Visiting Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island NY

Cold Spring Harbor - An easterly drive on Long Island's Route 25A reveals an opening in the foliage just over the Nassau-Suffolk County line on the left side and a splotch of water known as "Cold Spring Harbor." Of the fresh and salt types, that water defined it, sustained it, and became its raison d'etre.


Photo: Instagram

Cold Spring Harbor is a hamlet and census-designated place in Huntington, Suffolk County, New York, on the north shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP population was 5,070. - GOOGLE

Like a mirror, that water reflects its changing color and character as it does---slate gray on cloudy days, cobalt blue on clear ones, and orange and reds near its shores on autumn ones. It also reflects its history. It served as a draw and became the means to sustain the lives of those who settled there.



"Water is the defining characteristic of the place now called Cold Spring Harbor," according to Robert G. Hughes in his Images of America. "To the indigenous inhabitants, it was known as Wawapex, or 'at the good little water place.' The European settlers of the 17th century named the area after its abundance of freshwater springs."

Only a few hundred yards beyond this view, the road arcs to the left and threads its way through the hamlet, which is very small. But so, too, are gens. This one sparkles through its harbor and exudes its history through its nature, museums, and restored buildings. It is a living example of how its purpose has evolved due to time, transportation, and technology. And a day spent here will demonstrate that.