Opening from On This Site - Native Long Island

Merrick (Hempstead Plains)

Merrick is a Hempstead-area placename connected with the great plain south of Hempstead and later Merrick community names. Merrick is connected with a small settlement southeast of Hempstead and with the broader Hempstead plains. Related forms include Merriack, Merioke, Meracock, Mericoke, Merricock, Marrocock, Mercock, Merrikoke, and Meroke. The Name and Landscape Today Meroke Preserve carries the Merrick name along Newbridge Creek. Farther inland, Hempstead Plains Preserve protects a remnant of the prairie that once stretched across central Nassau County. The name is interpreted as bare land, at the barren land, bare of trees, or a plain, fitting its association with the Hempstead plains. Why Place Names Matter “More recognition can be given to indigenous efforts to correct clear inaccuracies and reclaim place names whose stories are theirs and not outsiders.” — Luise...