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 In addition to authoring two unpublished poems, he published at least six poems and three essays.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