Map of Bellport village

Bellport is a village in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 2,084 at the 2010 census.

The Incorporated Village of Bellport is named after the Bell family, early settlers of the area. South Country Road (Main St.) in the village features small businesses such as antique shops, artist galleries, small inns, restaurants, and a service center. These family-run businesses get community support from the Bellport Chamber of Commerce. Bellport is also home to the Gateway Playhouse, a professional summer theater in operation since 1950.

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Bellport location map. Where is Bellport village?

History

The land that is now Bellport was purchased along with what is now the hamlet of Brookhaven (then called Fireplace Neck) and western South Haven from the Unkechaug Indians in 1664 by settlers from nearby Setauket, who were attracted by the plentiful harvests of salt hay. The part that became Bellport was named Occumbomock Neck. Jonathan Rose was the first permanent settler in the 1680s, and by 1720 the Rose family owned much of Occumbomock Neck. In 1829, Captain Thomas Bell, a Scottish immigrant, bought land there. He sold sections of it, and by 1843 the village had 30 dwellings and 200 inhabitants. He changed the name to Bell-Port (now Bellport), envisioning a seaport, since Bellport was very close to the Old Inlet, a breach in the barrier island Fire Island, which gave Bellport easy access to the open ocean. With Colonel William Howell, Bell built a dock and a road to the dock. But the breach healed over, and Bellport instead became a tourist attraction, with wealthy visitors coming by railroad and then coach from New York City. Although all seven hotels eventually closed, the last in the 1950s, Bellport remained associated with wealthy New Yorkers, who eventually established year-round residences. After World War II, nearby Camp Upton was converted into Brookhaven National Laboratory, bringing in more, highly educated, year-round residents.

Bellport was incorporated as a village in 1910. On July 4, 1980, the Bellport Academy and Bellport Village Historic District were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On March 8, 1963, Bellport High School burned down. No one was killed, but 40 students and teachers were hospitalized. The replacement school was built in Brookhaven, but is still called Bellport High School.

On November 26, 1983, the New York Pyrotechnic Products Company factory (now known as Fireworks by Grucci) just north of the village exploded, killing two and injuring 24. The explosion had the effect of an earthquake, causing significant damage to hundreds of homes.

Bellport Road Map

Bellport city Satellite Map

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has an area of 1.5 square miles (4.0 km), of which 1.4 square miles (3.7 km) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km), or 5.94%, is water. The village of Bellport is on the shore of Bellport Bay, an arm of the Great South Bay.

Ho Hum Beach

Ho Hum Beach is on Fire Island, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) across the Great South Bay from the Bellport Village Marina. Village residents and their guests are welcome to visit the beach. Surfers, sunbathers, and fishermen especially enjoy its privateness. Ho Hum Beach offers a bathing area, a screened-in snack shack and showers on the bay side of the beach. The Whalehouse Point ferry runs from the Bellport Village Marina from late May to early September. Village residents can buy round-trip ferry tickets, and their guests may ride the ferry for an increased fare. Village residents are also welcome to ride their own boats over. Boat slips for non-residents are available for a fee.

See also