If you grew up in Suffolk County, you’ve probably spent at least one perfect summer afternoon at Smith Point, swimming, surfing, camping, or yelling at your friends to slow down as they rip down William Floyd Parkway like it’s the Daytona 500. But this iconic stretch of sand has a history that’s even more dramatic than a holiday weekend traffic jam.
Below are the wildest and most Long-Island-ish facts about Smith Point Beach, Smith Point Park, and the bridge that takes us there.
Crazy Facts About the Name “Smith Point”
-
The whole place is named after William “Tangier” Smith, an Englishman born in 1655 who somehow ended up as the mayor of Tangier, Morocco before settling in New York.
-
Smith scooped up more than 81,000 acres on the South Shore – officially called the Manor of St. George.
-
Even Long Islanders say it wrong: it’s Smith Point, not “Smith’s Point,” but good luck getting anyone to change.
Crazy Geography Facts About Smith Point
-
The beach sits inside Smith Point County Park, which is the largest park owned by Suffolk County.
-
Smith Point Beach is actually on the eastern end of Fire Island, not on the mainland point it’s named after.
-
The mainland Smith Point peninsula? Not even part of the park.
-
Nor’easters and Superstorm Sandy have chewed away at the shoreline. The Sandy breach even shortened the western reach of the park.
-
In 2015, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dumped 2.5 million cubic yards of sand here, the mother of all sandcastle-building sessions.
Crazy Wildlife Facts
-
Smith Point is prime habitat for piping plovers, which are threatened federally and endangered in New York.
-
Because plover chicks can’t fly when they hatch, parts of the beach often close in peak season.
-
Birds spotted here include gulls, loons, osprey, Canada geese, turkey vultures, and bald eagles.
-
From August through November, the sky fills with thousands of migrating hawks, the closest thing Long Island gets to a natural air show.
Crazy Smith Point Bridge Facts
-
The first connection to the beach was a wooden footbridge built in 1911 called the Tangier Bridge, destroyed by ice a few winters later.
-
The current steel drawbridge opened on July 4, 1959, because nothing says America like a new road to the beach.
-
It is 1,216 feet long, carries about 1 million vehicles a year, and marks the southern end of William Floyd Parkway.
-
The original toll? 75 cents.
-
Robert Moses showed up for the ribbon-cutting because he showed up to everything involving a bridge, road, or patch of sand.
-
It crosses between Great South Bay and Moriches Bay and has a 22-foot vertical clearance.
-
A new bridge is planned: it will not be a drawbridge, will offer a 55-foot clearance, will stand 125 feet west of the current one, and is designed to last over 75 years.
-
The project has long been estimated at $75 million, with support from federal, state, and county funding.
Crazy Historical & Pop Culture Facts
-
In the early 1900s, developer Frederick J. Quimby tried to turn Smith Point into a luxury destination and promptly went bankrupt.
-
In 1964, Smith Point County Park became part of the Fire Island National Seashore.
-
A 270-site campground sits on the north side of the barrier island and is frequently ranked among New York’s best Labor Day spots.
-
Off-roading is allowed by permit on parts of the outer beach.
-
The beach tunnel – the walkway under the road – feels like you’re entering a secret level in an old arcade game.
-
There’s a beach bar: Tiki Joe’s, which has saved many a sunburned Long Islander with fries and frozen drinks.
-
The silent film “The Son of the Sheik,” starring Rudolph Valentino, was filmed here in the 1920s.
-
At one point, the park stretched all the way to Moriches Inlet, until Mother Nature rearranged the furniture.
Photo: Smith Point Bridge Photo: Mastics – Moriches – Shirley Local History Collection. This image may be freely used for education purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way.
