Gilgo State Park is a undeveloped
state park in
Gilgo,
Suffolk County,
New York.
The park is located on
Jones Beach Island
Jones Beach Island is one of the outer barrier islands off the southern coast of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.
Etymology
It is named for Major Thomas Jones, who first came to Long Island in 1692, where he proceeded to build the ...
, a
barrier island
Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from ...
off the southern shore of
Long Island.
History
Previous use of the land was for a
United States Life-Saving Service
The United States Life-Saving ServiceDespite the lack of hyphen in its insignia, the agency itself is hyphenated in government documents including: and was a Federal government of the United States, United States government agency that grew out ...
called "Station Gilgo" and referred to as USLSS Station #27. At the western edge of the park are the remains of this station and is known locally as the Old Coast Guard Station. No markings on the site identify its history of life saving. It is thought the first building was erected in 1853, serving as a base for volunteer life savers who would walk/patrol the beach and observe ships in distress. It was to aid in recovery of life and property aboard the ships which ran aground. The service was merged into the US Coast Guard in 1925 and later developments in technology made this service inefficient, which caused it to be abandoned.
For some years later, it stood unused until
Robert Moses negotiated with the federal government to include it in his Long Island Parks Region. Land around the former Coast Guard Station was acquired in phases from the
Town of Babylon from 1928 through 1930.
[Bailey, Paul "Long Island; a History of Two Great Counties, Nassau and Suffolk, Volume 1" Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1949 Page 371]
The terms of this transfer are still being explored, though it appears, the parties agreed that this land would be forever wild and available to all residents for their wholesome recreation. No one user group would have exclusive privilege to its use and it would not be closed for whatever reason, with the exception of occasional closing for general safety.
Park description
Gilgo State Park is an undeveloped park, featuring waterfront access to the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
to the south, and
Great South Bay
The Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is about long and has an average depth of 4 feet 3 inches and is 20 feet at its deepest. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire ...
to the north.
For many years, locals from the mainland have crossed the Great South Bay, anchored and walked south to the ocean beach. Here they could picnic, swim and surf the famous "Hemlocks Beach".
Due to its undeveloped nature, visitors are required to haul out what they bring in with them, and there is no bathroom or garbage cans. Other access is by NYS four-wheel drive vehicle surfing permit issued by a joint program with NYS parks and the
Town of Babylon, although
Ocean Parkway passes the park. The park features tranquility, shore scenery, and surfing.
[
The park also serves as a wildlife reserve, aiming to preserve habitat for the piping plover and the sea beach amaranth. No pets are permitted within the park.][
]
See also
* List of New York state parks
References
External links
New York State Parks: Gilgo State Park
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State parks of New York (state)
Beaches of Suffolk County, New York
Parks in Suffolk County, New York
Landforms of Suffolk County, New York