1 Merry Lane
Jericho, NY 11753
Jericho

516.935.6790


THE HAMLET OF JERICHO, NEW YORK 11753



Jericho Garage-1929

HISTORY:
Located mainly in the Town of Oyster Bay with a small part in the Town of Hempstead, Jericho was part of the Robert Williams
Plantation in 1648. The English families who settled here were, or
soon became, Quakers, members

of the Society of Friends. Many fled from persecution in England and in the New England Colonies.

   They sought a peaceful existence as farmers. The name of
the area was changed in 1692 from Lusum to Jericho after
the town in the Middle East near the Jordan River mentioned in the Bible as part of the Promised Land.
 
   Elias Hicks married Jemima Seaman in 1771 and moved to her family’s farm in Jericho where he soon became a famous preacher of Quaker doctrine. All the Quakers suffered the British occupation of Long Island including the practice of quartering troops in their homes while they continued to protest the entire concept of war itself. Peace finally came back to Jericho and the prosperity that came from hard work and diligence was seen in the neat farms and successful businesses. A Friends Meeting house was built in 1788 in Jericho that is still used today. It was followed by a Quaker school in 1793, the Charity Society of Jericho and Westbury in 1794, and thanks to the effort of Elias Hicks slavery was abolished in 1817.
   
 

  
   A Post Office was established in 1802, a cider mill in the mid 1800s, the first Public Elementary School in 1905, the Jericho Water District in 1923, a new elementary school in 1920s, and a Volunteer Fire Department in 1938.

   In the 1950s Phebe Underhill Seaman sold a large piece of her land to developers and the growth of Jericho came fast and made Jericho the suburban community we see today. The water tower was erected in 1952 and in 1958 the NY Department of Transportation demolished “Old Jericho” to widen Broadway, Routes 106/107 and to put in a cloverleaf access to Jericho Turnpike. New grade schools, and a High School were added to the community along with a shopping center, a new Post Office, new Fire Department and a Public Library.

   Jericho continues to grow and prosper in the 21st century.

FACTS:

Population: 13,045 (2000 Census)

Area: 4 square miles

Median Household Income: $107,000.

Median Price of One-family home: $412,600.

Distance from Manhattan: 27 miles

Schools: Jericho Public High School

Jericho Public Middle School

Cantiaque Elementary School

George A. Jackson Elementary School

Robert Seaman Elementary School
©2005 Jericho Public Library