Fire Island Pines

Etymology

The etymology of Fire Island’s name remains uncertain, with several theories proposed over time. It is believed that its Native American designation was Sictem Hackey, translating to “Land of the Secatogues,” with the Secatogues being a local tribe situated in what is now Islip. This area was also known as the “Seal Islands.”

The name “Fire Island” first appeared on a deed in 1789. Historian Richard Bayles posits that it might stem from a misinterpretation or alteration of the Dutch words vijf (“five”) or vier (“four”), possibly referencing the number of islands near the Fire Island inlet. This theory is echoed by Robert Caro in The Power Broker, suggesting that the island was named to denote four inlets that have since vanished. At times, historical accounts have referred to it in the plural as “Fire Islands” due to the presence of inlet breaks.

Other explanations suggest that the island acquired its name from fires constructed on its shores by Native Americans or pirates to lure ships onto sandbars. Another version proposes that during World War II, coastal guards lit fires as signals when supplies ran low, prompting replenishment from the mainland. Some assert that the island’s appearance resembles flames when viewed from the sea in autumn, while another theory links the name to the rash caused by poison ivy found on the island.

Initially, the western portion of the island was known as Fire Island, while the eastern part was referred to as Great South Beach until 1920. Subsequent widespread development led to the entire landmass being commonly referred to as Fire Island.

Settlement

Before European settlers arrived, Long Island and Fire Island were inhabited by Indigenous Native American groups for many centuries. While there is a myth about “thirteen tribes” neatly divided across the islands, modern ethnographic research suggests a more nuanced picture. Indigenous groups on these islands were organized into village systems with varying levels of social complexity, living in small communities connected through intricate kinship networks.

Unlike the tribal systems often depicted in the myth, these communities were autonomous villages with overlapping cultural characteristics. The western groups primarily spoke the Delaware-Munsee dialect of Algonquian and shared cultural traits, such as the longhouse system, with neighboring tribes in present-day New Jersey and Delaware. The linguistic affiliation of the eastern groups is less clear, but they may have been related to southern New England Algonquian dialects.

As gay village

During the Jazz Age, when New York’s artistic bohème began frequenting Fire Island, Ocean Beach emerged as the region’s inaugural gay village. However, tensions between the gay tourists, often prominent figures, and the local populace reached a climax when Antoine de Paris erected an outhouse with a revealing saloon door on his property across from a Catholic church. In response, villagers orchestrated a confrontation by sending a teenage boy to “seduce” one of Antoine’s guests. Upon catching the guest in a compromising situation, they set fire to Antoine’s property.

Following the devastating Great Hurricane of 1938, the middle class relocated to Saltaire, while the gay community found a home in Cherry Grove. By the 1950s, both Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines had established themselves as gay enclaves, linked by the infamous cruising area known as the Meat Rack. The vibrant, party-centric atmosphere of the pre-HIV/AIDS 1970s is vividly depicted in Andrew Holleran’s 1978 novel, “Dancer from the Dance.”

Beach renourishment

During the winter and spring of 2009, Fire Island underwent a beach renourishment initiative, a collaborative effort involving the National Park Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Towns of Brookhaven and Islip, and local residents. This program entailed dredging sand from an offshore borrow area, pumping it onto the beach, and shaping it into an approved beach face and dune configuration.

The communities benefiting from this project included Corneille Estates, Davis Park, Dunewood, Fair Harbor, Fire Island Pines, Fire Island Summer Club, Lonelyville, Ocean Bay Park, Ocean Beach, Saltaire, and Seaview. To fund the endeavor, Fire Islanders consented to a substantial property tax hike. The project, estimated to cost between $23 and $25 million (equivalent to $6,020 per housing unit), covered expenses such as environmental monitoring and aimed to introduce 1,400,000 cubic meters (1,800,000 cubic yards) of sand in front of the participating communities.

2012: Hurricane Sandy

In 2012, Fire Island suffered extensive damage from the high tides accompanying Hurricane Sandy, with three breaches occurring around Smith Point County Park on the sparsely populated eastern end of the island. The largest breach, located at Old Inlet within the Otis Pike Wilderness Area just west of Smith Point County Park, posed significant challenges due to its location in a wilderness area. After the storm, the breach measured 108 feet wide at the south end and 1,171 feet wide by February 28, 2013. This site has experienced previous breaches that naturally resolved over time.

Authorities have been deliberating on whether to close the breach or allow nature to take its course. Proponents argue that the breach has been beneficial in flushing out the Great South Bay and enhancing water quality. However, residents of bayfront communities have raised concerns about increased flooding following the storm. The decision regarding the breach closure remains a subject of ongoing debate.