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The new residents came mostly from Brooklyn and Queens. They would journey out from the city in the early summer months. Once there, they would clear their land and pitch large tents to live in during their stay. Eventually these tents evolved into bungalows many of which can still be seen today.

In the town square were two communal springs where fresh water was obtained. Water would be pumped by hand, filling large bottles and carefully transported back to their building sites. Rainwater was collected and used for washing. Bathrooms at the sites were holes in the ground surrounded by canvas for privacy. Eventually, these crude latrines would evolve into "outhouses". Cooking was done on kerosene stoves with food brought out from the "city". They bought their fruit, vegetables, bread and dairy products from the truck that Arthur Calace Sr. drove around the narrow roads. Most of the families would stay until Labor Day. During those hot summer days, the women and children would stay all week. Their husbands came out on the weekends, cars loaded with supplies requested by their families. The contrast between city life and Sound Beach must have been considerable at that time. Adults and children balanced their working days with long stretches of time at the beach.

It was no wonder that Harold Hafner, whose father was the first President of the S.B.P.O.A., referred to these early settlers as "pioneers". "They worked just as hard and diligently and were just as venturesome as those who settled the West", said Mr. Hafner. The S.B.P.O.A. held business and social meetings at the clubhouse during the summer. In winter, meetings were held at Kneer's Hofbrau in Astoria, a convenient location for most of the members. There was always a big turnout.

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