Editing Melville, New York (section)

==History==
The area was known to the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] as ''Sunsquams''. In the 17th century, it was named Samuel Ketcham's Valley, and it was later known as Sweet Hollow.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

===19th century===
In 1854, it was renamed Melville in honor of American novelist [[Herman Melville]], author of ''[[Moby-Dick]]'', which was published three years earlier, in 1851. Melville's 1846 novel ''[[Typee]]'' also was very popular at that time.<ref>
{{cite news
 |url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist006n,0,7310667.story 
 |title=archived ''Newsday'' article on Melville 
 |newspaper=[[Newsday]] 
 |year=2008 
 |access-date=2010-06-01 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316201740/http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist006n%2C0%2C7310667.story 
 |archive-date=2008-03-16 
 |url-status=dead 
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.courant.com/topic/us/new-york/suffolk-county-%28new-york%29/huntington-%28suffolk-new-york%29/melville-PLGEO0000712NY.topic |title=''Hartford Courant'' article on Melville |newspaper=[[Hartford Courant]] |access-date=2010-06-01}}
</ref>

A [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] church was built in Melville in 1829 at the corner of Old Country and Sweet Hollow Roads.

===20th century===
[[File:Newsday Melville jeh.JPG|thumb|The headquarters of ''[[Newsday]]'', the largest circulation newspaper on [[Long Island]], in Melville; since its 1930 founding, ''Newsday'' has won 19 [[Pulitzer Prize]]s.]]
In 1977, the Presbyterian church was moved {{convert|1|mi}} to the west.<ref>[http://cdm15281.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p15281coll55&CISOPTR=48&CISOBOX=1&REC=2 Original Sweet Hollow Presbyterian Church]. CONTENTdm Collection</ref> The church was in continuous use until 1930. It reopened in 1944 for the funeral of Edward Baylis and has been in use since then.<ref>[http://www.sweethollowpresby.org/ Church History]. Presbyterian Church of Sweet Hollow Web Site.</ref>

In 1909, a [[tram|trolley]] line to [[Huntington, New York|Huntington]] was established as an extension of the Huntington Trolley Spur that went south to [[Amityville, New York|Amityville]] and had a connection to [[Babylon (village), New York|Babylon]].<ref>[[Huntington (LIRR station)]]</ref> There were six fare zones, one of which was the Duryea Farm in Melville.<ref>American Almanac Collection (Library of Congress) [https://books.google.com/books?id=HccWAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22duryea+farm%22+melville&pg=PA62 Brooklyn daily eagle almanac]. 1910. New York Public Library.</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.babylonbeacon.com/news/2009-06-18/people_social/017.html |title=Trolley Days: A History of Trolleys in the Town of Babylon |newspaper=[[The Babylon Beacon]] |year=2009 |access-date=2010-06-04}}</ref> A decade later, the line was closed after farmers complained that noise from the trolley frightened their animals.<ref>Aronson, Harvey, ed. ''Home Town Long Island''. (Newsday, 1999). {{ISBN|1-885134-21-5}}.</ref> Buses then provided local transportation after the trolley line closed. The growing use of private cars later further reduced demand for the trolley line.<ref>[http://cdm15281.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p15281coll55&CISOPTR=39&CISOBOX=1&REC=8 Bus on a snowy day.], CONTENTdm Collection.</ref><ref>[http://cdm15281.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p15281coll55&CISOPTR=37&CISOBOX=1&REC=11 Closed electric trolley car.] CONTENTdm Collection.</ref>

In the 1950s, Melville and three of its neighbors, [[Dix Hills, New York|Dix Hills]], [[Wyandanch, New York|Wyandanch]], and the area known as Sweet Hollow, proposed incorporating as a single village.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=1955-02-06|title=HUGE NEW VILLAGE ASKED IN SUFFOLK; It Would Take in 50 Square Miles in Huntington and Babylon Townships|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/02/06/archives/huge-new-village-asked-in-suffolk-it-would-take-in-50-square-miles.html|access-date=2021-07-10|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=1955-02-13|title=Talks on Proposed Village Due|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/02/13/archives/talks-on-proposed-village-due.html|access-date=2021-07-10|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The village would have been known as the Incorporated Village of Half Hollow Hills, would have had an area of roughly {{Convert|50|mi2|km2}}, and would have embraced the [[Half Hollow Hills Central School District]].<ref name=":0" /> The plans were unsuccessful.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Long Island Index: Interactive Map|url=http://www.longislandindexmaps.org/?zoom=0&x=1313564&y=266122.5&code=53264&tab=tabServiceProviders&satellite=false&landuse=true&landuseopacity=0.8&mainlayers=Fire_boundary,LIE,ParkwayMainRd,VillageBoundaryUninc,VillageBoundaryInc,TownsCities&labellayers=Fire_boundary,VillageBoundaryUninc,VillageBoundaryInc,TownsCities,LIE&serviceproviderlayers=|access-date=2021-07-10|website=www.longislandindexmaps.org}}</ref>

===21st century===
In 2001, Melville, [[Dix Hills, New York|Dix Hills]], [[Wheatley Heights, New York|Wheatley Heights]], and [[East Farmingdale, New York|East Farmingdale]], which are all within the same school district, proposed incorporating as a single village.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kutt Nahas|first=Donna|date=July 27, 2003|title=Villages, Inc.: Hamlets Across the Island Weigh the Cost-Benefit Ratio of Incorporation|work=[[The New York Times]]|via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref> These plans also failed, and each remain unincorporated hamlets to this day.<ref name=":1" />