84 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • DECEMBER 2019
PRESS BUZZ: DESTINATIONS
MIRACULOUS MANHASSET:
By BRENDAN MANLEY
Driving through Manhasset on
ever-busy Northern Boulevard, it’s
hard to imagine that the place was
once basically just one big waterfront
pasture on the North Shore, where as
far back as the mid-1600s hundreds of
cows enjoyed the area’s fine grazing
land.
The real estate has appreciated
considerably since then, while the
local bovine population has notably
declined. What is now known as
Manhasset — a Native American
term meaning “island neighborhood”
— was formerly part of a
broader peninsula called Cow Neck,
also comprised of modern-day Port
Washington and other surrounding
villages, located on Schout’s Bay, or
present Manhasset Bay.
By 1659, Cow Neck was home to 300
cows and their keepers, separated
from its southern neighbors by 5
miles of fence. In 1677 the fence came
down, landholdings were formalized
and the future Manhasset became
Little Cow Neck, while Port Washington
took the name Upper Cow Neck.
It wasn’t until 1840 that Manhasset
adopted its present name, just as
changes began to sweep through the
area. Although the dairy business so
long associated with the region remained
strong, new industries — like
oysters — started to take hold. Then
in 1898, Manhasset was connected
to the Long Island Rail Road, leaving
most of its agrarian past behind, as a
series of spectacular estates of families
like the Vanderbilts, Whitneys,
and Strathmores took hold.
As those extravagant days ebbed
by mid-century, the region evolved
again, becoming one of LI’s most
family friendly communities and
a premiere destination for retail,
hosting branches of some of the most
well-known stores in New York.
That means there’s plenty to do in
Manhasset, whether your interests
range from big-ticket shopping
sprees to serene nature walks. Here
are some ways to truly immerse one’s
self in all that is Manhasset:
IF THIS ROCK COULD TALK
To get a real sense of just how long the
Manhasset region has been occupied,
try and sneak a peek at Shelter Rock
(10 feet from Shelter Rock Road, on the
border of Manhasset and North Hills),
an 1,800-ton natural granite boulder
glacially deposited there more than
11,000 years ago. Measuring 55 feet
high and 35 feet wide, it is the largest
known of its kind on the Island, and
features a 30-foot overhang. Native
Americans purportedly used the
rock as shelter as far back as 1,000 B.C.
and the Matinecock tribe is known
to have settled nearby; multiple colonial
and Native American legends
surrounded the rock for centuries
and still endure.
Today, Shelter Rock is located on the
408-acre Greentree Foundation
(gtftew.org) private estate, formerly
owned by the Whitneys, which is
one of Long Island’s last largely intact
Gold Coast estates and comprises
nearly a quarter of Manhasset’s total
land footprint. It is now a conference
center dedicated to international
justice and human rights issues; unfortunately,
that means Shelter Rock
is not currently publicly accessible,
aside from special tours conducted
for schools, scout troops and other
groups, and special events like the
Greentree Foundation Teachers’
Ecology Workshop, held there each
year. However, if you drive on Shelter
Rock Road, look for a marker sign, denoting
where you can potentially see
the very top of Shelter Rock from the
road, especially during the winter,
when there is less vegetation.
COMMUNE WITH NATURE
Some former Manhasset estates,
luckily, are now public domain. The
natural beauty of the Manhasset area
is showcased for all to enjoy at Leeds
Pond Preserve (1526 N. Plandome
Rd., Plandome Manor, 516-627-9400,
nassaucountyny.gov/2834/Leeds-
Pond-Preserve), a rolling, 35-acre
oasis overlooking Manhasset Bay.
Hike its nature trails through a
Downtown Manhasset runs along Plandome Road. (Photo by Tab Hauser)
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