Warren McDowell, former publisher of The Fire Island Tide, has been pondering the mystery of how Fire Island got its name all his life. This burning question has been answered in many ways over the years. Many myths, legends and theories have been proposed but Warren wanted sources. He turned his newspaperman’s eye to every old map he could find.

The result is an eye-catching cartographic, geographic and social history of a barrier beach. Warren presents a well-researched and documented argument for the origin of Fire Island while also illuminating the spirit at the heart of the place.

Further Research

• Fire Island Saga
• Warren McDowell and the Fire Island Tide
• William L. Clements Library Map Division
• Benjamin Franklin Thompson, History of Long Island (vol 2) via Google Books
• Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler (NIST Special Publication 1068)
• Fire Island’s Surf Hotel by Harry Havemeyer (find in a library via WorldCat)
• Fire Island, 1650s-1980s by Madeleine C. Johnson (find in a library via WorldCat)
• Fanfare by Benjamin Harvey Design (via Freesound.org)