Ancient Hixtory
Wonderful articles about the history of Hicksville, researched and written by Ron Wencer. This complete monthly series spans 4 years, from May 2018 until April 2022. Enjoy!
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- Ronald Wencer
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Look back, ninety years back, and you can see a Long Island village to which the Red Cross is sending boxcars, filled to the brim with 24-lb bags of flour, so that people can better fend off starvation. Although you won't easily notice them, a few speakeasies and secret distilleries are tucked away here and there.
Click here to continue reading March 2021: Les Hix - Hicksville Endures the Depression's Misery
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- Ronald Wencer
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May 30, 1919: A Civil War veteran, dressed in his old Zouave
uniform, proudly holds aloft a tattered American flag as he
watches Hicksville's Memorial Day parade - such as it is.
The scene is Broadway, facing northeast, towards the corner
at East Marie Street.
Image based on a Hicksville Public Library Historic Photograph,
found online in the New York State Digital Collections; more
information about this image will be found in the Appendices
Click here to continue reading February 2021: A Disgraceful Parade
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Introduction
Hicksville grew substantially in the late 1800s, attracting newcomers from many places, including Indiana, Illinois, and (of course) Brooklyn. Many of them had served in the Civil War, and they saw the post-war years as a time to try to make new starts.
Click here to continue reading January 2021: A Civil War Veteran in Hicksville
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This month, we're going to look at the traveling "Big Top" circus - an immensely popular 19thcentury American innovation.Big circuses would travel thousands of miles a year by rail, bringing pageantry, excitement, and wonders to American towns.Just before World War I, one finally came to Hicksville .Others - but not many - would follow.
Click here to continue reading December 2020: Finally, A Real Circus!
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It's 1908, and in about two years, the LIRR will start operating electric-powered trains under the East River between Manhattan and Long Island, creating a tsunami of new commuters. If you live in a town where the trains are powered by electricity, you will have an advantage - you will not have to risk extra delays by changing trains at Jamaica twice a day.
Click here to continue reading November 2020: A Great Future
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It was the 1970s, but it might as well have been the 19th century. A winter storm was hitting Long Island, and in the morning the LIRR sent train after train of passengers westward - even though the line was impassable. Thousands of commuters found themselves marooned above Hicksville, east of the frozen switch points at DIVIDE tower.
Click here to continue reading October 2020: 20,000 Seconds Over Hicksville
