Locust Valley

Book excerpt: Visit the private world beyond the gates of this North Shore Long Island hamlet and view over 200 photographs from its history as a playground for the cultured denziens of the past. Locust Valley, a hamlet on the North Shore of Long Island with Quaker roots, grew from an agrarian settlement into a tight-knit community in the exclusive Gold Coast enclave. With its natural beauty, great estates, and elite clubs, Locust Valley and the surrounding villages of Lattingtown, Matinecock, and Mill Neck became a playground of the famous and cultured. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor were frequent visitors, and notable residents included H.P. Davison, Frank Nelson Doubleday, and internationally renowned artists Ray Johnson and Elizabeth Shoumatoff. In Locust Valley, 200 carefully selected photographs reveal a proud community steeped in traditional values and the private world behind the gates that have made the area legendary.