The history of the village of Roosevelt can be traced back to the settlement of Hempstead in 1644. The first colonists had emigrated from Hemel-Hempstead, a market town in Hertfordshire, England. These settlers came by way of Connecticut because of boundary disputes and religious intolerance.

On the plains, which they called Hempstead, the settlers established a village and organized the government. Their village, Hempstead later became the religious, economic, and political center of a growing stream of settlements.

It was not many years later before a path of settlements were made to the rich meadow grass, and useful harbors of the south shore. This area later became known as Roosevelt, to places such as Merrick, Freeport, Baldwin and the Rockaway Peninsula. The Roosevelt area included the East Meadow Brook, one of the longest and most important on Long Island. Paralleling this to the west of Roosevelt was the potentially useful West Brook.

The area known as Roosevelt was once part of the heavily wooded section known to the Hempstead settlers as the Great South Woods. Its natural advantages and geographical position drew home settlers, since Roosevelt was on the important road between the “Town Spot” at Hempstead and the landing at Freeport. At Roosevelt, the road branched off to Merrick and Babylon. Trade followed along this road to the shore points. Heavily built wagons were frequently seen lumbering along to the docks with produce and grain. Coal and manufactured products such as goods, furniture and household utensils were drawn back from the docks.

These attractions spurred the growth of Roosevelt. When first known as Rum Point, it was a little agricultural village with a store, two taverns and some twelve or fifteen houses. Deeds recorded before 1830 refer to the area as Rum Point. After the Civil War, it became known as Greenwich Point, a thriving agricultural and paper manufacturing center. The name change occurred because of a temperance movement, which swept the country and brought the name Rum Point into disfavor.

Business and industry during this time was varied. Farming produced grains, dairy products, vegetables and orchard fruits. These products were exchanged for liquors, fry goods, furniture and other merchandise. Mills also flourished, mostly around the East Meadow Brook. There were grist, paper, lumber and saw mills located there. Brick making was in progress. A most important industry was the making of flies for fresh water fishing and the raising of trout before the State Fish Hatcheries were in operation. Fly making continued well into the 20th century. Blacksmith shops were also located in Roosevelt.

An interesting part of Roosevelt’s history centers around Rev. Charles Edwards, an influential minister who traveled to all areas of the south shore. He was an alert scholar and was interested in experimental gardening, writing and invention. He published the first newspaper in Roosevelt, which was called, “The Rustler”.

Most interesting of all his activities were his experiments with gliders, airplanes, and air currents. Long before Linienthal, Langley or the Wright Brothers became deeply involved in aeronautical experimentation, Rev. Edwards had envisioned airplanes as a vehicle for common use.

Greenwich Point had plenty of prime lumber. Shipbuilding was one of the early industries. The boats built in Greenwich Point were hauled down to the Bay at Freeport.

By 1900, Greenwich Point’s population was 1,500. It was a rural village with its own business center on a Main Street, bordered by farms. There were no fire or police departments and wavering gas lamps dimly lighted the streets. There were four hard-surface roads in the village: Babylon Turnpike, Nassau Road, Centennial Avenue and Washington Avenue. The village had to depend upon an old-fashioned stagecoach to connect it with the outside world.

With the turn of the century and the establishment of an independent post office, Greenwich Point changed its name to Roosevelt. The name, Greenwich Point was not acceptable to the Post Office authorities, as regulations required that there should be only one village or town of the same name in the state, and a village by the at name had already been registered. Roosevelt was the name chosen, in honor of Theodore Roosevelt, the president of the United States. This occurred in 1901.

In the railroad-building era, villages that had stations such as Freeport and Hempstead boomed. Greenwich Point was little affected by this. During this time, however, summer homes were being built in Roosevelt. The coming of the electric trolley car in 1903, which connected Roosevelt with Hempstead and Freeport, had the same effect on Roosevelt that the railroad had on many Long Island villages. The rapid and inexpensive means of transportation brought an influx of house seekers to Roosevelt.

Around 1940, Roosevelt was a community of modest homes with a population of 8,000. Public services were established which expanded with community growth. Roosevelt now derives its public service from the town, county, or state government. These include the school district and the following departments: fire, water, sanitation, electric, and police.

With the advent of modern transportation, Roosevelt has grown from a small rural community with summer residents to a typical Long Island community where the residents commute to other areas for job opportunities. This very small district of about one square mile comprises a large “minority” population in contrast to the majority of Nassau County which is mostly Caucasian. In recent years, Roosevelt has experienced a large influx of Latino and Caribbean people, adding to the diversity and multicultural features of the village. Many residents of this community of modest homes struggle to “make ends meet” because of high taxes engendered by the dearth of commercial property.