Politics & Government

Woodsburgh Celebrates Village's Centennial

Time capsule will be buried for future generation of village residents.

About 100 years ago, residents of a portion of Woodmere united to maintain roads, improve street lighting and set local laws. On Nov. 8, 1912, Woodsburgh became the third village in the Five Towns to incorporate.

The current board and residents of the village, along with other elected officials, gathered on Sunday at the site of the Culluloo Telewana Monument to celebrate the centennial of the place they call home.

“After 100 years of development, Woodsburgh is still one of the loveliest residential areas on the South Shore of Long Island,” said Susan Schlaff, who has served as mayor since 1994.

Find out what's happening in Five Townswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Officials chose the site of the Telewana Monument — which Abraham Hewlett built to honor who he believed was the last of the Rockaway Iroquois — because it is an area of the village “where many roads converge,” said Village Trustee Lee Israel. The village recently beautified the site of the monument “to make it a place people can be proud of,” Israel added. To mark the occasion, village officials will soon bury a time capsule containing pictures and other paraphernalia in a site to be determined (to prevent premature excavation).

Town Councilman James Darcy pointed to other historical occasions of 1912 — the forming of the Republic of China, the sinking of the Titanic, the establishment of the Girl Scouts — but one in particular, he said, was most akin to the incorporation of Woodsburgh.

Find out what's happening in Five Townswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“When you stop and think about it, the forming of this village and the invention of Oreos have a lot in common,” he said. “At the center of an Oreo, there’s that extra special something that makes us all happy. And at the center of this village is that special something that makes everybody want to live here.”

No one knows that better than the 778 people who reside in Woodsburgh.

“We love it here,” said Phillip Esqian, an 11-year resident of the village. “This is the greatest community in the world.”

Fred Schorstein, who was recognized by the village for his help with the centennial celebration, has lived in the village for 42 years.

“It is a beautiful place,” he said. “Where would I want to go that’s better than this?”

Read more about the incorporation of Woodsburgh here, courtesy of Hewlett-Woodmere Librarian Millicent Vollono.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here