Hempstead Lake State Park is a
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
located in
Nassau County,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
in the United States.
[ The park is located in ]West Hempstead
West Hempstead is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 19,835 at the 2020 census. It is an unincorporated area in the Town of Hempst ...
and is one of three state parks within the Town of Hempstead. There is a quick-access entrance at exit 18 from the Southern State Parkway
The Southern State Parkway (also known as the Southern State or Southern Parkway; abbreviated as SO on signage) is a limited-access highway on Long Island, New York, in the United States. The parkway begins at an interchange with the Belt and ...
. The park contains the largest freshwater lake in Nassau County.
The park offers picnic tables with pavilions, tennis courts, a playground, playing fields, recreation programs, hiking, biking, a bridle path, fishing, ice fishing, ice skating, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and a boat launch. The park contains three ponds for fishing that are stocked with several varieties of fish. Wooded picnic areas provide shade.
History
The central feature of this park is Hempstead Lake, first proposed in 1870 to supply water to Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. The Mill River, also known as Hempstead Creek was dammed to form the 167-acre reservoir. Following the annexation of Brooklyn by New York City in 1898, the reservoir's use as a source of water declined.
In 1925, the route of Southern State Parkway
The Southern State Parkway (also known as the Southern State or Southern Parkway; abbreviated as SO on signage) is a limited-access highway on Long Island, New York, in the United States. The parkway begins at an interchange with the Belt and ...
was laid through the reservoir's grounds, and the property was designated as a state park. The highway originally looped around Hempstead Lake's southern shore between exits 18 and 19. In 1947, an earthen dam was laid across the northern third of Lake Hempstead, straightening the route of the parkway across the lake. A decade later, Peninsula Boulevard was extended along the eastern side of the park partially reusing the parkway's old route.
The reconfiguration of Southern State Parkway created two lakes from the reservoir's northern third: Northeast Pond and Northwest Pond. Excess water exiting Hempstead Lake continues into McDonald Pond and South Pond before leaving the park.
McDonald Pond, the small pond into which Mill Creek flows after leaving Hempstead Lake was officially dedicated in memory of NYPD Officer Steven McDonald on January 15, 2021.
On September 23, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul dedicated the Environmental Education & Resiliency Center at the park, which provides displays on the natural and human history of the park.[Bonfiglio, Brianna "Environmental Education Center Opens at Hempstead Lake State Park" Lon Island Press September 24, 2021 https://www.longislandpress.com/2021/09/24/environmental-education-center-opens-at-hempstead-lake-state-park/]
"Peaches" / "Jane Doe No. 3"
On June 28, 1997, the dismembered torso of an unidentified young African-American woman was found at Hempstead Lake State Park, in the town of Lakeview, New York. The torso was found in a green plastic Rubbermaid container, which was dumped next to a road along the west side of the lake. Investigators reported that the victim had a tattoo on her left breast of a heart-shaped peach with a bite out of it and two drips falling from its core.
See also
* List of New York state parks
This is a list of state parks in the U.S. state of New York. Also listed are state golf courses, seasonal hunting areas, and ''former'' state parks.
In New York, state parks are managed by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preserva ...
References
External links
*
New York State Parks: Hempstead Lake State Park
State parks of New York (state)
Robert Moses projects
Hempstead, New York
Parks in Nassau County, New York
Urban public parks
{{NassauCountyNY-geo-stub