The Village of Amityville, located within the Town of Babylon, was originally visited by Huntington settlers who sought to use the land for salt hay growth in 1653. They acquired the territory from Chief Wyandanch of the Montaukett tribe in 1658. Initially, the village was known as Huntington West Neck South, but residents decided to rename it in 1846 to give their post office a more attractive name (there is, however, some dispute on how they came to the current name). Drawn by the abundance of salt hay, Huntington farmers began settlements in Amityville, in 1653. Originally referred to as Huntington Southwest Neck, the name Amityville was adopted in 1846 at a raucous village meeting. Prominent Amityville citizen, Sammual Ireland, became impatient with the debate and suggested that the village be named after his schooner, the “Amity,” which means friendly. Since its beginnings, Amityville has been a center of business and transportation. The Southside Railroad began service to Amityville in 1867 and the Cross-Island trolley line first came from Huntington in 1909. The Bank of Amityville was founded in 1891 and the library was organized in 1907. Amityville also became a popular summer resort area in the late 1800s and early 1900s.Amityville became Babylon Town’s second incorporated village on March 3, 1894. Charles Wood was elected Amityville’s first Village President.. Amityville is best known in pop culture as the site of an allegedly haunted house, however it was also home to several affluent actors including Fred Stone and Will Rogers, as well as musicians Robert Philips, Eddie Reyes and Donnie McClurkin. It currently holds an annual fall celebration known as the Apple Festival and has twinned itself with the French commune of Le Bourget. Twinning is a partnering between towns used to promote contact and cultural links.