Bartending School in Douglaston, NY

The earliest known residents of the area that would become Douglaston-Little Neck were the Matinecock Native Americans. They were sustained by the seafood in Little Neck Bay.

Early Dutch settlers were drawn to the area by the rich land and abundant fishing. In the 17th century, European settlers began arriving in the area for its conveniently located harbor. Soon after, the British and Dutch gained control of the Matinecock lands peacefully, except for a small area known as Madnan’s Neck (possibly a shortened form of Native American name for the area, Menhaden-ock, or “place of fish”). Thomas Hicks, of the Hicks family that eventually founded Hicksville, and a band of armed settlers forcibly drove out the Matinecock in a battle at today’s Northern Boulevard and Marathon Parkway.

In 1796, Hicks’s estate passed to Thomas Wickes (1770-1854), and in 1819, to Wyant Van Zandt, a wealthy merchant, who built a large Greek Revival mansion in the area. Today, this mansion houses the Douglaston Club, a private club with tennis courts, social activities and swimming pools. In 1835, George Douglas bought 240 acres (0.97 km²) of land along with Van Zandt’s mansion. Upon Douglas’ death in 1862, the land was inherited by his son, William Douglas.