Tattoo Shop in East Williston, NY

Most of the farmland was owned by the Willis family in the 1800s. To avoid being confused with the Willis areas of upstate New York, this area was known as East Williston. The original borders of the area known as East Williston stretched west towards Queens to Herricks Road, north to I.U. Willets Road, south to the Village of Mineola, and east to Bacon Road in Old Westbury.

The coming of the railroad in 1865 stimulated manufacturing in East Williston. The industries that grew as a result of the new train station included brick making, windmill making and carriage making. Henry M. Willis designed and built the popular East Williston Runabout Roadcart. This carriage had two wheels and two seats. Its soft suspension allowed comfortable travel over the rough roads of the time. There was also a feature which allowed the body to be locked to the axle, allowing the carriage to be used on the racetrack. Over 1,000 East Williston Runabout Roadcarts were built by Oakley and Griffin (who purchased the business from Willis in 1889).

The major east-west route, State Route 25B or Hillside Avenue, was formerly called East Williston Avenue, since it connected Queens with East Williston.The East Williston Union Free School District was founded in 1955. In 1985, the residential and commercial core of East Williston collectively known as the East Williston Village Historic District was designated a national historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.