Every contract for every vessel built in Port Jefferson required that the ship be delivered afloat in the harbor. In the early days, several shipyards surrounded the harbor, including the Bayles, Hawkins, Darling, and Mather Shipyards. In 1917, several yards along Port Jefferson's waterfront were consolidated into a single enterprise known as Bayles Shipyard, Inc. At the end of World War I, the former Bayles property passed through several hands until the Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson purchased the 5.1-acre site in 1997. Harborfront Park was developed in honor of the village's fine maritime tradition.