Hempstead Lake State Park

History

The central feature of this park is Hempstead Lake, first proposed in 1870 to supply water to Brooklyn, New York. The Mill River, also known as Hempstead Creek was dammed to form the 167-acreNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation "Hempstead Lake, Hempstead Lake State Park Fishing Information" http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/24167.html reservoir. Following the annexation of Brooklyn by New York City in 1898, the reservoir's use as a source of water declined.

In 1925, the route of Southern State Parkway was laid through the reservoir's grounds, and the property was designated as a state park. The highway originally looped around Hempstead Lake's southern shore between exits 18 and 19. In 1947, an earthen dam was laid across the northern third of Lake Hempstead, straightening the route of the parkway across the lake. A decade later, Peninsula Boulevard was extended along the eastern side of the park partially reusing the parkway's old route.

The reconfiguration of Southern State Parkway created two lakes from the reservoir's northern third: Northeast Pond and Northwest Pond. Excess water exiting Hempstead Lake continues into McDonald Pond and South Pond before leaving the park.

McDonald Pond, the small pond into which Mill Creek flows after leaving Hempstead Lake was officially dedicated in memory of NYPD Officer Steven McDonald on January 15, 2021.

On September 23, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul dedicated the Environmental Education & Resiliency Center at the park, which provides displays on the natural and human history of the park.

"Peaches" / "Jane Doe No. 3"

Main article: Murder of Tanya Jackson

On June 28, 1997, the dismembered torso of an unidentified young African-American woman was found at Hempstead Lake State Park, in the town of Lakeview, New York. The torso was found in a green plastic Rubbermaid container, which was dumped next to a road along the west side of the lake. Investigators reported that the victim had a tattoo on her left breast of a heart-shaped peach with a bite out of it and two drips falling from its core. In 2025, she was identified as 26-year-old Tanya Jackson.

References

References

1. "Hempstead Lake State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation.
2. (2014). "2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook". The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.
3. "State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003".
4. [https://hiddenwatersblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/16/hempriv/ Hidden waters of NYC: Mill River, Hempstead]
5. Anderson, Steve "Southern State Parkway: historical overview NYC Roads http://www.nycroads.com/roads/southern/
6. Kadinsky, Sergey "Mill River, Hempstead, NY" ''Hidden Waters Blog'' October 16, 2017 https://hiddenwatersblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/16/hempriv/
7. Grant, Nakeem "New signage erected at McDonald Pond" LI Herald January 21, 2021 https://www.liherald.com/stories/new-signage-erected-at-mcdonald-pond,129785
8. Bonfiglio, Brianna "Environmental Education Center Opens at Hempstead Lake State Park" Lon Island Press September 24, 2021 https://www.longislandpress.com/2021/09/24/environmental-education-center-opens-at-hempstead-lake-state-park/