Tottenville, located at the southernmost point in New York State, has long been considered the forgotten town in the forgotten borough of New York City. The area was first populated in the 1600s by the Lenni Lenape Indians who summered on its shores, assured of a bountiful harvest from the sea. Bordered on three sides by water, the town had its roots in the oyster fishing, shipbuilding, and ship repair industries and grew rapidly. The Verrazano Bridge, opened in the 1960s, connected Staten Island to Brooklyn and caused a building boom island-wide. Despite the tremendous growth in population, Tottenville retains its small-town feel and offers residents an oasis from big city life in the form of a welcoming and tight-knit community.

Tottenville is located on the southwestern tip of Staten Island and is the southernmost point in New York City and New York State. Far from the urban culture of Manhattan, Tottenville boasts a feeling of independence and isolation. The village of Tottenville came into being around 1840. Its economy and culture arose from oyster fishing, shipbuilding and ship repair, and agriculture. Its trade routes with New Jersey and New York City linked it to the metropolitan region and the greater world. It became the largest town in Westfield, the historic name for this quarter of Staten Island. Even today, although a part of New York City, and encroached upon by modern suburban culture, the feeling of a small coastal town prevails with characteristics unlike any other place on Staten Island. This book documents the activities of the people who created Tottenville and caused it to flourish.