Robert W. Hendrickon with his family and stages at the corner of Roslyn and Sixteenth Avenues in the late 1890s. In his arms is his son, Royal, to whom this book is dedciated.

The Steamer Idlewild leaving the Sea Cliff Dock in the 1890s.

Ready to start trolley service in 1902

Waiting for the ferry, about 1912. The evenings before the Vanderbilt Cup Races, the ferry operated through-out the night.

It was a long walk from either the railroad station or the steamboat dock to the Camp Meeting Grounds. Starting in 1871, stages met the trains and boats. Although competition sprang up from time to time, first Richard Hendrickson and later his son, Robert (Roy's father), conducted the largest and most successful stage line. One of Mr. Hendrickson's prized possessions was a three horse stage. The stages were entered from the rear, (usually two steps up), and had seats running along either side. Some of Robert Hendrickson's stages had graphic pictures painted on the exteriors. I recall two very vividly—one, "The Battle of Manila Bay," and the other "The Rough Riders at San Juan Hill." There were also some privately owned surreys — even with fringe on the top - which helped to meet the transportation problem.

Many future residents of the Village got their first view of Sea Cliff when the steamboat on which they were passengers rounded Sands Point and entered Hempstead Harbor. It is still a beautiful sight. From the 1880s through the early 1900s, steamboats made daily round trips from New York City to Sea Cliff and other towns on the north shore.

After many years of agitation, in 1886 a cable railway was constructed to carry people up the hill from the beach. It ran from the end of Twelfth Avenue to the shore side of the steamboat dock. The fare was five cents each way. Despite the fact that an average of over 20,000 passengers were carried each summer season, the railway seldom showed a profit. The deficit was usually met by the proprietors of the Sea Cliff Hotel. The cable railway ceased operation shortly after the turn of the century.

During this same period, trolley service between the railroad station and the Village had been advocated. When plans were about completed, matters were held up by a law suit instituted by several interested parties. Two of the opponents were F.W. Geissenhainer and Judge Dailey. Their opposition seems hard to understand. Mr. Geissenhainer owned considerable real estate in the Village and Judge Dailey's family was interested in the Sea Cliff Hotel. Both men stood to profit by better transportation. The law suit was finally determined in favor of the Village, and the trolley service was opened in 1902.

The celebration marking the inauguration of the service was a huge success. A large parade started at the Fire House and terminated at the railroad station. The committee and guests boarded the trolleys and rode to Clifton Park, where speeches were made by Village President Francis Sherwood and President Baldwin of the Long Island Railroad. After the ceremonies at Clifton Park, most of the gathering marched to the north end of the beach, where a tremendous clambake was enjoyed.

At midnight on December 31, 1924, the trolley service was discontinued and busses and private automobiles took over.