Editing Stony Brook, New York (section)

==History==

===Origins and early history===
Stony Brook was first settled in the late 17th century. It was originally known by the native name '''Wopowog''' and then as Stony Brook, with both names likely referring to the interconnected bodies of water at the hamlet's western edge. It began as a [[Satellite town|satellite community]] of adjacent [[Setauket, New York]], the [[Brookhaven, New York|Town of Brookhaven]]'s first settlement, and its land was included in the initial 1655 purchase from the native [[Setalcott]] tribe.

[[File:Three Village Inn.jpg|thumb|left|The Three Village Inn, housed in the {{Circa|1751|lk=no}} Richard Hallock home]]A [[gristmill]] was built in 1699 on the water body now known as the [[Mill Pond (Stony Brook)|Mill Pond]]. The current structure, which replaced the original in 1751, ground grain into the 1940s and has since been repurposed for public [[tourism|tours]]. For religious services and education, the hamlet's original residents had to attend institutions in the neighboring communities of Setauket and [[St. James, New York|St. James]]. In the latter half of the [[18th century in the United States|18th century]], activity began to shift from the mill area north toward the [[harbor]] as new residences, a number of which still stand, were constructed.<ref name="Images of America">{{cite book| title=Images of America: Stony Brook| author=Three Village Historical Society| pages=7–9}}</ref>

Stony Brook was a remote area through the 18th century aside for a modest amount of commerce near the mill at the intersection of Main Street and Harbor Road. The community's development was stalled by its poorly accessible harbor relative to nearby Setauket and [[Port Jefferson, New York|Port Jefferson]]. In the 1840s, local painter [[William Sidney Mount]] led a call for the harbor's [[dredging]]. This was completed twice, but after the harbor filled in both times the effort was abandoned. Lacking the resources of its neighboring harbor settlements, Stony Brook based its economy on agriculture and the [[cordwood]] industry.<ref name="Images of America" />

===Growth===
The [[Long Island Rail Road]] reached Stony Brook in the 1870s, creating an easy link between New York City and the citizens of Stony Brook. Stony Brook quickly became a popular summer resort for city dwellers attempting to escape the hazards and stress of urban life. The establishment of the [[Stony Brook Assembly]] in 1909 also helped to draw more residents to the local area. A number of these newcomers constructed houses and [[cottage]]s, many of which were either originally made for year-round use or have since been converted to such.

[[File:Stony Brook Post Office 2.jpg|thumb|left|The local post office, centerpiece of the [[Stony Brook Village Center]]]]Nevertheless, the majority of residences were local farmers and businessmen who depended on all necessities being in easy reach. Most businesses were then on the compact plot that would become the contemporary village green.  Unlike today, the shops in this area were utilitarian and haphazardly arranged.

The history of the unincorporated "village" is closely linked to that of [[Ward Melville]], a local businessman who owned what would become the [[CVS Corporation]]. At one point owned much of what his family coined as the ''Three Village'' area (consisting of Stony Brook, the hamlet of [[Setauket-East Setauket, New York|Setauket]], and the [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] village of [[Old Field, New York|Old Field]]).

[[File:Stony Brook Village shops.jpg|right|thumb|Shops in the [[Stony Brook Village Center]]]]Beginning in 1939 with the creation of his Stony Brook Community Fund, Melville used his wealth to begin the transformation of part of the hamlet into his idea of an idyllic [[New England]] village, the [[Stony Brook Village Center]], with white [[Clapboard (architecture)|clapboard]] buildings and quaint stores. The focus had been in the previous center of the village's commerce, which now consists of a village green and a crescent of stores embellished with stone walkways and seasonal gardening.  To accomplish this, Melville moved many of the existing shops in the plot into the crescent and modified their details for consistency, a design model similar to that of [[Colonial Williamsburg]].  As a centerpiece to the crescent, Melville built the [[Stony Brook Post Office]], decorated by a large eagle that flaps its wings to mark each hour.

===Modern development===
[[File:AcademicMallSBU2019 2.jpg|left|thumb|The Academic Mall across the [[Stony Brook University]] campus]][[File:SUNY Stony Brook MC.jpg|thumb|right|[[Stony Brook University Hospital]]]]Melville donated the land and funds to New York for establishing a branch of the [[State University of New York]] in the area. This led what was then called the ''State University College on Long Island'', at the time in constrictive [[Oyster Bay (hamlet), New York|Oyster Bay]] quarters, to relocate and change its name to [[Stony Brook University]]. Melville also donated land and funds for the local school district. The [[Three Village Central School District]] today serves several communities in the vicinity and has named its flagship [[Ward Melville High School]] after the philanthropist.

Tourist attractions include the [[Stony Brook Grist Mill]] and the [[Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages]], a large complex of buildings originally known as the Stony Brook Carriage House and Suffolk Museum. Other Stony Brook attractions are the 19th-century [[William Sidney Mount House]], the [[St. James Chapel (Stony Brook, New York)|St. James Episcopal Chapel]], and the [[West Meadow Beach Historic District]].