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Welcome to… Yaphank.com

Yaphank, New York is a community on Long Island at about its center and part of Brookhaven and Suffolk County. It is the home of Brookhaven National Laboratory and Baseball Heaven. Its location makes it a place that you can visit while also enjoying all of the other attractions Long Island has to offer. Here are some more interesting tidbits about this community.

The history of Yaphank begins with the building of two mills by John Homan in the 1700s. These mills were built on Carmen’s River and were basically at the town’s center. Yaphank at that time was named Millsville because of these mills however this name was also shared by thirteen other towns in New York. With the arrival of the first post office in 1846, the town was renamed to Yaphank. The name was derived from a Native American word used for a river bank, Yamphanke.

With the arrival of the railroad in 1843, Yaphank would begin to accelerate in its growth. The Long Island Railroad was the first line to arrive in the town and along with that arrival a railroad station appeared. After this, several buildings and businesses would dot the community to include lumber mills, blacksmiths, a general store, a meat market, dressmakers, and a printing shop. Yaphank had become a center of commerce in the region.

Camp Upton was built in 1917 to be used as an Army boot camp. It was here that the famous songwriter and composer, Irving Berlin, wrote “Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning” and the musical “Yip! Yip! Yaphank.” He was stationed at Camp Upton after being drafted in 1917. Camp Upton, in 1947, would be turned over to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and today is the Brookhaven National Laboratory. It is one of the major employers in the area.

There are plenty of things to see and do in Yaphank, New York. The variety comes from all of the attractions that are not only in this community but the surrounding Long Island area as well. You can take your pick of activities and attractions to include camping, fishing, golf, bicycling, ice skating, horseback riding, polo, parks, nature preserves, beaches, nature cruises, and much more.

One fascinating attraction that is native to Yaphank is named Baseball Heaven. This is a spectacular baseball sports complex where kids aged 9-18 can play on teams and get the experience that Major League Baseball players enjoy in their ballparks. The complex has four full-sized ball fields and three Little League-sized fields. The fields are patterned almost like the majors with below ground-level dugouts, electronic scoreboards, and real bullpens. There are also top-notch hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, beaches, and other attractions nearby.

For those interested in wildlife, there is the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge Complex located towards the south central shore of Long Island and not too far from Yaphank. This refuge is part of the largest saltwater marsh on the island. In this refuge, you can see a variety of aquatic habitats to include swamps, marshes, marine sea grass beds, pine trees, and shrubs. The newly-opened Long Island National Wildlife Complex provides a place for visitors to come learn more about the wildlife of the island. It has an exhibit hall, educational learning rooms, a nature trail, and bird observation deck.

There are many other attractions as well. Long Island is a fascinating place to visit in that it provides plenty to see and do while protecting nature at the same time. Make plans to visit Yaphank and its surrounding communities on your next visit to New York.