Mastic Acres
Unit 1
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In May of 1942, John Dawson announced that
he planned to hold onto the 20 room homestead and about 250 acres
of the 1200 he got with his purchase of August Floyd's estate
and sell off the rest. The estate bordered between two pre war
developments of the Home Guardian Company. Mastic Park (1922)
on the North and Mastic Beach (1926) on the south. I would suppose
that Dawson may of initially offered the land to the Smadbecks
Home Guardian Co. (developers of Mastic Park & Beach) and
they may of passed on it because of the war or the price. By the
spring of 1943 the August Floyd mansion burned to the ground and
Dawson put everything on the market. By June of 1943 he had a
buyer and Mastic area had a new development.
Really on a roll. Besides buying the
land in Mastic. Shirley also picked up 800 acres in Smithtown.
He knew there was going to a big demand
for housing when the war ended.
1943-44 Map Of Area
MASTIC ACRES ON THE EAST &
MASTIC ACRES ON THE WEST
Most Confusing!
MASTIC -SHIRLEY TRAIN PLATFORM TODAY
looking east to Mastic
For Shirley, coming up with naming
his new development "Mastic Acres" was a no brainer.
(Sitting between Mastic Park & Mastic Beach & his total
commitment to selling land as ACERAGE instead of lots) Today many
people who live in Mastic-Shirley Area, as it is now known, have
no idea that his first development there, was not where the town
that bears his name is. Sort of like Mastic Beach which developed
on the east and west sides of the Knapp Estate. Mastic Acres did
the same thing with a much wider two river spread on both coasts
of colonial Mastic Neck. World War 2 prevented Shirley from actually
building in his first development in 1943, but not from making
plans and aquiring ACEREAGE and LEVERAGE for the day that the
war would end.
SORT IT OUT FOR US WALT
Showing the Pope Brothers where to
go, The Pope Brothers Anthony & Fortune were into a lot of
things, The family had a media conglamorate of Italian & Spanish
nespapers plus NYC Radio Stations that were Italian & German
. They were also in construction and had many companies including
Colonial Sand & Stone that I believe were involved in the
school that would get constructed just under Walt's right hand
and The Smith Point Bridge. This photo is probably around 1948-50
In the 1960's they ran into a ton of trouble with the SEC.
His very first land office was on the
Southwest corner of Wavecrest Dr & Mastic Road. RED STAR It's
still there (a small brick building that is now a pizza or sub
shop) And the first home he built, was down near the water on
Lon's Creek Place, Lon was a slave on the William Floyd plantation.
Shirley's first
beach with pavillion was established at the foot of Shore Drive
<
It is now known as Osprey Park......meanwhile
let's go
The 1200 acres that Shirley got from
Tolfree established his foothold into the area & everything
we now know as associated with the Shirley Name. He would also
call that area Mastic Acres, although it was all the way across
Mastic Neck on the west side of Mastic Beach.........
NEXT BUYING UP
TOLFREE'S ESTATE