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In 1869, the Long Island Rail Road expanded to nearby Patchogue, initiating settlement on Fire Island. Ferries were built to accommodate visitors, and by the early nineteenth century, Fire Island hosted several resorts, including Cherry Grove. By the late 1920s, the island was a popular and welcoming destination for the LGBT community. [1]
Cherry Grove calls itself "America's First Gay and Lesbian Town". Fire Island has "an iconic gay scene" [20] and the Grove Hotel is New York State's only hotel that prohibits those under 21 on the premises; this is legal because the hotel's entrance is through a bar. [21]
Cherry Grove dates its modern history to the 1868 purchase by Archer and Elizabeth Perkinson. They bought the land between Lone Hill (now Fire Island Pines) and the Cherry Grove Hotel from the ocean to the bay for 25 cents per acre and named the area for the black-cherry trees in the area. [3] The Perkinsons opened a hotel in 1880.
Hence, gay men in the area began to hold tea dances outside the city as an alternative venue for meeting. In New York, these generally took place on Fire Island, in Cherry Grove and the Pines, on Sunday afternoons. Serving tea rather than alcohol made them more acceptable and less law-defying.
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Fire Island Pines and the adjoining Cherry Grove are the areas most strongly associated with the gay community on Fire Island. [1] The island has been referred to as America's first gay and lesbian town [ 2 ] and served since the 1920s and 1930s as a refuge for vacationers and others who desired the more liberal attitude the island's occupants ...
Searchlight Pictures’ queer romantic comedy “Fire Island” will have its world premiere on June 2 during NewFest’s NewFest Pride series. “We are thrilled to kick off our annual Pride ...
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