Jayne's Hill
Encyclopedia
Jayne's Hill is the highest point on New York's Long Island
, with an elevation of between 387 feet (118 m) and 400.9 feet (122.2 m) above sea level. It is situated on the Harbor Hill Terminal moraine
that makes up the northern spine of Long Island in West Hills
County Park in Suffolk County
, a little more than a mile to the north of Melville
.
based on a 1903 ruling calls it "High Hill." On the Geographic Names Information System
it is listed as 387 feet based on the National Elevation Dataset
.
Suffolk County which owns the peak calls it Jayne's Hill and lists its elevation on its website as 400 feet. An interpretative sign in the park refers to it as "Jaynes Hill" (no apostrophe) and lists the height as 401 feet.
In 1825 Long Island historian Silas Wood
called it "Oakley's High Hill Field" with a surveyor telling him it was 354.5 feet (108.1 m). At the time it was considered the third highest point on Long Island behind Harbor Hill
in Nassau County
(reported then at 384 feet (117 m)) and Layton Hill's in Wheatley, New York
(just south of the Long Island University C.W. Post Campus
(reported then at 380 feet (115.8 m)).
Walt Whitman
was born near the site of Jayne's Hill, and visited the summit. In 1881, Whitman wrote: "I write this back again at West Hills on a high elevation (the highest spot on Long Island?) Of Jayne's Hill. . . . A view of thirty of forty, or even fifty or more miles, especially to the east and south and southwest: the Atlantic Ocean to the latter points in the distance - a glimpse or so of Long Island Sound to the north."
In 1887, it was reported to be 383 feet (116.7 m) in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, only one foot shy of the reported height of Harbor Hill. In 1901 the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that Jayne's Hill (named after its property owners) was the tallest.
Subsequent surveys by the USGS of Harbor Hill show it to be 348 feet (106.1 m) and Layton's Hill as 325 feet (99.1 m).
The New York Times in 1980 said it was 428 feet (130.5 m).
In more recent times, in 1980, a plan to place a radio tower on top of Jayne's Hill as one of a series of police radio towers was foiled when environmentalists and residents physically blocked county bulldozers. Regardless, a water tower was erected in 1998. This in combination with forest growth overtaking the grasslands once present on the hill severely restrict the views once beheld by Whitman.
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, with an elevation of between 387 feet (118 m) and 400.9 feet (122.2 m) above sea level. It is situated on the Harbor Hill Terminal moraine
Terminal moraine
A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a moraine that forms at the end of the glacier called the snout.Terminal moraines mark the maximum advance of the glacier. An end moraine is at the present boundary of the glacier....
that makes up the northern spine of Long Island in West Hills
West Hills, New York
West Hills is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Huntington, Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 5,607 at the 2000 census...
County Park in Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
, a little more than a mile to the north of Melville
Melville, New York
Melville is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Huntington in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, 14,533 people resided there.-Location:...
.
Name and height
The United States Board on Geographic NamesUnited States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government.-Overview:...
based on a 1903 ruling calls it "High Hill." On the Geographic Names Information System
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
it is listed as 387 feet based on the National Elevation Dataset
National Elevation Dataset
The National Elevation Dataset consists of high precision ground surface elevation data for the United States. It is maintained by the USGS and all the data are in public domain-Source:...
.
Suffolk County which owns the peak calls it Jayne's Hill and lists its elevation on its website as 400 feet. An interpretative sign in the park refers to it as "Jaynes Hill" (no apostrophe) and lists the height as 401 feet.
History
Jayne's Hill has been known by several different names.In 1825 Long Island historian Silas Wood
Silas Wood
Silas Wood was a U.S. Representative from New York.Born in West Hills, near Huntington, New York, Wood pursued classical studies....
called it "Oakley's High Hill Field" with a surveyor telling him it was 354.5 feet (108.1 m). At the time it was considered the third highest point on Long Island behind Harbor Hill
Harbor Hill
Harbor Hill was a spectacular Long Island mansion built from 1899-1902 in Roslyn, New York, commissioned by Clarence Hungerford Mackay. It was designed by McKim, Mead, and White, with Stanford White supervising the project...
in Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
(reported then at 384 feet (117 m)) and Layton Hill's in Wheatley, New York
Brookville, New York
The Village of Brookville is a village located within the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 3,465....
(just south of the Long Island University C.W. Post Campus
Long Island University C.W. Post Campus
The C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University is a private institution of higher education located in Brookville in Nassau County, New York, United States...
(reported then at 380 feet (115.8 m)).
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
was born near the site of Jayne's Hill, and visited the summit. In 1881, Whitman wrote: "I write this back again at West Hills on a high elevation (the highest spot on Long Island?) Of Jayne's Hill. . . . A view of thirty of forty, or even fifty or more miles, especially to the east and south and southwest: the Atlantic Ocean to the latter points in the distance - a glimpse or so of Long Island Sound to the north."
In 1887, it was reported to be 383 feet (116.7 m) in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, only one foot shy of the reported height of Harbor Hill. In 1901 the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that Jayne's Hill (named after its property owners) was the tallest.
Subsequent surveys by the USGS of Harbor Hill show it to be 348 feet (106.1 m) and Layton's Hill as 325 feet (99.1 m).
The New York Times in 1980 said it was 428 feet (130.5 m).
In more recent times, in 1980, a plan to place a radio tower on top of Jayne's Hill as one of a series of police radio towers was foiled when environmentalists and residents physically blocked county bulldozers. Regardless, a water tower was erected in 1998. This in combination with forest growth overtaking the grasslands once present on the hill severely restrict the views once beheld by Whitman.