| Located in Southwestern Suffolk County, New York, | | | | shore which were later bought by the Long Island |
| Babylon is bordered to the south by the Atlantic | | | | Railroad - in fact, both lines are still part of the Long |
| Ocean, to the east by Nassau County, to the west | | | | Island Railroad with the South Side line taking |
| by the town of West Islip and to the north by the | | | | passengers to the far eastern point of Montauk while |
| hamlet of North Babylon. What is now known as the | | | | the Central line takes passengers to Mineola and |
| town of Babylon and Babylon Village (an incorporated | | | | Hicksville. And with the development of the railroad, |
| part of the town of Babylon) was originally referred | | | | Babylon, New York quickly became the getaway to |
| to by locals as either South Huntington or even | | | | the nearby barrier beach resorts of Fire Island. |
| Huntington South. Sparsely settled from its founding | | | | Countless vacationers, arriving by train and coach |
| around 1689, the common industry along most of the | | | | would spend times in the luxurious hotels of the area. |
| region bordering the Atlantic Ocean - including both | | | | However, with the construction of the Captree |
| South Oyster Bay and Great South Bay - was the | | | | Causeways in the 1950s, Babylon New York 's place |
| harvesting of salt hay, which was popularly used at | | | | as a resort destination had fallen off - despite Fire |
| the time for cattle feed and bedding. By 1803 a | | | | Island 's immense popularity, even to this day. |
| relatively coherent community had grown in the area, | | | | But interestingly enough, Babylon has an important |
| including Nathaniel Conklin's family and they were | | | | role in baseball history. Several of the black service |
| desperate for a new name for the community in an | | | | personnel who worked at the Argyle Hotel, one of |
| attempt to remove the connotation that the area | | | | the most important and luxurious hotels in that region |
| was a sleazy layover for Long Islanders on their way | | | | of New York had formed a baseball team, the |
| west towards New York and others points. Legend | | | | Babylon Black Panthers. Historical accounts suggest |
| has it that Nathaniel Conklin's mother, a devout, | | | | that the Black Panthers were the first professional |
| church-going sort compared her new hamlet to the | | | | black baseball team in America. The Panthers were |
| biblical Babylon, referring to the hamlet as a "New | | | | so dominating that Walter Cook, a New Jersey-based |
| Babylon," and despite some initial reluctance among | | | | promoter put up the money for the team to travel - |
| locals, the name stuck. Strangely, the adjacent | | | | as the Cuban Giants. Ironically, the Babylon, New |
| section of what was then called Islip town was | | | | York-based Cuban Giants didn't have a single Cuban |
| originally also considered a part of Babylon, New York | | | | ballplayer but they were largely considered to be the |
| and is now considered the unincorporated hamlet of | | | | "World Colored Baseball Champions" of 1887 and |
| West Islip. | | | | 1888. Babylon has kept some part of its history as a |
| By 1865, Babylon had become a major station for | | | | baseball history as Babylon High School uses the |
| what was known as the South Side Rail Road and | | | | Panthers name. |
| the Central Railroad of Long Island, closer to the | | | | |