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1903 Map of Babylon

Name: 1903 Topographic Map of Babylon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1938
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1938

About this map

Babylon and the neighboring shoreline communities of Amityville, Lindenhurst, and Bay Shore characterize this turn-of-the-century coastal landscape. The survey details the early 20th-century development of the South Shore, where the Long Island R. R. (Montauk Branch) and the Montauk Division provided essential transport links between the mainland and the growing seaside villages. Inland, the presence of the St. Dominic Convent and the railway station at Pinelawn suggest the established social and religious infrastructure of the era.

The complex geography of South Oyster Bay and Great South Bay is meticulously mapped, revealing a network of salt marshes, islands, and narrow channels such as Sloop Channel and Bulkhead Drain. Long-standing maritime safety is represented by the Oak Island L.S.S. life-saving station, positioned on the barrier beach near Oak Island. Numerous named waterways, including Massatayan Creek and Santapogue River, drain into the bays, reflecting the region's intricate drainage patterns before extensive mid-century suburban modification.