my town Lake Ronkonkoma, The perimeter of the lake itself began to change from residential to commercial. As the lake front become less and less exclusive, some of the people sold their homes and moved away. George Raynor, whose family had lived at the lake since the 1840s, bought an estate in 1921. This became the well-known Raynor Beach. Raynor, whose property was being used for picnics by people who drove out from the city, built a small pavilion and some bathhouses on the beach. Up on the hill, a large building was converted into a restaurant where hot meals were served. The Beach catered to a high-class transient trade. Lake Ronkonkoma adjusted to a two-season pattern, as resort towns must do. The economy of the town depended on a good season, and the lake itself become a great natural resource that brought work and money to Lake Ronkonkoma residents. At the end of each season, Lake Ronkonkoma returned to the normalcy of a small town with familiar faces being seen everywhere. Lake Ronkonkoma had been accustomed to having large numbers of people in town, but previously these people had gone away at the end of the summer. But when the people of the city came to stay, the town of Ronkonkoma lost its intimacy. Agnew & Taylor, circa 1927. End of the Pavilions The people of Lake Ronkonkoma responded spontaneously to the attack on Pearl Harbor. All those who could enlisted in some branch of the service. The townspeople had neither the heart nor the time to think about tourist trade as they rushed to fill the ranks of the army of men and women needed to help build the war machine. People in town had not anticipated the changes that were to come about and had expected that after the War the lake would once more be a big attraction. The beaches stayed open, and although there were visitors, it became evident after a while that the momentum had slowed down. World War II with its total war effort and gas rationing had signaled the beginning of the end of an era of pavilions and crowds of summer visitors. In the 1950s, the original owners began to sell their beaches to others. Many of the pavilions, which were left unattended, burned down. On October 4, 1962, Brookhaven Town purchased land for the first town-owned beach on the lake. The unattended sections of beaches began to deteriorate. Rubbish, tin cans and bottles lined the shores in many places. Since the shoreline lay in between three townships, there was no central control. People were becoming alarmed, and a Tri-Town Committee for the Preservation of Lake Ronkonkoma was formed. The committee agreed that the three towns would treat the pollution problem as a single problem affecting all.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 03:54:01 +0000
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