Did You Know Malverne

What is now Ocean Avenue was once a trail used by the Rockaway American Indians prior to European settlement.

Cornwell Avenue, Rider Avenue and Wicks Lane were named after some of the families who settled in the Malverne area in the 19th century.

The site of presentday Malverne High School was selected in 1865.

Malverne received its current name in 1913, named after Malvern, England, with the extra “e” inadvertently added.

MALVERNE

Musicians and artists have long called Malverne home, including a large group of vaudevillians in the 1920s.

The Malverne/West Hempstad Herald was founded in 1928, previously called the Malverne Times.

Malverne officially became an incorporated village in 1921.

Over 700 Malverne men

fought in WWII; 22 would perish in the conflict. New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey

described Malverne as “one of the best governed communities in

the state,” on its 25th anniversary.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited the Malverne-Lakeview community twice in 1965.

Since 1996, Malverne Mel’s weather predictions have been a yearly tradition.

David Coonan revived the Malverne Community Theatre in 2011, after it had been dormant for over 40 years.

Marching to the American Legion Post

Hempstead Avenue, the central artery of the West Hempstead community, is always a busy thoroughfare, home to numerous synagogues, the post office, and the West Hempstead Public Library, all located along the road. One might be mistaken then in thinking that American Legion Cathedral Post 1087 is on Hempstead Avenue, given its role as a key community center.

In fact, the building was indeed once located on Hempstead. Started in 1933, the American Legion post was originally a structure on the Bacon Estate. In 1985, the post sold the estate house to Nassau Community Temple for the construction of a new building, and the Cathedral Post was moved onto Woodlawn Road.

Today, the building serves as a meeting hall for many community organizations, besides hosting various meetings and American Legion programs. Recently, Boy Scout Troop 240 began calling the Cathedral Post home, holding a farewell ceremony for longtime scoutmaster Joseph Canzoneri there in June. The post also acts as the end point of West Hempstead’s Memorial Day parade, which marches down Hempstead Avenue.

Although technically no longer on Hempstead Avenue, American Legion Cathedral Post 1087 remains very much involved with the goings-on of West Hempstead’s proverbial main street. — Kyle Chin

Sue Grieco/Herald photos Top photo: Cmdr. Peter Johansen of American Legion Cathedral Post 1087 spoke at West Hempstead’s 2022 Memorial Day ceremony.

Top photo: Outgoing Scoutmaster Joseph Canzoneri and Boy Scout Troop 240 now hold their meetings at the American Legion Cathedral Post.

Courtesy Ron Paracha