From an article in Electrical World magazine, April 7, 1906:
[A] number of wealthy men having country seats near Roslyn, wishing electricity for their residences
and finding no station to supply it, determined to build a station to supply their collective wants rather
than to install individual isolated plants. In order also to remove the station as far as possible from theirdwellings it was determined to build the station on Hempstead Bay. Property on the bay front, however,took a jump of over 500 per cent in value when the owners found who the prospective purchasers wereto be, and a station was built on the line of the Long Island Railroad on the outskirts of Roslyn. Coalcould then be easily obtained and wells were driven to supply the water necessary for the operation of theplant. A new station was erected on Hempstead Bay in the village known as Glenwood, and sub-stationsmaintained at Roslyn, Oyster Bay, Port Washington, Hicksville, Hempstead and Great Neck. These sub-stations supply electric energy to Baldwin, Floral Park, Glen Cove, Glenwood, Great Neck, Hempstead,Hicksville, Hyde Park, Mineola, Port Washington, Roslyn, Sea Cliff and Westbury. The territory coveredcomprises a large section of the central portion of Long Island, and being of a suburban characterinvolves distribution in a large number of sparsely settled villages.