One of the most interesting side stories I stumbled into with this Knapps Lived Here journey has been discovering the story behind that old wooden bridge that used to be up at Smith's Point. A few Mastic area old timers talked about it and how they would try to keep it repaired after each winter as the ice would tear it up. A few photos of it surfaced circa 1917 and that led me to a 1910 artist illustration of a European design grand bridge leading to a resort city of hotels not unlike Atlantic City except located at Smith's Point! That led me to maps with the name of Tangier plastered all over the area most everyone knows as Shirley, Long Island. Which led to more and more Eureka moments and discoveries about a guy named Quinby, a name that appeared in the 1920 Census right between the Smiths and the Knapps...and as they say the rest is history..... well at the bottom of this page are links to all the history I have on "The Development Of The Century " so far....If you haven't seen it yet and you live in Mastic or Shirley or the Beach you will not believe your eyes..... I'm sure Mr. Shirley didn't either when he first laid his eyes on the plans that Quinby left behind.......
And Here Is The Brains Behind The Operation In Living B&W
FREDERICK J. QUINBY
At least I'm 99.99 percent sure it's him. Standing behind every acre he sells ya I tell ya. If the piece he has looks familiar to some it should. It's one of the two 1812 Naval guns at the Manor of St. George, in Mastic Beach. And it was at the Manor that the deal was struck to buy up 10,000 Acres of it from three of the four children of this man .....
Egbert Tangier Smith circa 1880
