The Phillip House - Rockville Centre

The original owner of the Victorian-era home, which is now, The Phillips House Museum, was Captain Samuel F. Phillips, a prominent sea captain who settled in the countryside town of Rockville Centre, along with his wife and two children in the 1880’s.

With the passage of time, different homeowners, as well as changes and expansions in the town through the greater part of the 20th Century, The Phillips House grew into disrepair and was also situated in the wrong location, when in 1977, plans were being implemented to demolish it to make way for a parking lot.

Thankfully, for the efforts of a handful of dedicated town residents, it was instead moved to its current location in 1977.  While the interior and built-in structures are original and remain intact, the furnishings and accessories are all donations of items from the Victorian-era in which the house was inhabited by Captain Phillips’ family. The house was renovated and rededicated in October of 1995 by the Historical Society of Rockville Centre to the people of the town.

The kitchen contains an old “ice box”, the predecessor of our modern day refrigerator, as well as a l stove that has the option for both coal burning and electric but a huge collection of kitchen gadgets for almost every use possible for cooking.

Many of these items had the patent number engraved on them. All of these items have been cataloged for the museum. This tedious job was the work of a local boy scout working on his Eagle Scout badge. 

The collection, which has been called the "finest collection of kitchen gadgets" originally belonged to Lillian Blumberg. In fact, so extensive is this collection, that Lillian was offered a great sum from Sotheby’s, but she decided instead to donate it to the museum. The third floor attic houses an old fashioned "twisted chimney." When building chimney's during this period, the superstition was that a twisted chimney would prevent the evil spirits from entering the home. Builders would make the chimney straight on the exterior and "twisted" on the interior. 

Source:

“Rockville Centre’s Phillips House Museum: A Small Museum with a Tremendous History.” Travelin’ Cousins, www.travelincousins.com/travelin-the-nyc-outer-boroughs-with-elisa/rockville-centres-phillips-house-museum-a-small-museum-with-a-tremendous-history. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025