Valley Road Historic District
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Along Community Drive, once called Valley Road, near Manhasset, a five-acre wooded strip preserves the last traces of Success, a community founded in 1829 by free Blacks, former slaves and Matinecock Indians. Success once had more than thirty buildings stretching nearly a mile; road widening, hospital growth, urban renewal and suburban development removed most of them. What remains is the 1833 Lakeville A.M.E. Zion Church and its cemetery, two nineteenth-century frame houses, three later buildings, and the sites of a vanished house and of "Institution U.S.A.," the first free Black public school in present Nassau County, built in 1867. The cemetery holds the graves of Matinecock Indians, African slaves and freedmen, and founding families. Residents worked as farmers, stock breeders, baymen and tradesmen, and later on nearby estates. The district is recognized for its link to Black and Indian culture on Long Island and for its archaeological potential.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
|---|---|
| Areas of significance | Historic - Aboriginal, Religion, Social History |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Valley Road Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.