WBLI

 WBLI-FM, located at 106.1 on the radio dial first emerged in 1971, replacing WPAC-FM. They originally broadcast from a trailer before moving to the Wedgewood Building on Main St. in Patchogue, and later from a custom building in Medford. 

The station had Block Party Weekends. Held every Labor Day, Memorial Day and Fourth of July, the station would play one artist for an entire hour, all weekend long. It had a Saturday Night disco show called "Club 106" during the disco days, and a Sunday Night Oldies show known as "Only Gold" during the 70's through the mid 80's hosted by Don Nelson.

DJs from the '70s & '80s included Barry Neal, Randi Taylor, Bruce Michaels, Nick O'Neil, Chris Tyler, Bill Terry (was PD in the '80s), Jeff Thomas (also the PD), Scott Taylor, Don Nelson, Rick Sommers, Keith Allen (now of B103 Long Island), Rob McLean, Mary Ann (aka J.J. Kennedy of WLTW/New York City),Carl Dayton, TK Townsend, Brooke Daniels, Larry Adams, Scott Miller and Kelly Hart.

Its most recent incarnation began in 1996. Under Doc Medek and Al Levine as M-D/night jock the station redeveloped it's sound, voiced by Billy Moore, and a new jingle package, playing the current records, and had night show features like the "Fresh 5 at 9", and the "New Music Challenge" return. When Cox Radio took over 'BLI they evolved into a more mainstream playlist voiced by Kurt Flood, Mark Driscoll, Jennifer Vaughn, and Brian James. In 2006, Beau Weaver took over as voice of 106.1 BLI.

In 1996, the station dropped the Syndicated weekend Program "Open House Party" on Saturday nights in favor of a disco show hosted by Party Marty Mitchell, also the longtime host of the B-103 Disco Party, and currently, The K-JOY All Request Party Marty Saturday Night Show. Open House Party continued on Sunday nights until November of 96. Party Marty's show would continue until 1998 when "CLUB BLI" would begin, playing current club music. CLUB BLI is the current Saturday night show featuring occasional live broadcasts from popular Long Island clubs.

The morning program, known as "BLI in the Morning" features Dana DiDonato, "Big Gay Randy", Drew,and Ted Lindner with news and traffic. The show has benchmarks such as Dana's crush of the week, Randy's Happy Horoscopes, the Dirt report, Phoney-Phone crank calls; a staple of former co-host Steve Harper, and Hersday, a feature that was pioneered by former co-host Maria Garcia.

WBLI, which is currently owned by Cox Radio and licensed to Patchogue, New York, is programmed by Jeremy (J.J.) Rice who has been with the station since 1998. 

Sources:

70sKid. “WBLI-FM.” Long Island 70s Kid, 23 July 2013, www.longisland70skid.com/wbli-fm

“WBLI.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Dec. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WBLI#:~:text=History-,Early%20years,off%20the%20air%20at%20sunset

Brooklyn Water Works - Freeport

 

The City of Brooklyn purchased Milburn Pond to supply the Ridgewood Reservoir in the 1880's. After the pond was enlarged, a new pumping station was needed to accommodate Brooklyn's growing need for water and the Brooklyn Waterworks, also known as the Milburn Pumping Station, was born. Brooklyn Water Works, located on the west side of North Brookside Avenue in Freeport, was a three-story brick Romanesque Revival building

Designed by Brooklyn architect, Frank Freeman, it was completed in 189. It housed five steam pumps and could deliver up to 54 million gallons of water a day.   Piping ran down the length of Sunrise Highway, continuing down Conduit Avenue in Brooklyn.

Once Brooklyn became part of New York City, however, the need for the new pumping station diminished.  In 1898, Brooklyn began receiving its water from the Croton Aqueduct system and in 1929, the Brooklyn Waterworks was used only as a backup water supply for emergencies.  Its two huge smokestacks were removed at that time.

The pumping station continued as a backup supply until it was decommissioned in 1977. The property was bought up by Nassau County. The property was then bought by developer Gary Mileus in 1989, for 1.4 million dollars to be used for 48 condos; construction to be completed in 1990.  However, a housing market collapse halted the project and, not long after, the building was severely damaged by fire.

The Brooklyn Waterworks was torn down on August 30, 2010.  According to an article in L & M Publications, the Brooklyn Waterworks had landmark status since 1986, but was found to be beyond repair. In 2012, Nassau County purchased the land for $6.22 million.  The site, which is south of the Brookside Preserve, cannot be developed.  The South Shore Audubon Society currently maintains the property.

 

Sources:

Brooklyn Waterworks, Freeport, Long Island, NY, clydesguides.blogspot.com/2010/12/brooklyn-waterworks-freeport-long.html. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023

Feeney, Regina. Libguides: Freeport History Encyclopedia, libguides.freeportlibrary.info/Encyclopedia/b. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023

Jupiter Hammon

 Jupiter Hammon was born enslaved on October 17, 1711, at Henry Lloyd Manor House. The Lloyd family encouraged Hammon to attend school, where he learned to read and write. He became a bookkeeper and negotiator for Henry Lloyd and the family’s business. After Henry Lloyd died in 1763, Hammon remained enslaved by Lloyd’s son, Joseph, with whom he moved to Connecticut. There, he became a leader in the African American community and attended abolitionist and Revolutionary War societies.

He published his first poem, An Evening Thought, in 1761, he was nearly 50 years old. Hammon spent years in bondage, apparently working as a servant, clerk, and courier for the Lloyds while composing revolutionary poetry and essays. In addition to authoring two unpublished poems, he published at least six poems and three essays. He was the first African American poet to be published in the United States. In 1784, he was the featured speaker at the first recorded meeting of the African Society of New York City.

Jupiter Hammon’s death was unrecorded, but historians place it somewhere around 1806. He spent his final years living with John Nelson Lloyd, a great-grandson of Henry. He was buried on Lloyd land, in an unmarked grave. In 2020, United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, designated Lloyd Manor a Literary Landmark.

Sources:

Fink, Lisa. “Honoring Jupiter Hammon, the First Published African American Poet.” National Council of Teachers of English, 1 Oct. 2020, ncte.org/blog/2020/10/celebrating-black-poetry 

“Jupiter Hammon.” Lloyd Harbor Historical Society, 14 Oct. 2023, lloydharborhistoricalsociety.org/jupiter-hammon

“Jupiter Hammon.” Poets.Org, Academy of American Poets, 16 Oct. 2019, poets.org/poet/jupiter-hammon 

 “The Life and Works of Jupiter Hammon.” Preservation Long Island, 14 Oct. 2022, preservationlongisland.org/the-life-and-works-of-jupiter-hammon-1711-before-1806

Pembroke Mansion

 The Pembroke Mansion was built in 1916 by architect C.P.H. Gilbert for Captain Joseph R. De Lemar. 

The Pembroke Mansion had a palm court, cave, 70 foot water tower with an elevator leading to a tea house, indoor tennis court, and stained glass windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

This 60,000 square foot Gold Coast Mansion included 12 bedrooms, 12 baths, a billiard room, den, dining room, mirrored breakfast room, long party rooms to entertain hundreds of guests. It was situated on 46 acres of land. De Lamar enjoyed playing an intricate pipe organ at the base of his stairway. Large windows overlooked gardens, the private bathing casino and boat landing on the Long Island Sound.

There was also a bowling alley, squash courts, shooting ranges, a gymnasium, a private movie theater with murals from then popular silent movies such as "The Sheik." Gilbert gave the house two distinct faces, one on its public side and a much more subdued one on its garden side. DeLamar was an incredibly wealthy man, and built Pembroke towards the end of his life as his country retreat. One side of the house contained the winter garden. Encased in glass, this building featured an abundance of wildlife, rare birds that flew freely around the interior.

It was sold Marcus Loew of Metro Goldwyn Mayer and Loew's Theaters in 1920.

The mansion was demolished  in 1968 and eventually became the Legend Yacht and Beach Club. The water tower and stables remain.

Sources:

“Gold Coast Mansions.” Pembroke Mansion - Gary DeLemar, www.goldcoastmansions.com/PembrokeMansion/PembrokeMansion.htm. Accessed 6 Nov. 2023

L., Zach. “Pembroke.” “Pembroke,” www.oldlongisland.com/2008/02/pembroke.html. Accessed 6 Nov. 2023

Fort Massapeag

 For Massapeag, the only Indian fort ever found on western Long Island and a National Historic Landmark since 1993, does not appear on most maps.

Archaeologists are not sure who built it -- whether the Massapeag Indians, the Dutch, the two together or perhaps even the English. It is believed to be the site of a New Netherland trading post built in the mid-17th century to facilitate trade with local Native Americans, and possibly serve as a wampum factory. A shell dump heap along its southern wall yielded Indian and European artifacts, including white clay smoking pipes made in Amsterdam. 

Fort Massapeag was surrounded by a protective ditch and perched on the edge of a broad salt marsh. It was near a creek leading to Great South Bay, the Long Island Expressway of its time and an abundant source of food and shells. The marsh was filled beginning in the 1930's and is now covered by streets and houses.

The area came to the attention of archaeologists in the 1930s, when the Harbor Green development began, uncovering graves of Native Americans and the site of a village, which was destroyed in the process.

The site of the fort, in the Harbor Green neighborhood on Fort Neck, is almost entirely unknown to the public and is hard to find. And it is unclear what artifacts may remain buried there. The National Park Service intentionally withholds directions. Because of its archaeological sensitivity, its location is protected.

It was first excavated in the 1930s. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993. The Town of Oyster Bay, which acquired the fort site in 1958, maintains it as a park. A sign posted by Oyster Bay identifies the property as a Massapequa Indian fort, circa 1640, but does not mention that it is a National Historic Landmark.

Sources:

“Fort Massapeag Archeological Site.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Massapeag_Archeological_Site. 

Rather, John. “A National Landmark Nobody Knows About.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 May 2005, www.nytimes.com/2005/05/08/nyregion/a-national-landmark-nobody-knows-about.html. 

Westbury Music Fair

The origin of Westbury Music Fair can be traced back to the mid-1950s. A radio broadcaster by the name Frank Ford after attending a music presentation under a small tent saw the potential to come up with something more accommodating for the performances. He teamed up with a Lee Guber and Shelly Gross. The three embarked on a plan to raise money to lease the venue with big accommodation. Over 100,000 dollars was raised and what followed was the creation of Valley Forge Music Fair. A brilliant, multicolored striped tent and 1,700 chairs were set up for the venue’s first production, The King and I, starring Charles Korvin and Constance Carpenter. The locale was beneath the path of planes flying in and out of Idlewild Airport which sometimes resulted in difficulties hearing the performance.

In 1966, the tent gave way to a state-of-the-art, fully enclosed theatre-in-the-round, enabling the Westbury Music Fair to provide entertainment year-round.  It was constructed with a focus of creating room for 3000 attendees. The first entertainer to perform in the new facility in 1966 was Jack Benny with special guest Wayne Newton.

The brand new facility boasted heat and air conditioning, folding metal chairs, carpet and tickets priced as little as $2.50. Not long after, permanent seats were installed and ticket prices were raised slightly. In 1998, the venue, and its trademark rotating stage, was sold to SFX Entertainment, now owned and operated by Live Nation. New York Community Bank acquired naming rights in 2010. It’s now known as the NYCB Theatre at Westbury.

Sources:

“NYCB Theatre at Westbury Information.” NYCB Theatre at Westbury | Latest Events, Information & Tickets. Independent Guide Not Sponsored by Live Nation!, 5 Mar. 2021, www.westburymusicfair.org/westbury-music-fair-information/#:~:text=The%20origin%20of%20Westbury%20Music,and%20exquisite%20for%20the%20performances

Schlichenmeyer, Terri. “A Look Back at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury History.” Long Island Pulse Magazine, Long Island Pulse Magazine, 24 Mar. 2017, lipulse.com/2017/03/27/nycb-theatre-at-westbury

“Westbury Music Fair.” Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, 10 Apr. 2023, www.limusichalloffame.org/inductees/westbury-music-fair

The Battle of Long Island

 The Battle of Long Island took place in August 1776 and was a victory for the British. In terms of troop deployment and fighting, it was the largest battle of the entire war.

General George Washington brought the Continental Army to defend the port city of New York, which was the southern end of Manhattan Island at the time.

In July, the British landed on Staten Island. They began to reinforce their troops with by ships in Lower New York Bay, bringing their total force to 32,000 troops. Washington moved the bulk of his forces to Manhattan, believing that it would be the first target.

On August 27, the British attacked American defenses on the Guan Heights. Unknown to the Patriots, however, Howe had brought his main army around their rear and attacked their flank soon after. The Patriots panicked, resulting in 20% losses through casualties and captures. The remainder of the army retreated to the main defenses on Brooklyn Heights.

Shortly after fighting began, the British cornered Washington and his men in Brooklyn Heights. He was surrounded on all sides with the East River to his back and no feasible means of winning the battle. Instead of surrendering, Washington evacuated the army and retreated to Manhattan. Washington’s failure there left New York firmly in British hands until the end of the war.

 

 

Sources Cited:

 “Battle of Long Island.” American Revolutionary War, American Revolutionary War, 13 Jan. 2018, revolutionarywar.us/year-1776/battle-long-island/

“Brooklyn Battle Facts and Summary.” American Battlefield Trust, www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/brooklyn

Milleridge Inn

 In 1672, a house consisting of two rooms and a central fireplace was built by Mary Willets in Jericho.  The house was used to quarter British & Hessian troops. The house was expanded, adding an upstairs, a scullery, and barns and stables. In 1770, Elias Hicks married Jemima Seaman, great-granddaughter to Mary Willets. In 1783, Elias opened his home to travelers. The food served was very simple: stews, fish, meat, and bread. After dinner, the travelers were invited to spread their bedrolls around the heart and spend the night.

A fire struck the house, with it being badly damaged and several members of the resident family perished. The original section of the house was relatively unscathed, but the top floor with the bedrooms needed to be completely rebuilt. The structure continued to be used as a family home as well as an inn until the 1900’s. The Milleridge Inn opened in what was once the historic wayfarer’s inn over 50 years ago. In 2016, Butch Yamali, owner of the Dover Group and attorney Anthony Capetola, who owns Carltun on the Park in East Meadow, bought the Inn and formed Milleridge Ventures.

The original rooms and fireplace still stands and can be seen ahead and to the left of the present main entrance. Over the course of decades, guests and staff have witnessed unexplained phenomena like doors closing, baby cradles swaying, chairs rocking, full apparitions manifesting, phantom touches and many other paranormal activity. There is a child’s footprint permanently marked in the hardwood flooring on the second floor, which staff claims it continuously reappears, even after the floor has been stripped, sanded and buffed, for many years.

 

Sources:

“Haunted Long Island: The Milleridge Inn.” The Witching Hour, 18 Oct. 2011, 4girlsandaghost.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/haunted-long-island-the-milleridge-inn

Hinko, Christy. “Conjuring Milleridge Inn Spirits.” Long Island Weekly, 20 Oct. 2021, longislandweekly.com/schellshock/. 

“History of Milleridge.” Milleridge, milleridgeinn.com/wp-content/themes/milleridge-child/History_of_Milleridge.pdf. Accessed 7 Aug. 2023

Winzelberg, David. “New Owners Take Over Milleridge Inn.” Long Island Business News, 4 Jan. 2016, libn.com/2016/01/04/new-owners-take-over-milleridge-inn

Halsey House

Thomas Halsey Sr., one of Southampton’s founders, and his family built the first farmhouse after arriving in 1640. The current house was built c. 1683 by Thomas Halsey Jr. who inherited his father’s property and used wood frame timbers from his father’s house to build his own. The house remained in the Halsey family for several generations. Visitors who pass through the weathered front door find the wide-planked floors, hand-hewn beams, furnishings, textiles and objects that were the backdrop for domestic farm life in colonial times. Outside, the culinary and medicinal plants that were once household necessities flourish in a replication of a colonial herb garden.

The 1677 will of Thomas Halsey Sr. describes his house as having a "porch chamber," which would have been the upper room of a two-story enclosed porch projecting from the chimney bay and containing the front entrance on the first floor. 

Isaac Halsey reconstituted his father's nine acre home lot when he acquired his brother's five-acre share in 1691. The house changed hands many times over the years.  In 1695, Isaac sold the southerly 2 1/2 acres of his home lot to Richard Howell. In 1697, Josiah Howell sold to Jonathan Raynor half of the 2 1/2 acres he had purchased from Isaac Halsey. Jonathan left all the land to his son Hugh. By 1800, Hugh’s son, James, owned the Halsey House. In 1812, James Raynor sold this twenty-acre parcel with the Halsey House to Elias Pelletreau. Maltby Pelletreau, who had inherited the parcel from his father, transferred the twenty acres in 1833 to a group of four men (Daniel Fordham, James Scott, Isaac Sayre, Jr. and Henry Reeves). In 1839 this group (now consisting of Henry and Emily Reeve, Isaac and Eliza Sayre, Jesse Reeves and Gilbert and Fanny Carll) sold the twenty-acre parcel to Oliver White. Thomas Nicholas White inherited the land when his father, Oliver, died in 1842. Thomas N. White and Nancy R. White sold a 2 1/4 acre parcel containing the Halsey House to Arthur J. Peabody on August 3, 1886. In 1958, John Tillotson Wainwright III, Arthur Peabody's great- grandson, sold the Halsey House on a .7 acre parcel to the Southampton Colonial Society.

During the late eighteenth-century, the Halsey House was remodeled. Casement windows were replaced with plank-frame windows having up-and-down sash and the interior was modernized with plaster ceilings and fielded paneling on the walls. The Southampton Colonial Society undertook a project to install new three-foot shingles on the Halsey House in 1999. By the fall of 2000, the frame was repaired and the new shingles installed.

The grounds are always open to the public from dawn to dusk but tours of the home are by appointment only. 

Sources:

Flanagan, Connor. “Halsey House - Historic Structure Report, 2014.” Southampton, 8 Sept. 2020, www.southamptonhistory.org/post/halsey-house-historic-structure-report-2014

“Halsey House & Garden: Southampton History.” Southampton, www.southamptonhistory.org/hhgarden. Accessed 28 July 2023

Brookwood Hall

 Brookwood Hall, a grand Georgian Revival house built in 1903, is now home to Islip town offices, the Islip Art Museum, and the Islip Arts Council, but was once a private home and then an orphanage. The orphanage, part of the Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn, moved to East Islip in 1942. It closed in 1965 when foster homes became prevalent. 

Brookwood Hall was built next to a lake in 1903 as a summer home for the affluent Knapp family. It was designed by the renowned New York architectural firm Delano & Aldrich. The 41-room mansion’s site was over 80 acres.

 During the second owner’s residency starting in 1929, the Thorne family threw grand parties with live music in the ballroom. The town purchased it in 1967 to prevent its being torn down and developed. The 41-room Georgian Revival house fell into disrepair, with peeling paint and deteriorating structures. It was restored in 2019.

In the early ’70s, the Islip Art Museum was initially the Islip Art Gallery. Founded by Elizabeth Vaughn, an art patron from Islip, the original institution was located in a crumbling gatehouse at the entrance of Brookwood Hall. The gallery featured changing exhibits of contemporary art by Long Island artists. After the gatehouse burned, the gallery moved to the south wing of the Brookwood Hall mansion where it is still housed today.

The Town of Islip placed a historical marker at the site in 2001.

Sources: 

“Brookwood Hall.” Angie Carpenter, 19 Oct. 2019, angiecarpenter.com/brookwood-hall-a-ballroom-comes-back-to-life

“Islip Art Museum.” About IAM, www.islipartmuseum.org/about.html. Accessed 11 July 2023

Jacobson, Aileen. “Grand House, Home to Many, Reveals Itself.” The New York Times, 23 Oct. 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/nyregion/24artsli.html

Hempstead House

 Hempstead House is one of four mansions on the grounds of the Guggenheim Estate, which also includes Castle Gould, Falaise and Mille Fleur. The Tudor-style castle served as a summer residence for the family.

It was designed by architects Hunt & Hunt in 1912. This 50,000-square-foot three-story mansion is 225 feet long and 135 feet wide. It has 40 rooms, including a 60-foot-tall entry foyer. Inside the foyer, the imposing vaulted ceiling illustrates the extraordinary lifestyle of the roaring 1920s and 1930s. The foyer’s magnificent Wurlitzer Opus 445 Theatre Organ is fully restored. 

The library was copied from the palace of King James I and portraits of literary figures still decorate its ceiling. The Billiard Room originally featured a gold leaf ceiling, hand-tooled leather wall coverings, and carved oak woodwork from a 17th-Century Spanish palace.

The sunken Palm Court once contained 150 species of rare orchids, plants and potted trees. An aviary housed exotic birds in ornate cages among the flowers. On the mezzanine level is the Breakfast Room with leaded windows on three sides overlooking the park grounds. All of the rooms on the second floor have carved fireplaces and are detailed with plaster trim on the walls and ceilings, each in a unique style.

After Daniel Guggenheim’s death in 1930, his wife Florence closed Hempstead House and built the fourth mansion on the property, Mille Fleur, a smaller waterside home for herself. Hempstead House’s furnishings were sold in 1940, and Florence opened the mansion to children evacuated from the war in Europe until foster homes could be found for them. In 1942, she donated 162 acres of the estate to the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences. The U.S. Navy purchased the property in 1946 for a Naval Training Device Center, and, in 1971, the property was acquired by Nassau County.

Today, Hempstead House is used for concerts, lectures, and private events, such as weddings.

Source:

“Hempstead House.” Sands Point Preserve, sandspointpreserveconservancy.org/about/hempstead-house/. Accessed 23 June 2023

St. George's Church Hempstead

St. George’s Church was founded in 1704 and was supported by the wealthy farmers in the surrounding countryside. The church’s early members included names are well known on Long Island: the Conklins and Carmans; Hewletts and Seamans. 

St. George’s consists of the church building itself, which was built in 1822. Across Front Street is the rectory, which dates from 1793. The church was first occupied by the Yankees early in 1776, then by the redcoats from mid-1776 until 1783. For much of the war, Hempstead was occupied by the British who apparently didn’t treat it well. A story told is that the church’s weather vane was used for target practice by Hessian soldiers. After the war, St. George’s changed both their name -from Anglican to Episcopalian and their service (for example, not having prayers for the King). 

Many of the most important figures in the history of Nassau County were members of the church and they were buried under it or on the grounds starting in 1724. Amy Vacchio, working at Rock Hall Museum became frustrated at the lack of knowledge of who was buried in the cemetery. Working with the Rev. Ajung Sojwal and Matt Longo, a part-time archivist at Rock Hall, Vacchio has established Friends of Historic St. George Cemetery. The church records were all digitized and placed online.

Vacchio and Longo are searching the archives of the church to identify many of the 700 people believed to have been interred in the cemetery and to decipher where they were buried; a task made difficult because of gravestones that are missing or severely damaged. From that, a map was being created of the cemetery and also placed online.

The current building contains oak interior columns that were dragged across the Hempstead Plains by horse, then hewn and installed in the sanctuary. More than one of the beautiful stained glass windows was designed by Tiffany Studios.

Sources:

Bleyer, Bill. “Volunteers, Church Work to Restore St. George’s Cemetery.” Newsday, 31 May 2022, www.newsday.com/long-island/li-life/efforts-revitalize-historic-st-georges-cemetery-r8hnpr9a

Hanc, John. “History and Time Flip the Script at Hempstead Church.” Newsday, 28 Jan. 2018, www.newsday.com/long-island/li-life/hempstead-st-george-s-church-n73143

“St. George’s Episcopal Church (Hempstead, New York).” Wikipedia, 12 Aug. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George%27s_Episcopal_Church_(Hempstead,_New_York)

Denton House/McDonald's

 

Long Island’s Denton House, an 18th-century farmhouse that was converted into a Georgian-style mansion in the 1860s, houses perhaps the grandest McDonald’s restaurant on the planet. Built in 1795 as a family dwelling, it once served as the farmhouse of Joseph Denton, a descendent of Rev. Richard Denton, one of the founders of the town of Hempstead, New York. The house served a variety of functions over the years, including a funeral home and a string of restaurants. The building, however, fell into disrepair in the latter half of the 20th century. In 1985, McDonald’s purchased the property and planned to raze the structure, but residents of the town and the surrounding area intervened, hoping to save the building from the wrecking ball.

By 1988, local preservations campaign succeeded in getting the Denton House designated as a historic site. Unable to demolish the building, McDonald’s came up with a brilliant compromise that made everyone happy: the company would invest several million dollars into restoring the house, in exchange for permission to build a drive-thru. The locals agreed, the permits were granted, and the transformation began.

Long Island’s most beautiful McDonald’s opened its doors to the public in 1991, with a fully refurbished interior that honored its history while still being a functional fast food restaurant. One of the highlights of the restaurant is the home’s veranda, which serves as a dining area and is sealed in with glass paneling. Even the drive-thru is unobtrusive and in keeping with the home’s overall appearance. 

 

Sources:

“Bite into History at the McMansion, Long Island’s Fanciest McDonald’s.” ABC7 New York, 2 July 2021, abc7ny.com/mcmansion-mcdonalds-the-denton-house-landmark/10851005

 “Denton House McDonald’s.” Atlas Obscura, 8 July 2013, www.atlasobscura.com/places/denton-house-mcdonalds

Robicelli, Allison. “Everyone Deserves to Know about the Long Island Mansion McDonald’s.” The Takeout, 21 Apr. 2021, thetakeout.com/long-island-new-york-hyde-park-mcdonalds-elegant-beauti-1846731301

Maine Maid Inn

 

The Maine Maid Inn was originally the home of Valentine Hicks.  He was the youngest son of Samuel & Phebe Hicks. He was born n New York City and worked to organize the Society for Establishing a Free School, a group that started the New York City Schools. In 1815, he and his wife Abigail moved to Jericho and a house built by Timothy Treadwell.

Originally, the house had a side hall entrance, but it was moved to the front and a grand staircase was added.  Front rooms were also added. The house stood on an acre of land and Valentine then acquired eighteen more.  When Abigail inherited property from her father, they own more than thirty-five acres. It was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Valentine was documented to assist fugitive slaves.  One fugitive slave was hidden in the attic and then brought to the bay by wagon to freedom. Later, the fugitive slaves were taken to a secret linen closet from the grand staircase.  There were removable shelves and behind those, the closet let to another staircase that led to the attic.

The house was turned into the Maine Maid Inn in the 1950s.  It closed in 2009. In 2012, it was designated landmark status by the Town of Oyster Bay. The town's designation preserves the exterior of the structure, but doesn't limit the ability of an owner to refurbish the interior and grounds and build a business there. In 2013, it was purchased by the Scotto Brothers. In 2017, they opened the restaurant One North at the location after spending millions in modernizing the structure. It was eventually turned into Opus Steakhouse, which is still open today.

 

 

Sources:

Bolger, Timothy. “Maine Maid Inn Reborn as One North.” LI Press, 21 Dec. 2017, www.longislandpress.com/2017/12/21/maine-maid-inn-reborn-as-one-north

Dowd, Joe. “Historic Maine Maid Inn Designated as Landmark.” Plainview, NY Patch, 16 May 2012, patch.com/new-york/plainview/historic-maine-maid-inn-designated-as-landmark

Velsor, Kathleen G. The Underground Railroad on Long Island: Friends in Freedom. The @History Press, 2013

Gruberg's Playland

 Max Gruberg bought Gruberg’s Playland to Long Beach in 1946. The park was located against the boardwalk at the street level. It included a carousel, Tilt-a-Whirl, a rocket, fire engine, streetcar, and a wet boat ride to name a few. There were food concessions and an arcade. Prices ranged from nine to twenty cents. The park expanded in the late 1940s to 75,000 square feet and new rides and games were added including a Ferris Wheel and a penny arcade.

At that time, he used only female ride operators, feeling they were more efficient with the handling of children. A new carousel was added in 1951, which sadly was sold two years later when the property size of the park was reduced. The park was completely renovated in 1952 and added two new rides: a locomotive and a tank. Seven concession stands were also added at this time.

By the 1950s, the park was re-named Playland and it was large enough to consist of two sections. There were rides for adults on the boardwalk and the kiddie park was on the street below. An ad in 1972 called the park Gruberg’s Kiddyland. At this point, there were 32 rises on four-acres of land open from April until September. The kiddie park was closed down by the late 1970s.

 

Sources:

Berman, Marisa L. Historic Amusement Parks of Long Island. The History Press, 2015

Grey Gardens

 The 14-room Grey Gardens home was designed by architect Joseph Greenleaf Thorpe in 1897 for F. Stanhope Phillips and his wife, newspaper heiress Margaret Bagg Phillips. Amid construction delays, Mr. Phillips died unexpectedly, leaving his large estate to his wife.

Mr. Phillips’s surviving brother challenged her control over the estate, claiming she used undue influence on her late husband to obtain it. Despite these claims, the court ruled in her favor, leading her to build the home in the early 1900s. But by 1913, she had sold it to the president of a coal company, Mr. Robert C. Hill and his wife Anna.

At the time, the home stood on four acres of oceanfront land. Anna Gilman Hill imported concrete walls from Spain to enclose the garden. She designed the garden with assistance from her landscape architect, Ruth Dean.

Phelan and Edith Beale bought the home in the 1920s. After Phelan left his wife in 1934, the home fell into ruin. The garden reverted back to untamed nature and the glorious walls and garden structures were almost entirely hidden by sprawling overgrowth. The residence fell into disrepair almost as quickly as the garden. In 1971, the town of East Hampton ordered a raid on Grey Gardens, which many considered uninhabitable, and argued that it was a safety hazard.

In 1972, the squalid living conditions of the Beale women were exposed to national and international media. The women faced certain eviction by the town of East Hampton if they did not clean up their home and comply with local building codes. Lee Radizwell and Jackie Onassis pitched in to make needed repairs. Renovations included setting up proper plumbing and heat in a couple of the rooms upstairs, painting over old wallpaper, and bringing the house up to code to pass an inspection. Even though Grey Gardens passed its inspection, the conditions were bleak.

After Big Edie died in 1977, Little Edie was forced to put Grey Gardens on the market. Edie refused to sell the home to anyone that did not promise to restore the mansion to its former glory.  Ben Bradlee, the former executive editor of The Washington Post, and his wife, the writer Sally Quinn, made that promise and bought Grey Gardens from Little Edie in 1979.

The home was fully restored, the gorgeous gardens were brought back to life, and a swimming pool was added.  The Quinns sold the home for over $15 million to Liz Quinn in 2017.

 

Sources:

“The House.” Greygardensonline.com, https://greygardensonline.com/the-house

Mendelsohn, Hadley. “How This Oceanfront Oasis Became the Most Infamous Mansion in the Hamptons.” House Beautiful, 18 Oct. 2022, https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a40785498/grey-gardens-house

Woodcastle Hotel in Massapequa Park

 German immigrants from Wurttenberg settled in what is today Massapequa Park in the 1860s. The area came to be known as Stadt Wurttemberg because of its exclusive German population. In 1868, Clara Wittfelder Dessart and Louis Dessart moved to what was then called South Oyster Bay and built their hotel. Originally called the Prospect Park Hotel, it was renamed Woodcastle in the late 1870s to separate it from the city.

The hotel had a dining room, bar, dance hall and bowling alley, and there was a general store and beer hall adjacent to it. It consisted of six single rooms, two double rooms and two suites on the second floor, and a glass-enclosed cupola, from which guests could see South Oyster Bay. The Hotel was located on Front Street across from the newly-completed Southside Railway and was near the Unqua Station (near today’s Grand Boulevard). Visitors would be picked up at the station and transported to the Hotel by horse and buggy. They would also be transported to South Oyster Bay if they wished to swim, to Massapequa Lake to fish, or they could walk through the fields and woods if they wished to hike or hunt.

By around 1900, Lillian Bryson's  grandparents accepted the fact that the Hotel was no longer profitable and used it as their residence. Lillian is the great granddaughter of Clara and Louis. The family decided to sell the buildings in 1948. The Hotel was torn down soon after. The cleared space soon became the Massapequa Park Firehouse. 

The Historical Society of the Massapequas recognized Woodcastle Hotel as an important historic site in October 2000.

 

Source:

Kirchmann, George. “Woodcastle Hotel.” Massapequa, NY Patch, Patch, 8 Oct. 2013, https://patch.com/new-york/massapequa/woodcastle-hotel

Roosevelt Field

 Roosevelt Field was originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field, it was a training field for the Air Service, United States Army during World War I.

The Hempstead Plains Aerodrome originally encompassed 900 to 1,000 acres (405 ha) east of and abutting Clinton Road, south of and adjacent to Old Country Road, and west of Merrick Avenue. A bluff 15 feet in elevation divided the plain into two large fields. The U.S. Army Signal Corps established the Signal Corps Aviation Station, Mineola, on the west field in July 1916 as a pilot training school for members of the National Guard.

When the U.S. entered the war in April 1917, the entire field was taken over and renamed Hazelhurst Field after Leighton Wilson Hazelhurst, Jr.

In 1919, it was renamed in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt’s son, Quentin, who was killed in air combat during World War I. The government sold its buildings in July of 1920. The new owners sold portions along the southern edge of the field and split the remainder of the property into two separate areas. Curtiss Field, a 300-acre airport on the original site of Hazelhurst Field and Roosevelt Field, which consisted of seven hangars and a large parking ramp.

Both fields were bought in 1929 by Roosevelt Field, Inc. Unit 1 was sold in 1936 and became the Roosevelt Raceway, while Unit 2 continued to operate as an aviation center under the name Roosevelt Field. Roosevelt Field was commissioned as a Naval Air Facility in 1943.

After the war, Roosevelt Field reverted to operation as a commercial airport until it was acquired by real estate developers in 1950. The field closed on May 31, 1951.

The eastern field is now predominantly retail shopping and the site of the original flying field has become a shopping mall. Roosevelt Field was the takeoff point for many historic flights in the early history of aviation, including Charles Lindbergh's 1927 solo transatlantic flight. It was also used by other pioneering aviators, including Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post.

 

Sources:

Alba, Joseph. “Long Island's Roosevelt Field.” Metropolitan Airport News, 14 Nov. 2022, https://metroairportnews.com/long-islands-roosevelt-field/

“Roosevelt Field (Airport).” DBpedia, https://dbpedia.org/page/Roosevelt_Field_(airport)

Manor of St. George

The Manor of St. George was established in 1696 by Colonel William Tangier Smith. After 1683, Smith arrived on Long Island and was granted a large tract of land from Long Island Sound to the South Shore, and established himself as a leading citizen of Suffolk County. 

From the west, the manor started at the Carman’s River and stretched all the way east to the Town of Southampton, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Northward to the middle of the island. The total estimated area the manor covered was about 90 square miles.

The British commandeered the manor during the Revolutionary War, re-naming it Fort St. George. On November 23, 1780, a raising party staged a surprise attack and defeated the British garrison.

The manor was dedicated as a public museum in 1955 by Eugenie Smith, one of William’s descendants. Inside the house, eight of the rooms have been furnished with pieces the family collected over the generations. The grounds include a family cemetery, gardens, and several buildings that were used as icehouses, smokehouses, barns, stables, and carriage houses.

Historic documents were found inside the house including plans for the British Fort St. George and the original royal charter granted to William. These were microfilmed by SUNY Stonybrook and are available for viewing by researchers and scholars.

The manor is open to the public and admission is free.

Sources:

Hall, Michael J.  Special to The New,York Times. "Manor of St. George and Documents Preserved by Its Owners Reflect Early L. I. History." New York Times (1923-), Sep 26, 1971, pp. 1. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/manor-st-george-documents-preserved-owners/docview/119215592/se-2.

“Manor of St. George.” On This Site, 28 June 2020, https://www.jeremynative.com/onthissite/listing/manor-of-st-george 

“St George's Manor.” Long Island Parks, 25 Aug. 2022, https://liparks.com/park/st-georges-manor

Ward Melville & Stonybrook

 Ward Melville was born in Brooklyn on January 5, 1887. He attended Adelphi Academy and then Columbia College. Melville Shoe was founded by his father Frank in 1893. Ward became President in 1930.  He and J. Franklin McElwain came up with the idea of mass producing shoes through low-priced stores. The Thom McAn company was born of this idea and the first store opened in 1922.

In 1939, Ward extensively renovated the Old Hallock Homestead he had inherited and renamed it the Three Village Inn. His wife Dorothy became co-founder of the Suffolk Museum. Their goal was to preserve and maintain historic Stony Brook, so Ward created a not-for-profit corporation, the Stony Brook Community Fund in 1939. It was later renamed The Ward Melville Heritage Organization in 1996.

Ward Melville’s dream was to create a “living Williamsburg.” Seeking community cooperation, Ward hosted a dinner at the Three Village Inn on January 19, 1940. He presented his plans, designed by close friend and architect Richard Haviland Smythe, which included a crescent-shaped Village Center with connected shops grouped around a federalist-style post office.

With a majority approval by the local people, the venture began at Ward Melville’s own personal expense of $500,000. He relocated, demolished, or modified some thirty-five buildings in the downtown area. A two acre Village Green was created opening the vista to the harbor. The new Stony Brook Village Center was completed in the summer of 1941.

Ward Melville died at the age of 90 in 1977.

 

Sources:

Leonard, S. "Ward Melville, 90, Shoe Magnate, Dies: Chairman of Melville Corporation Founded the Thom Mcan Line and Defended Chain Stores. “ New York Times (1923-), Jun 06, 1977, pp. 32. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/ward-melville-90-shoe-magnate-dies/docview/123360018/se-2

“Our Story.” Ward Melville Heritage Organization, https://wmho.org/the-ward-melville-heritage-organization/wmho-story

Charles Addams Home Sagaponack

Sagaponack, once home to Charles Addams, the famous illustrator, cartoonist and Addams Family creator and his wife, Marilyn “Tee” Addams, now houses the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, founded by Ms. Addams in 1999.  The couple moved into the home in 1985 and referred to as “The Swamp.” The rambling, cedar shingle, ranch-style bungalow is set on 4.5 acres in the Sagaponack woods.

There are some unusual things at the house, namely Ms. Addams’s impressive collection of stuffed and mounted wildlife. There is also the pet cemetery in the front yard, the final resting place of beloved pets & the unlikely location where the couple held their wedding ceremony in 1980 and where it is rumored that Mr. Addams’s cremated remains are buried.

The house today is furnished to closely replicate how it was when the couple lived there. The rustic home is filled with Mr. Addams’s creations, Victoriana, objects given by friends and fans, the many stuffed and mounted animals, and photographs of animals in the wild.

In Mr. Addams’s personal study and office. Some of the many collectibles in that room include: an antique drafting table where Mr. Addams drew; a stuffed mongoose in battle with a cobra given to him as a gift; stuffed birds encased in a glass globe; and delicately painted Addams Family-themed eggs from 1966. Right off the study is the cedar archival closet, which holds originals of Mr. Addams’s famous works.

Tee’s favorite room was referred to as “the bird room.” That space, which offers a view of the woods, also includes: a photograph of a cheetah taken by Ms. Addams in Africa, ostrich and emu eggs, papier mâché-inspired heads of members of the Addams Family created out of linen and made for performers of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1965 and needlepoints of the famous illustrated Addamses, made by Sloan Simpson, an ex-girlfriend of Mr. Addams, dated 1965.

Sources: 

“It's a Museum, a Real Screa-Um: The Addams Family House.” 27 East, 15 Apr. 2010, https://www.27east.com/home-garden/its-a-museum-a-real-screa-um-the-addams-family-house-2-1395648