GREAT NECK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Would your organization
like a speaker about the history of Great Neck?
Or about Stepping
Stones Lighthouse?
Contact Us!
Check out our
past recorded programs here
PO Box 234483 Great Neck, NY 11023
Check back soon!
Upcoming Programs
Proudly show off the history of your home with our Historical Recognition program
Do you live in an older home?
Is it architecturally significant?
Did a local notable reside there?
The Great Neck Historical Society recognizes significant homes and public places with elegant plaques. Find out more about our Historical Recognition program by visiting our Recognition Page
We'd love to hear from you!
info@greatneckhistorical.org | 516-441-7780
Snail Mail: PO Box 234483 Great Neck, NY 11023
Great Neck Railroad Station c. 1907
Welcome
Welcome to the Great Neck Historical Society - your source for information, photos, events, and all things related to the fabled history of this Gold Coast area. Since its founding, Great Neck has evolved from a rural farming and fishing area to a summer artist colony and a suburban retreat to a thriving, sophisticated metropolis of commerce, culture, and education. Home to captains of industry and Broadway actors, Great Neck has always been renowned for its excellent schools, community-minded citizens, diverse population, parks, cultural activities, and everything that enriches life.
Great Neck has one of America's most fascinating histories, beginning with its early days as a forested area inhabited by the Matinecock Indians and developing into today's thriving community. In the mid-1600s, Great Neck - or Mad Nan's Neck, as initially called, was a small, primarily Dutch and English settlement. Today, its residents can trace their roots back to many countries. Hundreds of celebrated men and women have called Great Neck their home, including stage and film stars Paul Newman, Alan King, Sid Caesar, and Francis Ford Coppola; writers F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ring Lardner, and Eugene O'Neill; musicians George M. Cohan, Richard Tucker, and Morton Gould; artists Louise Nevelson, Larry Rivers and Fairfield Porter; business leaders Walter Chrysler, William K. Vanderbilt Jr, and Harry F. Sinclair; and athletes Whitey Ford, Floyd Patterson and the Hughes sisters, Sarah and Emily. It has a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, a church with glorious Tiffany stained glass windows, and schools recognized as among the very top in the nation.
Saving the Past for the Future
The Great Neck Historical Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and presenting the history and heritage of the Great Neck peninsula. We share information through our programs, printed materials, other media, and this website. We also support leadership efforts from all the villages in our community that share the goals of safeguarding the history of Great Neck. Please explore our website and discover the intriguing details of our vibrant history, past and present.