The Place - Glen Cove

May 28

Here’s a comprehensive look at “The Place” in Glen Cove, NY—the city’s oldest residential street and a cradle of its early settlement:

On May 24, 1668, Joseph Carpenter and four partners, including the Coles brothers and Nicholas Simpkins, purchased land from the Matinecock Indians to build a sawmill and gristmill at Musketa Cove (the original name of Glen Cove). [RobertCole...e Heritage], [historyroo...ibrary.org]
They established their homes along a narrow dirt road atop a hill overlooking the mill—this road became known as “The Place,” Glen Cove’s first settled street. [hmdb.org], [historyroo...ibrary.org]

The oldest surviving house in Glen Cove—built c. 1668 by Robert Coles—stands at 34 The Place. [RobertCole...e Heritage], [hmdb.org]
Robert Coles (b. c. 1648, son of a Winthrop Fleet immigrant) participated prominently in civic affairs: Oyster Bay militia lieutenant (1683), later captain (1690), assayer, commissioner, and highway overseer. [RobertCole...e Heritage]
His original 20 × 30 ft dwelling later expanded in the early 1700s and late 18th century, including an attic with a distinctive spiral chimney—likely for draft improvement. [RobertCole...e Heritage]
The large “Proprietors’ Book” that Coles maintained included land transactions, household accounts, and mill output records, offering a detailed glimpse into 17th-century daily life. [RobertCole...e Heritage], [historyroo...ibrary.org]
Woody black locust trees imported by Captain John Sands were planted by Coles; a notable specimen survived until destroyed by lightning in 1945. [RobertCole...e Heritage]

In 1967, a historical marker was installed at 38 The Place, commemorating the street where the first settler homes were built in 1668. [hmdb.org]
With its enduring homesteads, preserved land patterns, and colonial-era structures, The Place remains a unique vestige of early colonial life. [hmdb.org], [historyroo...ibrary.org]

The success of the saw and grist mills on Glen Cove Creek led to Musketa Cove’s rapid growth: by 1679, the mill produced lumber products of various dimensions shipped to New York City. [historyroo...ibrary.org], [Long Islan...Histories]
By the late 17th century, the settlement was a hive of trades—carpenters, weavers, shipbuilders, even smugglers avoiding duties on rum and wine. [historyroo...ibrary.org], [Long Islan...Histories]
Over the 18th and 19th centuries, the area evolved with the addition of a gristmill (1677), clay mining (c. 1810), and steamboat service, eventually becoming part of the Gold Coast era.
These developments culminated in Glen Cove achieving city status on June 8, 1917. [historyroo...ibrary.org]

It’s the only surviving street from the original Musketa Cove settlement—a living link to the earliest European colonization of what's now Glen Cove. [historyroo...ibrary.org], [hmdb.org]
The street's architectural continuity, including Robert Coles’s homestead, offers rich insights into colonial architecture, community development, and early industry.