1852  - Plans for he building of the "Jamaica Plank Road," the major route from the farms of the South Shore (including Rockville Centre) to New York City. Three or four stage coaches carried passengers from Rockville Centre to the City and back every week, and the road was considered a great technological advance over the dirt roads that prevailed. The "Plank Road" is now known as Merrick Road.

1865  - Rockville Centre's first newspaper, "The Picket" was published. "The Picket", later known as the "Daily Review" and the "Nassau Daily Review", ran continuously for 88 years. Copies of these papers can still be read on microfilm in the Rockville Centre Library and the New York Historical Society at Adelphi University, and make a fascinating account of daily life in Rockville Centre from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries.

1867 - Long Island Rail Road service began. A year after service began, the Picket reported the commutation rates between Rockville Centre and New York City was $65 a year, $30 for two months and $45 for six months.

1872 - Union Free School District established

1882  - Rockville Centre Public Library founded

1893  - Rockville Centre's first Policeman hired, Joseph Shelly, at an annual salary of $500 per year.

1895  - Municipal Water Department established

1898  - Municipal Electric Light Department established. The first electric wires strung on poles throughout the business district of the Village delivered power at night only. Residents were permitted to tap the lines to "electrify" they homes between sundown and dawn only.

1906  - New York Telephone Company opened service in Rockville Centre