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Fort Massapeag Community Education Project
Fort Massapeag Community Education Project
(2024+)
(2024+)
THE FORT MASSAPEAG COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROJECT, created by Dr. John DiMarco, aims to educate the community on the history and preservation efforts surrounding Fort Massapeag in South Massapequa.
RATIONALE: Dr. DiMarco applied for 10k grant with the New York Architectural league in 2024-25 to develop the Fort Massapeag Community Project. The grant was denied because it was deemed by the selection committee to be capital improvement for TOBAY. John DiMarco decided to fund the project himself, spending over one year researching, writing, and designing the Fort Massapeag educational materials.
Community Education: The goal is to highlight the work of scholars, preservationists, and Town of Oyster Bay (TOBAY) officials who helped rescue and preserve this significant National Historic Landmark.
New Historical Community Resources: Extensive research in 2024 and 2025 by Dr. John DiMarco, utilizing archives like the NY State Museum and Queensborough Public Library, led to the creation of:
Site Signage: A donated sign from the DiMarco Family at the Fort Massapeag Historic Landmark site links to this educational website.
Interactive Website: This website (www.massapequapress.com and www.fortmassapeag.com) offers an interactive pathway to learn the fort's full history.
Hidden in Massapequa Visual Narrative Book: A 150+ page coffee table historiography book, "Hidden in Massapequa: Unearthing Fort Massapeag", was published in 2025. It is the ultimate guide to the history, people, and artifacts of South Oyster Bay at Fort Massapeag. The book has over 50 references with extended passages and over 40 high-resolution images, with a portion of proceeds used to donate copies to Massapequa schools and libraries.
Massapequa Archaeology Reader: A 100+ page monograph, "Massapequa Archaeology: The Story of Fort Massapeag", was published in 2025. It condenses the story and artifacts into a middle/high school reader with over 25 high-resolution images, with a portion of proceeds used to donate copies to Massapequa schools and libraries.
In 2025-26 Dr. DiMarco has donated over $1000 in books to local schools, libraries, educators, and students.
Support for Fort Massapeag Education
Support for Fort Massapeag Education
Dr. DiMarco worked with the Queensborough Public Library Archives, The New York State Museum at Albany, Garvies Point Museum, and locally with TOBAY officials to continue the stewardship of Fort Massapeag on this project. The collective mission was to maintain and perpetuate Massapequa history. Since the 1920s, vigilant researchers, concerned preservationists, and TOBAY officials have worked to preserve the Fort Massapeag site. The next chapter in the story is educating next generations about the important history of Fort Massapeag – A National Historic Landmark in Massapequa, NY and the only archaeologically significant Indigenous Fort in Nassau County.
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