Holbrook’s history is mostly unwritten

Holbrook is believed to have derived its name from a stream which was called, in various narratives, either "Old Brook" or "Hollow Brook."

The area was part of the 51,000 acre Islip Grange estate, acquired in 1697 by William Nicoll (son of Matthias Nicoll, who was the sixth mayor of New York City). It was largely a rural area until Alexander McCotter acquired 5,000 acres in the area in 1848 (after the Long Island Rail Road reached it in 1844) and platted the community. The oldest still standing building from this period is St. John's Lutheran Church, which was built in 1863. In 1875, the Nevins and Griswold cigar factory operated at the original LIRR station.

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