(Editor's Note: The following letter was sent to Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi and is printed here at the author's request.)

I am the village historian in the Village of Garden City.

I was recently shown an invitation to the upcoming celebration at the old Nassau County Court House on Franklin Avenue by our village administrator. You are planning to celebrate the 108th anniversary of the July 13, 1900 cornerstone laying by Theodore Roosevelt (for some reason the invitation says 109th). The transformation of the old court house building and property is amazing. All Nassau County residents should be pleased with the results, especially those of us in Garden City as that is where the building is located and that is why I am writing to you.

When Queens County split in half, the eastern part became a new county called Nassau on Jan. 1, 1899. The location for the seat of the new county caused heated debate. As railroad transportation ruled the day, it was decided that the seat had to be within a mile of either the Hicksville, Hempstead or Mineola railroad stations. The site that was selected was one offered as a gift by the Garden City Company (formed in 1893 by the heirs of Cornelia Stewart - wife of A.T. Stewart). The site was south of Old Country Road in Garden City but within a mile and serviced by the Mineola Railroad Station and would receive its mail from the nearby Mineola Post Office. This situation continues to this day.

However, the County Seat has expanded greatly within Garden City's borders over the century and constitutes a large amount of tax-exempt property in Garden City and receives services from Garden City. The Village of Mineola has had nothing to do with it yet they still are referred to as the county seat.

Although it's all a bit confusing, Franklin Avenue is a Garden City address as it becomes Mineola Boulevard when it crosses Old Country Road (the border of not just Garden City and Mineola, but also the Town of Hempstead and the Town of North Hempstead). So, on Sunday, July 13 when you celebrate this beautiful and historic building and grounds, I would hope you will acknowledge the village and taxpayers of Garden City who have graciously hosted without compensation the Nassau County seat of government for over a century.

John Ellis Kordes

Village Historian

Garden City