Levittown. As president of Levitt & Sons and a U.S. naval officer, he developed mass-production and civil engineering techniques that made Levittown possible, oversaw every aspect of its development, and the strong relationships with civil authorities, the business community, and the general public that made the Levitt Development a success. He is today recognized by historians as one of the towering figures of the industrial age; basic elements of his building techniques - or modifications thereof- came to be employed throughout the world by the start of the 21st Century.
Want to learn more about the history of Levittown and the surrounding communities? Visit www.levittownhistoricalsociety.org
