Our Mission Statement:

The name of this association shall be the Selden Civic Association, Inc., and its object shall be to promote civic and social welfare in Selden and surrounding areas and to accumulate such funds as are necessary for this purpose.

The Selden Civic Association was Established in 1932 and was Incorporated in 1952. We have maintained a long lasting community commitment to the residents of Selden. We hope to help create a place to live that we can all be proud to call home.

History:

Beginnings: The founding farmers of the mid-1700s called it Westfield and spent many early winters hacking wood from their newly acquired lots. The extra income earned from selling the cordwood came in handy for families such as the Roes, Nortons and Longbothams, trying to eke out a living in the sparsely settled region. Built about 1752, the Norton family home was the oldest remaining in Selden but was gutted by fire in the fall of 1996. Local preservationists are still unsure of the landmark's future.

The Revolution: Honing his combat skills in the French and Indian War, Daniel Roe served as a captain in the Revolutionary War. Besides winning battles against the British, Roe kept busy evacuating rebel families from Long Island following the British occupation. In swift-moving whaleboats, Roe piloted the families and their belongings across Long Island Sound to Connecticut. It would be seven years before Roe, his wife Deborah, and their 12 children returned to Westfield.

The Name Game: Like many other Long Island communities, Westfield residents were too late. By the time a post office was established there in 1852, the name Westfield was already taken. Residents substituted Selden, in honor of Henry Selden, a prominent New York judge and lieutenant governor from 1857 to 1858, a curious choice because Selden had no apparent connection to the community. Perhaps they were persuaded by Selden's promise to do ``something handsome'' for the hamlet. No one knows whether Judge Selden ever did.

Turning Point: Small vegetable and fruit farms still lined Middle Country Road in the early 1930s when real estate agents began selling housing lots to buyers from New York City for as little as $19 for a quarter-acre lot. Buyers came by the busload, enticed by advertisements that boasted paradise garden plots, vacation camps or retreats set in ``beautiful high-wooded or open-level sections.'' Called Nature's Gardens, the development was the first of many that would gradually transform Selden into the 20,000-strong suburban community it is today.