Inwood was first settled c. 1817 and was originally called North West Point, named after its geographic position in relation to the more central part of Far Rockaway, of which it was then a part. Its original settlers were Jamaica Bay fishermen, generally lawless and troublesome to other Rockaway residents. Soon after the American Civil War, the area became known as Westville. The first true road in the area, the Inwood end of Lord Avenue, was built when the neighboring village of Lawrence was developed.