Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai is a hamlet and census designated place on the North Shore of Long Island in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York. The area is served by the Mount Sinai Schools.

Mount Sinai was first settled in the 1660s and was known by the name of Old Mans until a name change in the 1840s. Initially an agricultural hamlet, it transitioned into a popular resort town in the late-19th century and developed into a suburb of New York City in the mid-20th century. While primarily a residential community, the hamlet contains Mount Sinai Harbor and its popular public beach, Cedar Beach.

The first name given to the area was Nonowatuck, meaning “stream that dries up,” assigned by the Seatocot tribe who resided in the area. The area was called Old Mans during the colonial period, and Europeans began to purchase lands from the Native Americans to the east of Setauket. The community was renamed after applying to have a post office at which time the name Old Mans was deemed insufficient. The community was then called Mount Vernon for less than a year when it was determined that there was already a Mount Vernon in New York State. The name Mount Sinai was chosen by the first postmaster, Charles Phillips.

Courtesy of LongIsland.com