The Oyster Bay Historical Society...Keep Our History Alive

July 13, 2001, Friday

Keep Our History Alive

OPINION By Dagmar Fors Karppi

At a May meeting about cellular tower locations, Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto casually suggested that residents might want to give Goat Hill a new name.

The idea to rename Goat Hill was picked up by the Committee for the Beautification of East Norwich and they are running a naming contest. Either leave it just the way it is: a historical name that hints at an agricultural background to the area, or give it a name befitting a park on the highest point of East Norwich. The young people in the community know the area as "The Trails."

Jack Schiech, the president of the CBEN was very affable about whatever interest the naming contest would have: either for or against a new name.

By our headline, you can see where we are coming from: save our history!

Oyster Bay Historical Society Director Tom Kuehhas said, "I think it's what gives an area character," when asked his opinion of the name Goat Hill.

We think Goat Hill is a great tie to our colonial history we just haven't been able to prove it.

The Oyster Bay Enterprise Pilot has put in a request to Oyster Bay Town Historian Dorothy Horton McGee to see if there is any information about Goat Hill, to see how long it has been so named. That will take some time, we know.

Oyster Bay Historical Society Director Tom Keuhhas looked in the town records and while he didn't find any reference to Goat Hill, He did find information about Hogg Island, the earlier name of Centre Island. The item in the Town of Oyster Bay records from April 26, 1686 asked that the animals: sheep, goats, cows, swine and horses be removed from Hogg Island so that the residents could plant Indian corn and other grain.

So there were goats here in 1686. That makes a case for their being kept on Goat Hill as well.

Mr. Kuehhas did find a reference to the "Gutt: a highway to and from the Oyster Bay Mill," in the town records. The mill was by the Mill Pond, so maybe the Gutt became the Goat in Goat Hill.

All in all, if you have information about Goat Hill, maybe you remember someone mentioning it years ago, we would appreciate calls, notes and emails with whatever information you have.

Let's save Goat Hill!

You can also submit your suggested name to: The Committee for the Beautification of East Norwich by dropping them a line at P.O. Box 172, East Norwich, NY 11732 or calling and leaving a message at 922-6964 or emailing your suggestion to JACKSESQ@Aol.com.