Inisfada

Inisfada was the estate of Nicholas Frederic Brady and his wife, Genevieve Brady. Inisfada was located in North Hills, Long Island. The name of the estate, Inisfada, is Gaelic for Long Island.

The estate was completed in 1920 and was considered to be one of the largest of the Gold Coast Mansions on the North Shore and was once the fourth largest mansion in the United States. After the completion of building in 1920, it was estimated that the four years of work cost approximately three million dollars.

Inisfada consisted of 87 rooms and was on 300 acres of property. The mansion covered 90,000 square feet and was a Tudor-Elizabethan style home. It was created by architect John Torrey Windrim from Philadelphia, PA. Windrim was best known for working on large buildings, such as hospitals and museums. Inisfada was his only work done in New York.

The mansion was faced with brick and limestone. It was decorated with carvings, gargoyles, figurines crenellations, and 37 chimneys. The front of the home had a carriage porch with a carving above it of St. Genevieve, whom Mrs. Brady was named after. Also, the brickwork had carvings interspersed around the mansion of characters of nursery rhymes and fairytales. It is believed that the Brady’s childlessness and longing to help children is the reason they had carvings of fairytales and rhymes on the exterior of their home, but there is no documented proof as to why those were carved there.

In 1937, Genevieve Brady decided to sell their home, after 7 years of being in such a large home alone after her husband’s death in 1930. She sold the house for a deflated price of $471,761 to the New York Province of the Society of Jesus. After this sale, their home became known as the St. Ignatius Retreat House and was used as a retreat house for the Jesuits.

The Jesuits never had Inisfada added to the National Register of Historic Places or have it designated as a National Historic Landmark. Eventually in 2012, the Jesuits put the house up for sale, along with its 33-acres, for $49 million and advertised it as a prime development site. After seeing this, many residents and civic associations tried to save the estate, but despite their efforts, it was sold to a Hong Kong-based development company for $36.5 million. After the sale, Inisfada was sadly demolished on December 5, 2013.

Foreman, John. “In Memoriam.” In Memoriam, 8 Aug. 2013 http://bigoldhouses.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-irish-channel.html

“Inisfada.” House Histree, https://househistree.com/houses/inisfada.

“Inisfada.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Nov. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inisfada

Mather of Port Jefferson

John Richard Mather was born in Port Jefferson on November 20, 1814. He was undoubtedly the oldest shipbuilder on Long Island. With but two exceptions, the vessels were all two and three masted schooners. Mr. Mather was born in Port Jefferson at a time when it was known as Drowned Meadow. He was known by the locals as “Boss Mather.”

After learning the trade in Bridgeport, his step-father, William Jones gave him an opening in a shipyard. This continued for seven years, when Boss Mather become his own boss, continuing the building of vessels inside the millbridge until the seventies, when he moved to the location now occupied by the Mather marine railway plant.

Mr. Mather retired in 1885 and the business was carried on by his only son, John T. Mather. He died in 1899 at the age of 84. Mr. Mather was postmaster in 1840.  He also was involved in the lumber business with William Jones under the style of Mather & Jones. The Boss was instrumental in creating Jones street, and built the old wharf that had an L at the outer end many years ago. After his death, the firm built the Martha E. Wallace, the last large sailing vessel built in Port Jefferson.

John Titus Mather was born on June 27, 1854. His family was well known for its shipbuilding, which dated back to 1797. John T. Mather had other large businesses related to shipping. During World War I, Mather retired from active business life. For many years, he made careful study of how best to use the proceeds of his success to the benefit of those less fortunate. As early as 1916, Mather had made provisions in his will for setting aside a substantial sum to erect and maintain a non-sectarian charitable hospital to give people the advantage of the best in hospital facilities at a reasonable cost. A year after his death, the Mather Hospital opened its doors.

The Mather house is now part of the home of the Port Jefferson Historical Society.

Sources:

Cohen, Lon. “This Day in History: John T. Mather Is Born in 1854.” Port Jefferson, NY Patch, Patch, 27 June 2011, https://patch.com/new-york/portjefferson/this-day-in-history-john-t-mather-is-born-in-1854

Genealogy, Long Island. The Mather Family of Long Island, http://longislandgenealogy.com/Surname_Pages/mather.htm

“John Richard Mather (1814-1899) - Find A Grave...” Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38235254/john-r-mather

“John T. Mather.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Dec. 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_T._Mather

Cedarmere

Cedarmere was the country home of poet, newspaper editor, and civic leader William Cullen Bryant. In addition to the main house, the property has a pond, a boathouse, a mill, gardens, and a landscape designed by Bryant himself.

Originally used as a settlement, Richard Kirk originally owned the property, and in 1878, built the house. The property was purchased by Bryant in 1843. He named is Cedarmere after the cedar trees that wrapped around the pond. Through the 1840s-1860s, Bryant purchased additional land and expanded the main house. These renovations enlarged the house to 3 ½ stories with an extensive kitchen wing.

After Bryant’s death, the property passed on to his daughter Julia, who subsequently sold it to her nephew Harold Godwin. In 1902, the house had a serious fire which destroyed the kitchen and everything above the first floor. Godwin re-built the house in 1903.

When he died, Cedarmere passed first to his wife, and then his daughter Elizabeth Love Godwin. Elizabeth bequeathed the entire property to Nassau County in 1976. In 2013, the house underwent major renovations. In 2014, the interior was refurbished and refreshed. In 2016, the Friends of Cedarmere inventoried the 1200 volumes of books. A conservatory gave them guidance and a cost estimate to restore, repair, and conserve the collection.

From 1994 until 2009, Cedarmere was open to the public as a museum with exhibits about Bryant, tours of the house and grounds, as well as a variety of popular programs. After Nassau County closed the museum in 2009 due to financial concerns, the main house and gardens entered a cycle of deferred maintenance and deterioration. In 2014, the County leased the main house through the end of 2017 in exchange for maintenance and renovations to stabilize the structure.

Sources:

“CEDARMERE - History of William Cullen Bryant's 7-Acre Estate, Cedarmere, Located in Roslyn Harbor, N.Y., Including House Architecture, Gothic Mill.” The Friends of Cedarmere, Inc., http://www.friendsofcedarmere.org/history-of-cedarmere.html

“Cedarmere, Village of Roslyn Harbor, Nassau County IMPROVED.” Preservation Long Island, 20 Nov. 2018, https://preservationlongisland.org/cedarmere-village-of-roslyn-harbor-nassau-county

Brunswick Home

Brunswick Home was located in Amityville. It opened February 25, 1887 by founder Stephen R. Williams. Williams was also the Suffolk County Superintendent of the Poor from 1872-1880. It was called a private asylum for idiots, epileptics and feeble-minded children. Adults were added later on.

In 1931, President Benjamin Stein turned it into Brunswick Hospital which had general hospital functions, nursing home, rehab, and psychiatric facility. In 1948, the home and hospital were purchased by a group of physicians. They then purchased the Louden-Knickerbocker Hall, which was established in 1958.  The Louden Family opened Louden Hall in 1886 and Louden-Knickerbocker Hall in 1913. It was a facility for those with nervous & mental disorders, drug addicts, and alcoholics. John Louden also opened the Long Island Home in 1881, which later became part of South Oaks Hospital.

In 1940, the home burned to the ground and several patients lost their lives in the fire. The home was re-built and re-named Brunswick Hospital Center in 1960. By 2003, the campus covered 31 acres. The hospital closed in 2005 and the building was razed in 2012. It was given a New York State Historic Marker in 2017.

Sources:

“Brunswick Home.” William G. Pomeroy Foundation, 28 Mar. 2019, https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/brunswick-home

“L. I. Hospital Merger.” New York Times, 10 Aug. 1958

Michael J. Cullen and the King Kullen Grocery Company

Michael J. Cullen was born to Irish immigrant parents in 1884. Once Cullen turned 18, he began working for the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company where he remained for 17 years. After leaving that firm, he joined the team at Kroger Stores where he worked from 1919 to 1930. While working for the Kroger Stores, Cullen developed his concept for a supermarket which he tried to pitch to the president, but when his letter went unanswered, Cullen decided to quit and start his journey with his family.

After quitting Kroger Stores, Cullen moved to Long Island with his family where he leased a vacant garage in Queens. This vacant garage was opened on August 4, 1930 and named King Kullen Grocery Company, which was the world’s first supermarket. This supermarket was the first to focus on low prices, larger square footage of buildings, cash sales, no delivery services, and low rent locations with ample parking. King Kullen Grocery Company carried approximately one thousand items which ranged anywhere from grocery items to automotive accessories, and it was the first to do so. Newspapers were describing the store as the “World’s Greatest Price Wrecker” due to its immediate success.

King Kullen Grocery Company’s success was able to lead to eight stores being operated within two years, and 15 additional locations within 6 years and annual sales of approximately $6,000,000. By 1952, King Kullen Grocery Company has 30 stores with the stores sizes ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet compared to the earlier stores ranging from 5,200 to 6,400 square feet.

Although the company was growing and extremely successful, Michael J. Cullen did not live to see it. Cullen passed away in April of 1936 at the young age of 52. After his death, his widow, Nan, took over the King Kullen Grocery Company and became the Chairman of the Board. She was also joined by her sons James A. and John B. Cullen, who followed in their father’s successful footsteps.

The family’s continued success was also due to their innovations in the field. In 1937, King Kullen stores began supplying shopping carts to ease shopping experiences for their customers. In the 1950s, they introduced conveyor belts, air conditioning, automatic doors, and in-store music. In 1982, King Kullen introduced in-store bakeries.

King Kullen currently operates 32 locations within Nassau County and Suffolk County.  King Kullen Company opened Wild by Nature, which is a grocery store selling natural products. Wild by Nature currently has five locations across Long Island.

Sources:

“King Kullen.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Sept. 2019,

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kullen

“King Kullen Supermarkets, Pharmacies, Grocery and Catering.” King Kullen,

                https://www.kingkullen.com/about-us/

“Michael J. Cullen.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 June 2019,

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Cullen

August Belmont

August Belmont, originally named August Schönberg, was born December 8, 1816, in Alzey, Rhenish Prussia

At age 14, Belmont entered the banking house of the Rothschilds at Frankfurt am Main, and he later transferred to the Naples office. In 1837, he moved to New York and opened a small office on Wall Street, where he served as the American agent for the Rothschilds and laid the foundations for his own banking house.

From 1853 to 1855 he was chargé d’affaires for the United States at The Hague, and from 1855 to 1857, he served as resident minister there. After the American Civil War began, Belmont became a loyal supporter of President Abraham Lincoln and exerted strong influence upon merchants and financiers in England and France in favor of the Union. He also served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1860 to 1872.

Belmont was a fixture of New York’s high society. He was also a prominent figure in the establishment of Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States as a major financer of the first Belmont Stakes, part of the trio of races that compose the American Triple Crown. The event was subsequently named in his honor.

His son, August Belmont, Jr. took a prominent part in financing and building the New York subway, was a major owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. Belmont Jr. organized the Westchester Racing Association in 1895. In 1905, he built Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, on Long Island which operates to this day as the largest thoroughbred racing facility in the state.

Belmont Jr. spent his last years on his 1,100-acre estate in North Babylon, New York. His widow, Eleanor, then sold most of the estate to a property developer. The remaining 158 acres including the family mansion, lake, and main farm buildings, were taken over by New York State. Under the control of planner Robert Moses, the estate was later expanded to 459 acres and turned into Belmont Lake State Park. The mansion served as headquarters for the Long Island State Park Commission until 1935, when it was demolished to make way for the current building.

Sources:

“August Belmont Jr.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Belmont_Jr.

Drager, Marvin. “August Belmont.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/August-Belmont

Sands Point Preserve

Financier Howard Gould, son of railroad robber baron Jay Gould, created the estate by purchasing the undeveloped land in 1900 and 1901. Castle Gould, a massive 100,000-square-foot medieval castle, modeled after Ireland’s Kilkenny Castle, was completed in 1902. It was an attempt to please his wife, actress Katherine Clemmons. Sadly, their marriage ended in a divorce.

After the divorce, Gould sold the estate in 1917 to mining tycoon Daniel Guggenheim. In 1923, Daniel gave 90 acres of the estate to his son, Harry F. Guggenheim, on his marriage to Caroline Morton. Harry built his home in the style of a French-Norman manor house, atop the bluffs overlooking the Long Island Sound, and named it Falaise, meaning “cliff” in French.

Daniel, and his wife, Florence, lived there until Daniel’s death in 1930. Florence Guggenheim then built and relocated to Mille Fleurs, a smaller mansion on the property. After auctioning off the furnishings of the Hempstead House in 1940, Florence reopened the house for 75 British refugee children who resided there during World War II. Florence also donated 162 acres of the estate, including Hempstead House and Castle Gould to the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences in 1942.

The Institute leased, and then sold the property to the United States Navy in 1946. The Navy operated the Naval Training Device Center on the property and renovated Hempstead House and Castle Gould for their offices and laboratories. In 1967, the Naval Training Devices Center was moved to Florida, and the 162-acre site was declared government surplus.

In 1971, Nassau County acquired 127 acres for public recreational use. That same year, Harry Guggenheim died, and, in accordance with his will, his 90-acre estate, including the fully furnished Falaise mansion, was deeded to Nassau County for use as a museum site. These two acquisitions restored most of the former Gould/Guggenheim estate as the Sands Point Preserve.

Friends of the Sands Point Preserve, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, was formed in 2003 to help ensure the future of this ‘jewel in the crown’ of Nassau County, New York’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums. Five years later, the Nassau County legislature granted the Friends of the Sands Point Preserve the authority to exclusively manage and plan the future uses of this beautiful 216-acre park and preserve. In 2016, the organization was renamed the Sands Point Preserve Conservancy, Inc.

Sands Point derives its name from the historic Sands Family, whose lineage can be traced back to Robert de Sandys, born in Rottenby Castle, England in 1379. In 1691, Captain John Sands and his family arrived in Cow Neck, where they built their home on 500 acres. The house still stands today on Sands Point Road.

Source:

“Mission & History.” Sands Point Preserve, sandspointpreserveconservancy.org/about/mission-history/

Chelsea Mansion

Chelsea Mansion was built by Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Moore in 1924. While cruising the upper Yangtze River in China on their honeymoon in 1921, the Moores were impressed by the appearance of a farm manor with a large terrace and a stark white, black-trimmed facade that was reflected in the adjacent water. Intending to recreate that vision, they purchased the Chelsea property in 1923 and worked closely with architect William Delano to carry out their vision. The building's south side, courtyard, moat and bridges emphasize the Oriental inspiration, while the front elevation, roof and wings show the influence of 17th- and 18th-century French styles.

Umberto Innocenti served as landscape architect, assisting Mrs. Moore in executing imaginative settings and vistas. Trees, hedges, flowers, ferns and ponds were arranged to develop walking paths.  Eclectic interior treatments reflected the prevailing definitions of elegance as well as the owners' desire to express their personal travel and collecting interests. The antique pine paneling in the dining room came from the first Duke of Wellington's country house. Carved teak doors came from the Chinese summer palace; library paneling is Louis XV period, from a château in the Loire Valley. The old oak walls in the first-floor flower room are from a 17th-century English pub. The breakfast room wall covering is 18th-century French hand-painted canvas.

The Sert Gallery is a reception room that features an 85-foot mural painted in oil over white gold. Jose Maria Sert, muralist for King Alfonso XIII of Spain and an internationally known figure of his time, created it for Chelsea in 1926. An 18th-century French fountain details the loggia; Belgian blocks line both fountain and moat. These blocks were collected from the original pavement on West 23rd Street in Manhattan.

Alexandra Emery Moore was a member of a prominent Cincinnati family, and her husband, Benjamin Moore, an attorney, was the great, great grandson of the author Clement Clarke Moore, who wrote the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", frequently referred to as "T'was the Night Before Christmas." Chelsea, the name chosen for their Muttontown estate, was named for the area in New York City where Mr. Moore's ancestors had lived for generations. Mr. Moore was also the first mayor of the village of Muttontown, which he named. Mr. Moore died in 1938, and 17 years later Mrs. Moore married Robert McKay, a life-long friend. He died in 1958. The Moores lived at Chelsea with their three children most of the year and added a children's wing in 1929.

In 1964, Alexandra Moore McKay made her first gift of a portion of the estate grounds to Nassau County. Over a 10-year period, nearly 100 acres were donated to the County. Combining this acreage with previous acquisitions from the Christie Estate created the 550-acre Muttontown Preserve. Alexandra Moore McKay continued to make Chelsea her home until her death in 1983 at the age of 89.

It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Source:

“Chelsea Mansion.” Chelsea Mansion | Nassau County, NY - Official Website, www.nassaucountyny.gov/4178/Chelsea-Mansion

Library of Congress' Veterans History Project

The Veterans History Project is a program that was created by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. As a part of this program, the Farmingdale Public Library's Local History Department is conducting interviews with veterans who have served during conflict (but this does not limit to veterans from wars only). If you are interested in telling your story, you will be interviewed by Natalie and Toniann, as a team. Please keep in mind that the interview will be recorded. After the interview is complete, the library will keep a copy of the interview, the library mail you a copy of the interview and as well as, mail a copy to the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress will add the interview to its collection. Library of Congress will also use it for future generations to learn the past experiences of veterans and the affects of serving on US citizens and their families. 

Walt Whitman Birthplace

In 1819, Walt Whitman, widely recognized as America's greatest poet, was born in a small farmhouse in the rural Long Island community of West Hills in the town of Huntington. Despite Whitman’s prominence, his family’s house faced the continual threat of suburban encroachment. In 1949, Walt Whitman Birthplace Association was established to preserve his birthplace. Poets, authors, professors, businesspeople, and concerned citizens were among its founding members.

To help raise awareness and funds to protect the farmhouse, WWBA appealed to Alicia Patterson, the owner and publisher of Newsday. Patterson featured Whitman and the plight of his farmhouse on the cover of the newspaper and launched a fundraising campaign that inspired students across Long Island to collect for the cause. After three months, the Association purchased the property. In 1957, WWBA was successful in its petition to Governor Harriman to designate the birthplace a New York State Historic Site. In 1985, the property was listed on the NYS and National Registers of Historic Places.

Up until 1986, WWBA managed the site on a small scale with limited visitation and public programming. WWBA’s executive director Barbara Mazor Bart convinced the Association’s board to promote the site as a center of learning and to make it more accessible to the public. The site’s educational programs were inaugurated in 1987. Among its various offerings, one of the site’s most successful initiatives is the annual student poetry contest, which receives 5,000 entries each year.

Each year, WWBA’s Board of Trustees selects a nationally recognized poet to be its Poet-in-Residence. From public readings of his or her own poetry to teaching master writing classes, these guest poets are helping to instruct and inspire the next generation of writers. WWBA maintains a library of approximately 1,800 volumes at the site, which focuses on the poetry and life of Walt Whitman and includes an original edition of Leaves of Grass.

In the 1990s, to help accommodate the site’s increased visitation and expanding programs, the Association in partnership with OPRHP, planned an Interpretive Center at the site. The center opened in 1997 and provides space for a classroom, library, offices, gift shop, and collections storage as well as providing handicapped accessible bathrooms. Through the initiative of WWBA and the leadership of OPRHP Commissioner Bernadette Castro, a comprehensive restoration of the Birthplace was undertaken for the first time in 43 years. The restoration was completed in 2000.

In addition, PIRC staff developed a new furnishing plan for the house in collaboration with WWBA curator Richard Ryan. The plan reflects the agrarian lifestyle of the Whitman family between 1816 and 1823. Almost half of the site’s collection (about 200 objects) is on display in the house. In 2005, the barn was renovated and its original wood was used as floorboards for the new structure, named the Gathering House. This structure was dedicated in November of 2005. It is utilized as an environmental education classroom, exhibit space, and small meetings.

In 2007, Cynthia Shor was selected by the Board of Trustees as executive director. She initiated the first Walt Whitman Family Reunion in 2008 with the intention of locating descendants, making an oral history documentary of family members, and mounting an exhibit of family artifacts relating to Walt Whitman.

Source:

About, www.waltwhitman.org/about/about-wwba

Jacob Javits - A Brief Biography

Jacob Javits was born in New York City, May 18, 1904. He attended the public schools. While working as a traveling salesman, he attended night classes at Columbia University. He graduated from the New York University Law School in 1926 and was admitted to the bar in 1927 and commenced practice in New York City. He became a lecturer and author of articles on political and economic problems.

During the Second World War, Javits served with the Chemical Warfare Service 1941-1944, with overseas service in the European and Pacific Theaters. He was discharged as a lieutenant colonel in 1945. He was elected as a Republican to the Eightieth and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1947, until his resignation December 31, 1954. He had been re-nominated in 1954 to the Eighty-fourth Congress but withdrew. Mr. Javits was instrumental in composing and helping to enact legislation on foreign affairs, urban redevelopment, civil rights, organized labor and big business. There were three major measures of which Javits had been a strong advocate: the War Powers Act, which limits the ability of a President to make war without Congressional approval; the Erisa Act, which seeks to guarantee private pensions, and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, which provide regular Government subsidies for cultural projects.

He became attorney general of New York from 1954-1957. He was then elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1956. He reelected in 1962, 1968, and again in 1974, and served from January 9, 1957, to January 3, 1981. He ran again in 1980, but lost that election.

He then resumed the practice of law and also became an adjunct professor of public affairs at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on February 23, 1983. Jacob Javits died in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 7, 1986 and was interned in Linden Hill Cemetery, Queens.

Sources:

Clarity, James F. “JACOB JAVITS DIES IN FLORIDA AT 81: 4-TERM SENATOR FROM NEW YORK.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Mar. 1986, www.nytimes.com/1986/03/08/obituaries/jacob-javits-dies-in-florida-at-81-4-term-senator-from-new-york.html.

JAVITS, Jacob Koppel - Biographical Information, bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=j000064.

MacArthur Aiport

In 1943, airports were needed in defense of the country. The Islip Town Board signed an agreement with the government for construction of a landing field. Islip Airport was born. In 1944 Lockheed Aircraft Corporation built the first hangar at the airport. Five years later the Town built the airport's first terminal building preparing for airline flights. Through the 1950s the Sperry Corporation conducted aerospace research at the airport.

Allegheney Airlines began passenger service at MacArthur in 1960. It was officially named MacArthur Airport in 1966.

The Town of Islip owns and operates the airport, which serves approximately two million commercial passengers a year. The Department of Aviation is led by the Commissioner of Aviation and Transportation, who works closely with the Town Board to manage and steward the airport.

MacArthur Airport serves primarily the three million residents of Nassau and Suffolk counties. The FAA designated MacArthur Airport an Official Metro Airport in early 2011, meaning it is now grouped with LaGuardia, JFK and Newark in travel and informational searches for New York airports, providing better exposure to the traveling public.

Sources:

“Long Island MacArthur Airport.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Apr. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island_MacArthur_Airport#History

Siniski, Steve. History, www.macarthurairport.com/history

Joel Rifkin, A Long Island Serial Killer

Joel Rifkin, A Long Island Serial Killer

Joel David Rifkin was born January 20, 1959. He was born to college student parents that put him up for adoption. Rifkin was adopted by an upper-middle class couple from Long Island. Throughout his childhood, Rifkin always performed poorly in school. His youth was plagued with poor social skills and he was considered an outcast and was constantly tormented by his classmates. During this time and his disconnect from peers, he began fixating and fantasizing about doing harm to women, especially due to his obsession with the Alfred Hitchcock film, Frenzy. He eventually graduated from East Meadow High School in 1977 and moved on to college, where he again had poor grades and moved from college to college, including Farmingdale State College. During his high school career, he began skipping classes and spending time around prostitutes. He eventually left college before earning a degree and moved on to self-employment as a landscaper.

In 1989, Rifkin committed his first murder. His first victim was a 25 year old prostitute named Heidi “Susie” Balch. He picked her up and waited for his mother to leave their family home in East Meadow where he brought Susie. He bludgeoned her with a Howitzer shell, but she continued to struggle, so he strangled her to death. He dismembered her body by removing any identifying aspects, such as teeth and fingertips, and scattered her body parts throughout New York and New Jersey. Although he did his best to hide the remains, her head was found in a paint can in the woods near a golf course in Hopewell, New Jersey just a few days later. Although the remains were found almost immediately, they were not able to identify them until 2013. Over the course of the next four years, Rifkin went on to murder 16 more women.

Rifkin was caught on June 28, 1993 by New York State Police. He was driving on the Southern State Parkway without a rear license plate, which prompted the police to attempt to pull him over. The police’s attempt to pull him over resulted in a high speed chase which ended in Mineola, New York when he crashed into a pole in front of the courthouse. When police got closer to his car, they detected a foul odor from the back of his truck, which ended up being the corpse of Rifkin’s final victim. His final victim was a 22 year old sex worker and dancer, Tiffany Bresciani. Bresciani was also the girlfriend of Dave Rubinstein, member of the 1980’s New York based punk rock band, Reagan Youth.

After his arrest, he was interrogated by homicide detectives. The homicide detectives were able to get Rifkin to describe all 17 of his murders, giving all the names he remembered, and sketching out maps to locations of any remains that were not found yet. He was convicted of nine counts of second-degree murder in 1994. With these convictions, he was sentenced to a total of 203 years to life in prison.

After his interrogation, he was then connected to Heidi “Susie” Balch’s disappearance. Due to his interrogation, police were able to compile this list of victims (in order): Heidi “Susie” Balch, Julie Blackbird (remains never found), Barbara Jacobs, Mary Ellen DeLuca, Yun Lee, “Number 6” (never identified and remains never found), Lorraine Orvieto, Mary Ann Holloman, “Number 9” (identity remains anonymous), Iris Sanchez, Anna Lopez, Violet O’Neill, Mary Catherine Williams, Jenny Soto, Leah Evans, Lauren Marquez, and Tiffany Bresciani(remains found in car during arrest). Also, he supposedly had one victim who survived, Nicole White, but there is no other information available besides her name.

Sources:

“Joel Rifkin.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Apr. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Rifkin.

“Joel Rifkin.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 16 Apr. 2019, www.biography.com/crime-figure/joel-rifkin.

William Robertson Coe, Owner of Coe Hall

William Robertson Coe was born on June 8, 1869 in England. He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1883. At the age of 15, William began working as an office boy for a Philadelphia insurance broker. The brokerage was acquired by Johnson and Higgins Insurance Co., and Coe rose to become a manager of the adjusting (claims) department in the New York City office of the maritime insurer. He worked his way up to President and then Chairman of the Board.

He married three times. His first marriage, was to Jane (Jeannie) Hutchinson Falligant, in 1893. On June 4, 1900, Coe married Mai Huttleston Rogers. Their marriage produced four children and the development of Planting Fields. He leased and eventually purchased the Byrne estate, on the same property of today’s Planting Fields. That house burned down and Coe Hall was built in the same location. Mai died in 1924. In 1926, Coe married Caroline Graham Slaughter

Coe was on the Board of Directors of the Virginian Railway from 1910 until his death in 1955, and headed the company for a brief period during World War II. He was also a director of Loup Creek Colliery and the Wyoming Land Company.

Coe liked horses and was a thoroughbred horse racing enthusiast. He built a riding stable on his Planting Fields estate and put together a racing stable based at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Coe's filly Black Maria won the Kentucky Oaks in 1926, the Metropolitan Handicap in 1927, and the first running of the Whitney Handicap in 1928. Among his stables' other notable horses were Cleopatra, the 1920 U.S. Champion 3-year-old Filly, and Ladysman, which won the 1932 Hopeful Stakes and was the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt. Six of Coe's horses competed in the Kentucky Derby. His best finish came in 1937, when Pompoon finished second to War Admiral.

Planting Fields, the Coes' estate in Upper Brookville, New York, was built around 1911 on the famous Gold Coast of Long Island. Coe Hall, the manor house, was designed by the firm of Walker and Gillette and built between 1918 and 1921. The Coes' interest in rare species of trees and plant collections made the estate a botanical marvel.

At Planting Fields, W.R. Coe was actively involved with developing and improving the collections of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, and hibiscus. Coe had a particular liking for new plant varieties and modern growing techniques. In this spirit, he deeded the estate to the State of New York in 1949. W.R. Coe died in his recently acquired home in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 15, 1955.

Sources:

“William Robertson Coe.”  Howling Pixel, howlingpixel.com/i-en/William_Robertson_Coe

 “William Robertson Coe.” Planting Fields Foundation, plantingfields.org

Camp Mills

During World War I, a military training camp was established on the Hempstead Plains. This camp was named for General Albert L. Mills who was awarded the Med of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of San Juan Hill.

Camp Mills was going to be part of an overall plan for the military on the Hempstead Plains. At the time, the Plains already had two military aviation fields. At the start of the war, the Army took over the Hempstead Plains Aerodome and renamed it Hazelhurst Aviation Field No. 1.

On August 15, 1917, the 69^th New York Infantry of the National Guard were given orders to report to Camp Mills to be part of a new Rainbow Brigade. This 1,000 man regiment would be joined by other New York regiments at the Camp. A few days earlier, workmen began building more than two thousand frames and assembling tents, digging trenches, laying water pipes, preparing a drainage system, making roads, and building other necessary structures.

By August 16, Company S of the 22^nd US Infantry arrived as the first contingent of troops at the Camp.  When the 69^th New York was placed under the control of the US Army and re-designated the 165^th Infantry of the 42^nd Division, it was required to add more numbers. The National Guard regiments from Manhattan and Brooklyn were ordered to transfer a designated number of men to the new Regiment. The order did not go over well with the Brooklyn Regiments. More than 300 Brooklyn solders deserted Camp Mills and returned to Brooklyn. Within a few weeks, all 300 returned without anyone going to jail.

The troops enjoyed many diversions while training at the Camp. There were boxing matches, concerts, and an exhibition game between the New York Giants and Chicago White Sox. There were a series of incidents when the troops from Alabama threw insults at the African-American 15^th NY Regiment. For their protection, these men were moved to the 69^th Regiment’s Armory in New York.

By early December, Camp Mills became unbearable. Winter storms, leaky tents, muddy and flooded streets, and no adequate training made life there miserable. On December 13, a blizzard hit; requiring some soldiers to be dug out from beneath their collapsed tents. By January 1918, most of Camp Mills was abandoned. In March, the War Department ordered the repair and grading of the fields, planning the roads, and improving the water system. Permanent structures began being built in April. More than twenty thousand troops occupied the camp at this time. In August 1918, the Army leased an additional 75 acres from surrounding Garden City residents and the government spent $10 million to build additional barracks and other structures.

When the war ended, Camp Mills became a demobilization camp through August, 1919. By November of 1919, many of the buildings were sold off. It was abandoned as an active post in 1920 and absorbed into Mitchel Field.

Source:

McKenna, James M. “Nassau County's Camp Mills in the Great War, 1917-1918.” The Nassau County Historical Society Journal, vol. 73, 2018, pp. 26–37

The Farmerettes of NY State School of Agriculture

During World War I, the NY State School of Agriculture trained women in farm work. The Navey League conceived of sending women for this three-month course in practical farming. Albert Johnson, the supervisory of the training, stated that one woman with modern farm implements could do the work once done by three men and seven horses. Instead of calling themselves, “aggies”, these women referred to themselves as “Farmerettes.”

On June 15, 1917, a new barracks were built for these women with an opening ceremony and flag raising.  These barracks have twenty sleeping rooms with beds for forty women and a separate bathing pavilion. The barracks were built by Fay Kellogg and the beds were regulation army beds. At the opening, sixty-seven women were already registered for the program. No one took them seriously at first. There was a wager among the faculty as to how long they would last. Three months into the program, not one woman quit.

The women worked from 5am-6pm. They rose at 5, had breakfast at 6 and then room inspection at 7. After that, they worked side by side with the men doing morning farm chores. Lectures on farming began at 9am and lasted until 12:30. After that, they did their own work. They were each given a plot of ground to plant whatever they chose. They were responsible for taking full care of this plot. In addition, they were given eggs and an incubator and were left to their own devices to hatch and raise chickens.

They even created their own planting song:

            The Planting Song of the Farmerettes

            Nellie was a pedagogue

            And Sue a social light

            But when Germans sank our boats

            They both set out to fight

            Grabbing up a rake & hoe

            They joined the food armee

            Now they’re out at Farmingdale

            A-fighting for the free

            It’s a hard job to plant potatoes

            It’s a darn sight worse to hoe

            It’s a hard job to weed tomatoes

            When the pesky things to grow

            Farewell to all the bright lights

            Good-bye old Broadway

            We are all out here to serve our country

            And you bet we’ll stay

Sources:

“Farmerettes Open Their New Barracks.” The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 16, 1917

Foster, Elene. “Farming with the Farmerettes on Farmingdale.” NY Tribune, 1917

Weiss, Elaine. Fruits of Victory: The Woman’s Land Army of America in the Great War. Potomac Books, 2008.