Bohemia, Decade by Decade
The 1990s: Centennials & A New Century
A decade of deep reflection
The 1990s were a decade of deep reflection for Bohemia. Exactly one hundred years after the seminal events of the 1890s, the community gathered to honor its roots.
1993
The Centennial Year
The Jan Hus Rededication: On September 26, 1993 — exactly 100 years to the day after its original unveiling — the community gathered at the Union Cemetery on Church Street to rededicate the 12-foot Vermont granite Jan Hus Monument. Despite rain that forced parts of the ceremony indoors, the spirit of the event remained a powerful tribute to the village’s founders. As part of the ceremony, a time capsule was buried at the base of the statue. Filled with documents, artifacts, and stories from the late 20th century, the capsule was designed to serve as a physical bridge between the era of the cigar pioneers and modern suburban residents.
Fire Department Centennial: In 1993, the Bohemia Fire Department also celebrated 100 years of service. The milestone was marked by the release of a commemorative centennial journal and one of the largest parades in Islip Town history. The procession honored the department’s long journey from the original 1893 “bucket brigade” to the modern, highly trained fleet of yellow trucks stationed at the Pearl Street headquarters.
1992–1995
The End of an Era: School & Church Closures
While the village celebrated its past, it also said goodbye to two foundational institutions that had defined life in Bohemia for a century.
St. John’s Regionalization (1992): In 1992, the changing demographics of Long Island forced a painful transition. St. John Nepomucene School, which had originally opened its doors in 1956, merged with St. Lawrence the Martyr in Sayville. This ended nearly 40 years of independent Catholic education on Locust Avenue, though the building itself remained an active center for religious instruction.
St. Luke’s Closes (1995): On November 26, 1995, the final service was held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (formerly St. John’s-on-the-Plains). After struggling with declining membership, the diocese made the difficult decision to close the parish. The historic building, which had stood as a community pillar since 1886, was later sold to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, ensuring its walls would remain a house of prayer.
Late 1990s
A Village Online
The late 1990s saw the arrival of the digital age in Bohemia, shifting how the community connected and preserved its past.
It was in this decade that the Bohemia Historical Society (founded in 1984) truly solidified its role for the coming century, laying the groundwork to digitize records and photographs before they were lost to time. These early digital initiatives ensured that even as the village modernized, the stories of the early Slavic settlers, cigar makers, and button drillers would be protected. It also guaranteed the survival of vital genealogical records — from clarifying the correct spelling of foundational figures like Bedřich Bild to accurately preserving family lines, such as the marriage of Adalbert Charles Thuma to Bessie Bild — ensuring the true history of the village would not be deleted.
As personal computers entered homes from Sycamore to Walnut Avenues, the “village square” began to move online, connecting residents in entirely new ways.
1999
The 21st Century Approaches
As the clock ticked toward Y2K, Bohemia had fully transformed. The “hardscrabble” farming settlement of the 1850s was now a mature, desirable suburb. The dirt roads were paved, the cigar factories were long gone, and the button shells were buried — but the spirit of the Tabor settlement remained in the names on the street signs and the pride of its people.
📸 The “Disposable Camera” Decade
Did you grow up in Bohemia in the 90s? We need to capture the “recent history” before it’s lost. We are actively looking for:
- Photos from the 1993 Fire Department Centennial Parade.
- Pictures of the War Memorial Rededication in 1998.
- Photos of Connetquot High School life in the 90s.