The February 6 meeting of the Babylon Travelers Club was held at the home of Mrs. Robert Newton. The first paper was given by Ms. Betsy Davison on Long Island lighthouses. It was an armchair tour of Long Island and its various lighthouses. Suffolk County has more lighthouses than any other country in the United states. Southhold township of Suffolk County has more lighthouses than any other town in the country.

The second paper was presented by Mrs. Margaret Weiman entitled Air and Railroad. She stated that in less than 80 years aviation has grown, boomed and declined on Long Island. Long Island has helped transform aviation from a dangerous sport to an important form of transportation. Early important airplane records were made here including Charles Lindbergh’s historical flight from Roosevelt Field to Paris in 1927. In the 1930’s Roosevelt Field was the business and largest civilian airfield in America. Many aircraft for World War II were built here by Grumman, Republic, Sperry and other companies. Although no more aircraft in their entirety are being built on Long Island today, there are close to 2340 companies remaining here producing many parts for American Aircraft.

The original purpose of the Long Island Railroad was to create a rail-ferry-rail link between New York City and Boston. However to survive it needed to focus on local passenger service and build lines off of the mainline. In 1901 it was bought by the Pennsylvania Railroad. This was when the East River tunnels were constructed so there was a direct line between Manhattan and Long Island. In 1965 under Nelson Rockefeller the state took over its operation. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority was formed to run the railroad. Despite all its problems the Long Island Railroad is the busiest railroad in North America and carries an average of 290,000 passengers each weekday.

The public is invited to view the display at the Babylon Library entitled Around the World in 100 Years as part of the Centennial Year of Travelers Club.