Cold Spring Harbor is a hamlet on Long Island, New York, whose history has shifted from a 19th-century whaling port to a 20th-century scientific research hub. The area was named for the naturally cold freshwater springs that flow into the harbor. Early settlement and whalingColonial era: The land was purchased from the Matinecock people in 1653, and European settlers established a community focused on milling and maritime activities.Whaling boom: In the 1830s, the Cold Spring Whaling Company was