The 1910’s
The Golden Age of Cigars & The Great War
In the 1910s, if you walked down any dirt road in Bohemia, the air was thick with the rich scent of curing tobacco. This decade marked the absolute peak of the hand-rolled cigar era, but the prosperity of the village would soon be severely tested by labor disputes, global warfare, and a devastating pandemic.
The Golden Age of Cigars… and Conflict
By this time, Bohemia was a recognized center of tobacco manufacturing on Long Island. Large commercial factories like M. Foster (located at Ocean Avenue and Church Street) and Albert Holecek (on Pearl Street) employed hundreds of workers, while dozens of smaller, independent “buckeye” shops operated out of family backyards and sheds. However, this economic boom was not without its struggles.
The Great Strike of 1912
One of the most significant but frequently overlooked events in village history occurred in the summer of 1912. Local cigar makers, demanding better wages, improved working conditions, and official union recognition, went on strike against the major factories. The strike lasted for months, putting immense financial strain on the village. It ultimately ended with a partial victory for the workers, firmly cementing Bohemia’s reputation as a strong, pro-labor union town.
Bohemia Goes to War (1917–1918)
When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Bohemia faced a highly unique emotional challenge. The vast majority of the village’s residents were immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire—the very power the U.S. and its allies were fighting.
A Unique Patriotism
Despite their origins, the Czechs of Bohemia, NY, were fiercely patriotic Americans who also harbored a deep desire for the liberation of their homeland from oppressive Austrian rule. Fighting for America meant fighting for an independent Czechoslovakia.
The Honor Roll
Over twenty young men from the small village eagerly answered the call to serve. Prominent local pioneer families with names like Behounek, Soukup, and Koula sent their first-generation American sons into the trenches of France.
The Home Front
While the men fought overseas, the women of Bohemia mobilized at home. They organized active Red Cross chapters inside the wooden 1903 schoolhouse, spending their days knitting heavy wool socks, rolling medical bandages, and gathering supplies for the troops.
The Monument
The sacrifice of this generation led to the construction of the WWI Memorial on Church Street (dedicated July 4, 1920), which still stands today as the centerpiece of the community’s remembrance.
Modernizing the Village
Despite the looming shadow of war, the 1910s also brought the first vital signs of 20th-century technology to the rural hamlet.
The Fire Department Upgrades
The days of the simple “bucket brigade” officially ended in 1915 when the Bohemia Fire Department purchased its first major piece of modern apparatus: a horse-drawn chemical fire engine. Utilizing a mixture of baking soda and sulfuric acid to propel water, it drastically improved the town’s ability to save the highly flammable wooden cigar factories and farmhouses.
Electricity Arrives
By the very end of the decade, the first electric utility lines were being slowly strung down Church Street and Smithtown Avenue. This modern marvel began to replace the kerosene lamps and candlelight that had illuminated the village since its founding in 1855.
The Spanish Flu (1918)
The decade ended in profound tragedy. Just as the joy of the war’s end was sweeping the nation, the devastating Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 arrived on Long Island.
The Isolation Fails: The geographical isolation that usually protected the rural village failed against the highly contagious virus. The Church Street schoolhouse was forced to close for weeks to prevent the spread, and the local church bells rang all too frequently for funerals. The pandemic claimed the lives of both the young and old, serving as a harsh reminder to the tight-knit community of their fragility in a rapidly connecting world.