From left to right: Roslyn Landmark Society's Co-President Howard Kroplick, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, and Stephen Hicks, president of Hicks Nurseries.
On May 15, 2024, Roslyn Landmark Society Co-President Howard Kroplick, met with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Stephen Hicks, president of Hicks Nurseries in Westbury, to discuss his research related to the Roslyn Grist Mill, Nassau County, and the Hicks family. Kroplick, a former Town of North Hempstead historian, recently uncovered evidence that Benjamin D. Hicks, owner of the Roslyn Grist Mill from 1887-1892, was also the leading advocate for the creation of Nassau County.
Nassau County officially came into existence in 1899, after the three towns within its boundaries (Town of Hempstead, Town of North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay) sought independence from the jurisdiction of Queens. It was also during this time that Queens was made a borough of New York City.
Benjamin D. Hicks (1836-1906) was a cousin of Isaac Hicks (1815-1890), who founded Hicks Nurseries in 1853. The Westbury nursery is still owned by the Hicks family and run by Stephen Hicks and Karen Hicks Courts, 6th generation descendants. In 1870, Benjamin D. Hicks moved from Manhattan to Westbury and became the leading advocate to separate the three towns from Queens County to form Nassau County for close to 25 years.
Kroplick's research is especially significant as Nassau County celebrates the 125th anniversary of its founding this year and as the team working on the restoration of the Roslyn Grist Mill aims to open public access to the site in a limited capacity in 2025. Overall, members of the Hicks family owned the Roslyn Grist Mill for 67 years from 1849 to 1916. In 1916 it was gifted to five trustees to be restored as a museum under a trust agreement by Ida and Isaac Hicks (1848-1935.)
To read more about Benjamin D. Hicks, Nassau County, and the Roslyn Grist Mill, click here.
To learn more about the history of Hicks Nurseries in Westbury, click here.
For additional information about Nassau County's 125th anniversary year-long celebration, click here.
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