Editing Freeport, New York (section)

===19th century: development===
In 1853, residents voted to rename the village Freeport, adopting a variant of a nickname used by ship captains during colonial times because they were not charged customs duties to land their cargo.<ref name="Newsday1" /><ref name="NYT Oct 16, 1962" /><ref name="NYT May 23, 1937" />

After the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Freeport became a center for commercial [[oyster]]ing. This trade began to decline as early as the beginning of the 20th century because of changing salinity and increased pollution in [[Great South Bay]].<ref name="Bleyer" /> Nonetheless, even as of the early 21st century Freeport and nearby [[Point Lookout, New York|Point Lookout]] have the largest concentration of commercial fishing activity anywhere near New York City.<ref>[http://www.nyswaterfronts.org/Final_Draft_HTML/Tech_Report_HTM/Land_Use/Maritime_Centers/Maritime_Pt2_PointLookout.htm Point Lookout] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727134932/http://www.nyswaterfronts.org/Final_Draft_HTML/Tech_Report_HTM/Land_Use/Maritime_Centers/Maritime_Pt2_PointLookout.htm |date=July 27, 2011 }}, Coastal Resources Online, New York State Department of State Division of Coastal Resources. Part of a technical report on Maritime centers. Retrieved November 16, 2008.</ref>

From 1868, Freeport was served by the [[South Side Railroad of Long Island|Southside Railroad]], which was a major boon to development. The most prominent figure in this boom was developer John J. Randall; among his other contributions to the shape of Freeport today were several canals, including the Woodcleft Canal, one side of which is now the site of the "Nautical Mile".<ref name="Bleyer" /> Randall, who opposed all of Freeport's being laid out in a grid, put up a [[Victorian architecture|Victorian house]] virtually overnight on a triangular plot at the corner of Lena Avenue and Wilson Place to spite the grid designers.<ref name="Diversity">Mason-Draffen, Carrie. (March 30, 1997) ''[[Newsday]]'' "Living In – Diversity Freely Spices Freeport." Section: Life; Page E25.</ref> The [[spite house|Freeport Spite House]] still is standing and occupied.<ref name="Diversity" />

In January 1873, before Nassau County had split off from [[Queens County, New York|Queens]], the Queens County treasurer set up an office at Freeport.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 13, 1873|title=Long Island|journal=The New York Times}}</ref> The village residents voted to incorporate the village on October 18, 1892.<ref name="Newsday1" /><ref name="NYT Oct 16, 1962" /> At that time, it had a population of 1,821.<ref name="NYT May 23, 1937" /> In 1898, Freeport established a municipal electric utility, which still operates today, giving the village lower electricity rates than those in surrounding communities.<ref name="Bleyer" /> It is one of two municipally owned electric systems in Nassau County; the other is in [[Rockville Centre, New York|Rockville Centre]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Smits|1974|p=51}}</ref> Public street lighting was begun in 1907, and a public fire alarm system was adopted in 1910.<ref>{{Harvnb|Smits|1974|p=56}}</ref>