Bald Hill (Farmingville, New York)
Encyclopedia
Bald Hill, located in the hamlet of Farmingville, New York
, part of the Town of Brookhaven
, is one of the highest areas of elevation on Long Island
. The highest elevation in the Bald Hill area is 331 feet (100.9 m). Though local residents often claim it to be the highest point on Long Island, that honor actually belongs to Jayne's Hill
in the Town of Huntington
at 401 feet (122.2 m). Also, nearby Telescope Hill
, about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) WSW, is slightly higher at 334 feet (101.8 m). Bald Hill in Brookhaven should also not be confused with Bald Hill in Riverhead.
found the hills to be merely "trifling" when he passed through in April 1790.
In 1897, the cross-Island Bicycle Path
was opened and passed through the Bald Hill area.
In 1970-71, Patchogue-Mt. Sinai Road (County Route 83)
was built through the Bald Hill area. Two overlooks were constructed in a widened median area with automobile access, and stone markers were placed for "Danger Hill" and "Breakneck Hill", the names given to the two hills by early settlers. A Vietnam Veterans memorial was opened on the southern lookout side in 1991 (elevation 321 feet).
The Brookhaven Town Hall and Sachem East High School are on the east side of the hill. The Glacier Ridge Preserve to the north of the structures has a network of 11 miles (17.7 km) of cross country bicycle trails.
The seeds for this project were planted in 1964, when Suffolk County builder Henry Taca approached the Town with plans to build houses on his 229 acre (0.92673094 km²) in the area, including the hilly Bald Hill tract. He turned over 64 acres (258,999 m²) of the Bald Hill property to the Town free of charge in 1965, and in return, he received Town approval for a "cluster housing
" project known as Hawthorne Estates. Under the approval, he was allowed to build more houses on his remaining acreage than would otherwise be permitted.
The Bald Hill Ski Bowl officially opened on January 21, 1965, with a 710 feet (216.4 m) tow rope in operation on a wide main slope, which featured a 800 feet (243.8 m) run and 123 feet (37.5 m) vertical drop. At its opening, it was hoped that with the use of snow machines, the slopes and trails would be usable for an average of 70 days each winter. Initial prices were $3 for an all-day ticket, $2 for a half-day ticket after 1 P.M., and 25 cents for a single ski-tow trip. By January 1967, an 800 feet (243.8 m) T-bar lift had been installed to supplement three tow ropes ranging from 150 to 800 feet (243.8 m) in length, and there were now five ski trails on three slopes. A Swiss-chalet style lodge with a fireplace was also added.
In 1975, The New York Times
reported that the ski area was now drawing 5,000 visitors each week. The facility was described as covering 106 acre (0.42896716 km²) and featuring a 1400 feet (426.7 m) run for advanced skiers, a slope for "novices", and a "bunny run" for beginners. The cost for an all-day ticket was $2.25. All was not rosy, however. New "quiet" snow machines were in the process of being installed to quell complaints about noise from neighboring residents, and some members of the Town Board were complaining that the facility was costing too much and should perhaps be closed. Operating costs were reported to be $500,000 annually, with revenue of between $100,000 to $200,000, depending on the amount of snowfall.
Fortunes turned briefly for the better in the winter of 1976-1977, when generous snowfall (over 62 inches (1,574.8 mm) in Suffolk County) gave the Ski Bowl its first profitable year. But the warmer winter of 1979-80 proved to be a death blow. As of late January 1980, the ski bowl had only been open eight days for the season. Only 6,500 skiers showed up that winter, only 11 inches (279.4 mm) of snow fell, and revenues fell to $18,000. As the next winter approached, the Town searched for a private operator willing to take over the facility, an unlikely prospect in light of Long Island's weather and the site's historical unprofitability. With the facility's budget slashed by over 70%, and a vague plan to open only if natural snowfall was sufficient, Bald Hill's days as Long Island's largest public skiing facility were at an end.
The ski bowl site is now home of the Brookhaven Amphitheater. The ski lodge building remains as an art gallery, and sits to the right of the audience as they face the stage.
Farmingville, New York
Farmingville is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 16,458 at the 2000 census.Farmingville is in the Town of Brookhaven...
, part of the Town of Brookhaven
Brookhaven, New York
The Town of Brookhaven is one of the ten towns into which Suffolk County, New York, United States, has been divided. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located in central Suffolk County and is the only town in the county that stretches from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long...
, is one of the highest areas of elevation on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. The highest elevation in the Bald Hill area is 331 feet (100.9 m). Though local residents often claim it to be the highest point on Long Island, that honor actually belongs to Jayne's Hill
Jayne's Hill
Jayne's Hill is the highest point on New York's Long Island, with an elevation of between and above sea level...
in the Town of Huntington
Huntington, New York
The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
at 401 feet (122.2 m). Also, nearby Telescope Hill
Telescope Hill
Telescope Hill, at , is the highest point of elevation in the Town of Brookhaven, on Long Island, New York, United States. The hill is located at the end of Tower Hill Ave., on the border of the ZIP codes of the hamlets of Selden and Farmingville, and west of Bald Hill.Notably, Telescope Hill was...
, about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) WSW, is slightly higher at 334 feet (101.8 m). Bald Hill in Brookhaven should also not be confused with Bald Hill in Riverhead.
History
The Bald Hill area is part of the Ronkonkoma Moraine, which runs east to west along the center of the Town of Brookhaven, and marks where the glacier which formed Long Island stopped its advance. hen first settled in the late 18th century, the area was called "Bald Hills." While the elevation and views are impressive for Long Island, George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
found the hills to be merely "trifling" when he passed through in April 1790.
In 1897, the cross-Island Bicycle Path
Bicycle Path
Bicycle Path is a historic road in Central Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, built in the late 19th Century in order to capitalize on the bicycle craze of that period...
was opened and passed through the Bald Hill area.
In 1970-71, Patchogue-Mt. Sinai Road (County Route 83)
County Route 83 (Suffolk County, New York)
Suffolk County Road 83 is a major county road in Suffolk County, New York. It runs north and south from New York State Route 27 at exit 52A in North Patchogue to New York State Route 25A in Mount Sinai...
was built through the Bald Hill area. Two overlooks were constructed in a widened median area with automobile access, and stone markers were placed for "Danger Hill" and "Breakneck Hill", the names given to the two hills by early settlers. A Vietnam Veterans memorial was opened on the southern lookout side in 1991 (elevation 321 feet).
The Brookhaven Town Hall and Sachem East High School are on the east side of the hill. The Glacier Ridge Preserve to the north of the structures has a network of 11 miles (17.7 km) of cross country bicycle trails.
Bald Hill Ski Bowl
From 1965-1980, Bald Hill was the site of a Town-owned skiing area known as the Bald Hill Ski Bowl.The seeds for this project were planted in 1964, when Suffolk County builder Henry Taca approached the Town with plans to build houses on his 229 acre (0.92673094 km²) in the area, including the hilly Bald Hill tract. He turned over 64 acres (258,999 m²) of the Bald Hill property to the Town free of charge in 1965, and in return, he received Town approval for a "cluster housing
Residential cluster development
A Residential Cluster Development, or conservation development, is the grouping of residential properties on a development site in order to use the extra land as open space, recreation or agriculture. It is increasingly becoming popular in subdivision development for its low impact and...
" project known as Hawthorne Estates. Under the approval, he was allowed to build more houses on his remaining acreage than would otherwise be permitted.
The Bald Hill Ski Bowl officially opened on January 21, 1965, with a 710 feet (216.4 m) tow rope in operation on a wide main slope, which featured a 800 feet (243.8 m) run and 123 feet (37.5 m) vertical drop. At its opening, it was hoped that with the use of snow machines, the slopes and trails would be usable for an average of 70 days each winter. Initial prices were $3 for an all-day ticket, $2 for a half-day ticket after 1 P.M., and 25 cents for a single ski-tow trip. By January 1967, an 800 feet (243.8 m) T-bar lift had been installed to supplement three tow ropes ranging from 150 to 800 feet (243.8 m) in length, and there were now five ski trails on three slopes. A Swiss-chalet style lodge with a fireplace was also added.
In 1975, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that the ski area was now drawing 5,000 visitors each week. The facility was described as covering 106 acre (0.42896716 km²) and featuring a 1400 feet (426.7 m) run for advanced skiers, a slope for "novices", and a "bunny run" for beginners. The cost for an all-day ticket was $2.25. All was not rosy, however. New "quiet" snow machines were in the process of being installed to quell complaints about noise from neighboring residents, and some members of the Town Board were complaining that the facility was costing too much and should perhaps be closed. Operating costs were reported to be $500,000 annually, with revenue of between $100,000 to $200,000, depending on the amount of snowfall.
Fortunes turned briefly for the better in the winter of 1976-1977, when generous snowfall (over 62 inches (1,574.8 mm) in Suffolk County) gave the Ski Bowl its first profitable year. But the warmer winter of 1979-80 proved to be a death blow. As of late January 1980, the ski bowl had only been open eight days for the season. Only 6,500 skiers showed up that winter, only 11 inches (279.4 mm) of snow fell, and revenues fell to $18,000. As the next winter approached, the Town searched for a private operator willing to take over the facility, an unlikely prospect in light of Long Island's weather and the site's historical unprofitability. With the facility's budget slashed by over 70%, and a vague plan to open only if natural snowfall was sufficient, Bald Hill's days as Long Island's largest public skiing facility were at an end.
The ski bowl site is now home of the Brookhaven Amphitheater. The ski lodge building remains as an art gallery, and sits to the right of the audience as they face the stage.
Attractions
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park. A Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on November 11, 1991, and includes a 100 feet (30.5 m) high obelisk-shaped monument painted red, white, and blue. The planning for the $1.5 million project began in 1986, when the Suffolk County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission was formed. A design contest received over 1,300 entries, and the winning design was submitted by Bob Fox, a Vietnam veteran from Massachusetts.
- Overlooks. Accessible via Patchogue-Mt. Sinai Road (County Route 83)County Route 83 (Suffolk County, New York)Suffolk County Road 83 is a major county road in Suffolk County, New York. It runs north and south from New York State Route 27 at exit 52A in North Patchogue to New York State Route 25A in Mount Sinai...
, also the site of the Vietnam memorial. On a clear day, you can see to Fire IslandFire Island, New YorkFire Island is one of the outer barrier islands adjacent to the south shore of Long Island, New York. It is approximately long and varies between broad. Fire Island is part of Suffolk County. It comprises a number of hamlets, census-designated places , and villages, all of which lie within the...
in the south and Long Island SoundLong Island SoundLong Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
to the north.
- Brookhaven Amphitheater. An outdoor performing venue with a capacity of over 18,000, part of the Bald Hill Cultural Center.