Bohemia Historical Society - New York

08/31/2026

Join the Bohemia Historical Society for an afternoon with Vera Truhlar, who will trace her own remarkable path — from Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, which she left in 1969, to Bohemia, Long Island, where she makes her home today.

Along the way, Vera will introduce the famous Czechs woven into the history of America and share the long relationship between the United States and the Czech lands — the pivotal moments and the key people who shaped it. Drawing on her personal collection of Czech materials and decades of firsthand experience, she brings that history to life in a way no book can. Vera will also offer travel tips for anyone hoping to visit the Czech Republic.

Join us September 20th!

08/26/2026

In 1936, someone drew up a plan to turn Sunrise Highway into a modern expressway with no traffic lights.
It reached Bohemia in May 1998. Sixty-two years later.
This photo was taken in 1986, from a car stopped at the light at Sycamore Avenue — twelve years still to go. The expressway ended at Connetquot Avenue in Great River and dumped everything into two lanes at the Oakdale Merge, and Bohemia sat right behind the bottleneck. A dump truck smoking in the middle lane, the golden arches over the treeline, and signals hanging over the through lanes.
Five frames from the same drive — Ocean Avenue, the Waldbaum's, the Doll House, Pond Road, Locust Avenue — are in the full story.

In 1986, traffic lights still hung over Sunrise Highway in Bohemia. Removing them was the whole point of a project first drawn up in 1936 — and one that would not reach this stretch of road until May 1998. A photograph from the long wait.

08/07/2026

Who was the visionary behind Bohemia’s beloved "Little Church"? ⛪

Built in 1885 by early Catholic settlers, St. John Nepomucene originally seated just 104 people, making it the smallest parish church in the diocese! It has survived over a century of changes, growth, and even a devastating fire in 2012—but how did it all begin?

Discover the incredible story and the dedicated priest who laid its foundation on our latest blog post.

Read the full story here: https://bohemiahistoricalsocietyny.org/the-priest-who-built-the-little-church/

Bohemia Historical Society

07/26/2026

When William Ruth sorted mail at the Bohemia post office, he couldn't have known his three daughters would carry our hamlet's name across the Pacific and into classrooms, hospital wards, and state government. Arline, Gladys, and Elaine Ruth were nurses, WWII Army officers, mothers, teachers, and trailblazers. Their story reads like a portrait of the American century — and it started right here.

Read "Daughters of Bohemia: The Remarkable Ruth Sisters"

Three sisters from Bohemia — Arline, Gladys, and Elaine Ruth — became nurses, WWII Army officers, educators, and trailblazers. From field hospitals in the South Pacific to the Rhode Island State Legislature, the postmaster's daughters carried their hamlet's values of service across the country a...

07/11/2026

Ever wonder why there's an Orville Drive and a Wilbur Place in Bohemia? No Czech settler carried those names — they honor the Wright brothers, and the story behind them is the story of Bohemia's second industrial revolution.
Between 1960 and 1985, the "worthless" pine barrens north of the village became one of Long Island's most consequential industrial corridors. The same sandy land that sold cheap to Jan Vavra in 1855 drew a new kind of buyer a century later: the Rechler family, who built Airport International Plaza across from MacArthur's runway.
The tenants nobody could have predicted in 1955: Nature's Bounty grew from an Orville Drive warehouse into Long Island's largest vitamin company. Periphonics built the "press one for service" technology that answered phones around the world. And since 1982, Bohemia has even contained a slice of legally international ground.
The hamlet that once rolled five-cent ci**rs at kitchen tables became a place thousands drive into for work every morning.
Read the full story:

Between 1960 and 1985, Bohemia underwent a massive transformation. Discover how a hamlet once known for hand-rolled ci**rs and scrub oak grew into a high-tech hub of vitamins, avionics, and voice technology—and forever changed the direction of the morning commute.

05/24/2026

🇺🇸 This Memorial Day Weekend, we remember.

For more than a century, the Bohemia War Monument has stood on the same patch of ground — the corner of Church Street and Smithtown Avenue. The cigar factories are gone, the general stores are gone, and John Pearl Elementary was built around it.

It began on July 4, 1920, when our village gathered to dedicate a single stone tablet to the 20 men from Bohemia who served in the Great War — and the seven who never came home. It was funded entirely by community donations, raised dollar by dollar from a town of cigar rollers, button workers, farmers, and shopkeepers. In 1947, a bronze plaque was added for the 118 Bohemia residents who served in World War II. Tablets for Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan followed.

The monument is lovingly cared for today by the Bohemia Civic Association and Joseph Kovarik American Legion Post 1146 — a post named for one of the very men whose name is on the original 1920 stone. This weekend, if you pass the corner of Church and Smithtown, take a moment. The names have been there longer than any of us.

Read the full history of our monument:
👉 https://bohemiahistoricalsocietyny.org/honoring-our-heroes-the-bohemia-war-monument/

05/17/2026

What an incredible afternoon at the Bohemia Historical Society!

A massive thank you to Town of Islip Historian George Munkenbeck for delivering an absolutely fascinating presentation today on what life was like here during the American Revolution.

If you’ve ever been told "nothing happened here" during the war, George certainly proved that wrong! It was a tough life for the locals. We learned so much about the intense reality of our local history.

- The fact that the Islip Precinct was under British occupation for six long years, not officially joining the United States until 1783!

- The wild realities of the "Whale Boat Wars" and local espionage.

- The truth about the deep-water ports, piracy rings, and how our local "five families" shaped the region.

Thank you so much to everyone in the community who came out to learn and ask such great questions. It’s because of your support that we can continue bringing these amazing historical deep-dives to life!

A quick note: During the Q&A, George mentioned the Vignettes of Islip Town History magazine, which is a fantastic resource that comes out quarterly. If you're interested in getting on the email list for those history blasts, let us know!

Stay tuned to our page for updates on future events and archival projects.