Box Hill Estate - St. James

 Box Hill was an estate owned and designed by Stanford White with the help of McKim & Mead between 1884-1906 in St. James. White had married Bessie Smith of Smithtown in 1884 and purchased a small house in neighboring St. James. White apparently later regretted not tearing the house down to begin with and starting fresh but would go on build numerous additions over twenty years.

The house was originally a farmhouse. Stanford enlarged it several times after his wife received a large inheritance, around 1884. In 1903, he covered the entire building in “pebble dash” (rocks pressed into mortar). When it came to the interiors, Stanford was a compulsive purchaser. He collected temple ornaments from Japan, carpets from Turkey, tiles from Holland and mashrabiya screens from Morocco. Then, he filled rooms with as many pieces as could fit. 

The dining room is covered in anaglypta, which is paper pressed to look like paneling. Repeated freezing and thawing - Box Hill had no heating system until 1938 - caused the paint on the anaglypta to develop a crackle finish. 

The estate features a one-story verandah defined by a range of fluted columns. Also on the property are a cottage, barn, carriage house, stable, and water tower. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Its current owner is Stanford’s great-grandson Daniel White, who bought it from his parents and has been restoring it for more than 20 years.

Sources:

Bernstein, Fred A. “Tour the Houses of Stanford White with the Revered Architect’s Great-Grandson.” 1stDibs Introspective, 13 Feb. 2021, www.1stdibs.com/introspective-magazine/samuel-white-stanford-white/

“Box Hill Estate.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Jan. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Hill_Estate

L., Zach. “Box Hill.” Old Long Island, www.oldlongisland.com/2010/05/box-hill.html. Accessed 10 July 2025

Jackson House - Wantagh

Robert Jackson came from Connecticut to Wantagh around 1644 and had acquired land in the area and for three centuries it remained in the family.  

The Jackson homestead, which sits on 1542 Wantagh Ave., was built by Samuel Jackson in the mid-18th century and was the main house on the farm. The home features a main central hearth with a room on each side and a sleeping loft.

Elbert Jackson acquired the property in the early nineteenth century and enlarged the house by attaching a much larger, 2-story wood frame house in Greek Revival style to the south end of the original farmhouse. The new part of the house allowed for more formal spaces with a central hall layout. A kitchen wing was added onto the north end of the house in the early twentieth century, and the main entrance was framed by a small classical looking porch with a pediment and two columns.

Elbert’s wife Elizabeth inherited the house and it was sold out of the family in 1899 after her death. After a series of short-term owners, Charles Bradley purchased the house in 1909 and added the large bay window and interior partitions with Corinthian columns. In 1936, Bradley sold the house to another family, the Hummels, who lived there until 1967. After that point, the parcel was sold to a developer who subdivided its associated land for new residential construction.

The Samuel and Elbert Jackson House stands on the last remnant of the Samuel Jackson farm; the rest is essentially now a residential subdivision of mainly twentieth-century homes. The Jackson House was listed for sale and was purchased in December 2020. The 5-bedroom, 3.5-bath house was described as a center hall federal period colonial with 4 fireplaces, a home office, wide plank pine flooring, and secret gardens on the circa half-acre lot.

 

Sources:

O’Connor-Arena, Melissa. “The Jackson Homestead.” Wantagh-Seaford, NY Patch, Patch, 19 Nov. 2010, patch.com/new-york/wantagh/the-jackson-homestead.

Paonessa, Laurie. "Samuel and Elbert Jackson House." Clio: Your Guide to History. May 7, 2021. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://theclio.com/entry/133236

“Wantagh Preservation Society.” Wantagh Preservation Society and the Wantagh Museum, www.wantagh.li/museum/. Accessed 21 June 2025.

D-Day Anniversary

 

In 2019, we had the honor of interviewing two World War II veterans. Sharing these interviews in honor of the anniversary of D-Day.

 

           

      

edward dionian   
August 10, 1921 - August 3, 2021
Interviewed July 18, 2019

https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15281coll40/id/409/rec/4

 

SALVATORE CITRANO

SEPTEMBER 30,1925 – MAY 3, 2021

INTERVIEWED JULY 9, 2019

 

https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15281coll40/id/362/rec/2

St. Andrew's Dune Church - Southampton

Originally created as a Life Saving Service Station, St. Andrew’s Church was saved in 1879 by five families. The founders, Dr. T. Gaillard Thomas, William S. Hoyt, C. Wyllys Betts, Frederic H. Betts, and Dr. Albert H. Buck, changed the name, by resolution, to Saint Andrew’s Dune Church in 1884. To this day, the church interior includes passages of scripture that remind parishioners of the building’s original purpose. For 141 years, the church has been open for sixteen weeks during the summer season.

The church was incorporated under the laws of the state of New York in 1854 as a free church. The Shields on the wall have been given in memory of deceased Trustees, whereas the Memorial Tablets are devoted to family members and distinguished former parishioners. The American flag at the altar has only 45 stars because it was a service flag from returning soldiers of World War I. 

The stained-glass windows range from breathtaking opalescent-glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany and John La Farge to Pre-Raphaelite-inspired panels by the British firm Heaton, Butler & Bayne to lushly floral windows by Bostonian Wilbur Herbert Burnham, and Stephen Hannock’s opalescent-glass landscape window, installed in 2020

In September of 1938, a hurricane slammed into the East Coast. It passed directly over the church and the church was almost completely wiped out. Many pews and the organ were washed into Lake Agawam across the street and several stained-glass windows were lost, including two of the eleven original signed Tiffany windows.

In 1995, the church was moved slightly to the north and west and placed on a new foundation. 

The land surrounding the Dune Church represents some of the last surviving dunescape in the Village of Southampton. The grounds of the church are planted under the direction of the Southampton Garden Club.

Source: 

“History.” St. Andrew’s Dune Church, www.standrewsdunechurch.com/history. Accessed 23 May 2025. 

Farmingdale Little League

 

 

This was from the July 17, 1952 Farmingdale Post. On June 28, 1952, opening ceremonies were held, starting with a parade. The teams were organized into Major and Minor Leagues. About 200 boys signed up that year, with four teams in the Major League and four teams in the Minor League. Republic Aviation sponsored a team and lent the services of their recreation director Oscar Frowein.

The league caught on immediately and in the years 1962-1964, 2,400 boys enrolled in the program. In 1954, a second league was formed, known as the American League. The original group was known as the National League. Shortly after, both leagues were expanded from four teams each to six teams. A third league was formed in 1956. There were 18 teams total in the group. There were also 18 teams in the “AAA” group and Class A group.

By 1967, two programs were designated for specific age ranges. The Pony group consisted of 13 & 14-year-olds, while the Colt group consisted of 15 &16-year olds. The group that controls the leagues was re-named the Farmingdale Baseball League Inc.

There are also five Softball Leagues starting with Farm for 5& 6 and 7 & 8-year olds and then Girls Minors, Girls Majors, Girls Seniors, and Girls Inter-League. There is also a special league called the Greendogs. The Greendogs are comprised each year of a select group of ballplayers who not only excel on the baseball diamond, but have also shown outstanding sportsmanship, determination, and a true commitment to the game. The Baseball groups range from 7-13-year olds and the Softball groups range from 8-16-year olds.

 

 

Sources:

 

“Farmingdale Baseball League.” https://fdalebaseball.com

“Little League.” Farmingdale Post. May 29, 1952

“Little League Season Will Open Officially on June 28.” Farmingdale Post. June 12, 1952

Coindre Hall

 Coindre Hall was originally known as West Neck Farm when it was created. It was established as a country home for George McKesson Brown and his wife Pearl, who commuted from New York City where they owned a pharmaceutical company. The Brown’s became year-round residents during World War I.

The estate was a manor of approximately 135 acres between Huntington Harbor and Southdown Road. It contained numerous buildings including a farm house, a garage complex, the Gate House, the Boat House, the Water Tower, the Ice House, and the Main House. All of the buildings on the Estate were linked to the Main House by a complete telephone system. On several occasions, the Estate, particularly the Water Tower, was used by movie studios in filming silent movies.

The Main House itself was modeled after a chateau in the south of France. Within the Main House, there was an indoor “plunge” pool and a walk-in refrigerator in the basement. The chandelier in the center of the spiral staircase is a copy of one that hung in the New York State House in Albany

The ice in the ice room was harvested from the pond behind the Boat House each winter and stored in the Ice House on the west side of the pond. The ice was then brought up to the ice room in the basement of the Main House as needed. In 1932, Mr. Brown’s wealth had diminished mainly because of income and real estate taxes. He broke up the estate and began selling off portions of the property.

 In 1939, the Brown’s moved into the Gate House and the northeast 34 acres on which the Main House was situated was sold to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. After some renovations, the Brothers named the building Coindre Hall after the founder of their order and opened it as boarding school for young boys. After 30 years, the school eventually went bankrupt.

The building was occupied by two other schools for a short time each, but both also went bankrupt. Coindre Hall was acquired by Suffolk County in 1972, but it was neglected until it was dedicated into a County Historical Trust. In 1991, the Alliance for the Preservation of Coindre Hall Park was organized to preserve, protect and restore this property. It is not only known as a local landmark, but is also listed in the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places. In 1995, the mansion was officially designated “The Museum of Long Island’s Gold Coast”.

 

 

Source:

“The Chateau at Coindre Hall.” Huntington Public Schools, www.hufsd.edu/assets/pdfs/community/local/2012/local_town_historical_coindre_hall.pdf. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

A Look Into Farmingdale's Past

This is from the March 23, 1932 Farmingdale Post.  Charles Schmidt opened the hardware store in 1915, in the old John Duryea building on the corner of Main and Front Streets. The building was then moved to 208 Main Street. The store closed its doors in 2008. The store provided building materials, hardware, garden supplies, and more.

You can see a brush from the store as well as other Main Street memorabilia in our Local History display case for all of April.