Lonelyville is one of the first communities to be established on Fire Island, and is true to its namesake. The secluded scene attracts those who wish to get away from it all. Lonelyville’s real estate includes a mix of modest beach cottages, largely concentrated at the east end; and more modern homes that were built on the west end.
The community began as Fire Island Fishing Company founded by Captain Selah Clock in the late 1880’s. Unlike Seaview, which was a fish oil processing plant, Fire Island Fishing Company’s focus was the transportation of fish for food to serve greater Long Island. A 400-foot pier extended out into the Atlantic Ocean, so fishing vessels could unload their catch. A rail system would cross over Fire Island through Lonelyville and bring the fish to other boats waiting on the other side. From there the perishable cargo would be delivered to Greater Long Island. This practice saved time, money and meant that fisherman need not circumnavigate the Fire Island Inlet, which could prove treacherous.
Captain Clock in time closed his company went into the real estate development business. He subdivided his land tract for residential sale in 1905. The dilapidated pier still extended out into the ocean for the first few decades of the 20th Century, but the Hurricane of 1938 washed away the last remnants of it.
In 2011 Lonelyville made history by becoming the first Fire District to consolidate with the non- contiguous Fair Harbor Fire District. (The community of Dunewood being between the two.) There is no direct ferry to Lonelyville. Fair Harbor or the Dunewood/ Atlantique lines are the best alternative options. The same goes for other amenities like restaurants, shops and markets which are a short walk away to Fair Harbor in the west, or a slightly longer trip to Ocean Beach due east.
