Fort Tyler

It was in 1898, at the start of the Spanish-American War, that attention turned to long-neglected defensive positions along the East Coast. Without firepower at the entrance to Long Island Sound, enemy ships might approach New York City from the back, wreaking havoc before the U.S. Navy could respond.

The Eastern Shield, a string of fortifications from the Connecticut shore to Montauk, was rushed into construction. Work on Fort Tyler was commissioned by the War Department. It was to be built on a 14-acre island on what had until the blizzard of 1888 been known as Gardiner’s Point. The fort was not completed by war’s end. Troops were never stationed there, and no guns ever mounted. For years, its only occupants were seabirds and the occasional group of picnickers — including at least one class from East Hampton High School.

It was named in 1904, after Brigadier General Daniel Tyler, U.S. Volunteers, who served with distinction during the U.S. Civil War, and who died 30 Nov 1882. Conveyed to New York State in 1924. Gardiners Point Island was first acquired by the government in 1851 as a lighthouse reservation.

In 1898, it was transferred to the U.S. Army for use as a coastal fortification and a single Endicott Period gun battery was built in 1898. The Endicott Period battery was never armed and it seems that a temporary, two gun 8" Rodman gun battery was also built but not armed.

 The island was garrisoned in 1917 during World War I. The interest of the U.S. Government was conveyed to the State of New York by Q.M. Order dated 29 Aug 1924. Battery and Island used for target practice during World War II and through 1975.

 n July 1936, the Ninth Bombardment Group of the Army Air Force tested its new Glen Martin bombers there. After World War II, the assaults on the fort became more intense, with live bombs, rockets, and machine guns trained on its crumbling walls.

 Closed to the public, a real danger from unexploded ordnance. Do not set foot on the island. As of 2020, the ruins, as they are called, has nearly been consumed by the sea.

 Sources:

 “Fort Tyler (1).” Fort Tyler (1) - FortWiki Historic U.S. and Canadian Forts, www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Tyler_(1)

 Rattray, David E. “The 'Ruins' Are Claimed by the Sea.” The 'Ruins' Are Claimed by the Sea | The East Hampton Star, www.easthamptonstar.com/villages/202012/ruins-are-claimed-sea

Knollwood Estate

Knollwood Estate was originally built for Charles I. Hudson between 1906 and 1920, The 60-room mansion had elements of Greek Revival, Italian Renaissance and Spanish styling with towering Ionic front columns with terraced garden and a dairy farm to satisfy his passion for raising Jersey cattle. The landscape architect was Ferrucio Vitale. The 150-acre estate devoted a large part of its land to commercial farming and pasturing. A stuccoed combination stable and garage building included space for 12 cars and apartments for chauffeurs, grooms, and gardeners. A poultry building and a hog house were also located on the estate, as well as an additional stable that housed farm horses, wagons, and implements. Accommodations included a boarding house for farm laborers, a cottage for the farm superintendent, and an additional cottage for agricultural workers. 

 Following Hudson’s death in 1921, Knollwood was sold to Gustavia Senff, widow of Charles H. Senff, director of the American Sugar Refining Company (later Domino Sugar). Charles Senff McVeigh, an attorney, inherited Knollwood as trustee following the death of his aunt in 1927. McVeigh sold Knollwood to King Gustav S. Zog of Albania in 1951 for approximately $102.800. 

 King Zog, born Ahmet Muhtar Bej Zogolli, ruled Albania from 1925 to 1939, first as president and later as king, before he was forced to flee Albania with his family following invasion by Italian forces. Zog had planned on turning Knollwood into his own personal micro-kingdom, complete with Albanian subjects, but somehow these plans never materialized. He was particularly taken with Knollwood’s extensive dairy and capacity to house a thousand chickens. But Zog’s hopes ran higher than poultry: owning an American residence meant that Zog and his family would have an easier time immigrating to the United States, which was an implicit component of his understanding with the government. If he could not be king in Albania, Zog planned to live like an aristocratic landowner in America. 

Once the paperwork on Knollwood was signed, he began looking into the possibility of bringing over whole families of servants with him to America to serve as the foundation for a court of over 100 people. Worried that being accepted as a “refugee” or an official “emigrant” might damage his claim to the Albanian throne, Zog refused to accept anything less than an official invitation and sponsorship. On September 22, 1953, after a direct petition from CIA Director Allan Dulles, the U.S. State Department finally instructed their Alexandrian consulate that Zog and his entourage were to be allowed into the United States without visas. Sadly for him, the king didn't leave the country in time. Four days later, the king’s villa was raided by Egyptian authorities, Zog was arrested, and a large sum of his gold reserves were seized. By 1955, the property had fallen to disrepair and was sold to Lansdell Christie who had most of it demolished in 1959. Today curious hikers can explore what remains of King Zog’s would-be palace on what is now part of Nassau County’s 550-acre Muttontown Preserve. 

 Sources: 

 “Knollwood: The Estate and Its Owners.” Long Island Past and Present, 1 Mar. 2019, longislandpastandpresent.com/2019/03/01/knollwood-the-estate-and-its-owners

 “Ruins of King Zog's Estate.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 10 July 2013, www.atlasobscura.com/places/ruins-of-king-zog-s-estate 

 “The Secret Cold War History of a Ruined Long Island Estate.” Mental Floss, 13 June 2017, www.mentalfloss.com/article/501395/secret-cold-war-history-ruined-long-island-estate

Farmingdale Royal Arcanum

The Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum, more commonly known as the Royal Arcanum, was founded in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded by John A. Cummings and Darius Wilson, and it is a fraternal benefit society. The Royal Arcanum’s structure follows a three-tiered system which includes local groups or “councils” with at least 16 members, five state councils or “Grand Council” with at least 1,000 members, and the highest tier which is the “Supreme Council” based in Boston.

In August of 1887, the Farmingdale Council 1052 became a member of the National Council of Royal Arcanum.  Farmingdale Council 1052 had boasted that they are the oldest organization in the Village of Farmingdale.  It was originally founded under the name, Hardscrabble Council 1052, but the name was changed to Farmingdale Council 1052 in 1888. The group was founded by William H. Trou, Dr. H. Thorne, Gilbert Laurence, Humphrey Pike, Alanson Van Cott, Peter N. Bowers, Adolph Bausch, Reverend H. Blatz, George Warner, George Nuncy, and John Turner.

Farmingdale Council 1052’s first home was a two-story wooden building which was built in 1888 and cost three hundred dollars. It would have stood at today’s address of 281 Main Street, where the Divine Olive was.

Being established as a fraternal benevolent organization required all members to buy life insurance for family protection from the Supreme Council in Boston, Massachusetts. As part of their membership, the group members and their families were able to attend an elaborate Christmas Party by the State Council of the Royal Arcanum in New York. Farmingdale Council 1052 also took part in sponsoring many events around Farmingdale and New York. One event the group sponsored was Santa Claus’ visit to the Village. They also sponsored the Babe Ruth Baseball Team which played Little League.

The last information available about the Royal Arcanum was 1956 and their dissolution information is unknown.

Source:

Junior Historical Society of Farmingdale. Farmingdale’s Story: Farms to Flights. 

Weldon E. Howitt High School, 1956

“Royal Arcanum.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Sept. 2019,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Arcanum

Wardenclyffe Tower

Wardenclyffe Tower in Shoreham, New York was built by Nikola Tesla from 1901-1902. Tesla had many revolutionary ideas, and Wardenclyffe Tower was based on one of those many ideas. Tesla had an idea to create a global, wireless system for communication and power transfer, as he wanted to be able to transmit messages, telephones, and images across the world. With this tower, he wanted to be able to reach across the Atlantic to England, as well as reach ships on the sea who were traveling and may need to be reached.

Nikola Tesla was always an ambitious man and his ideas for this project were no different. Tesla wanted to revolutionize telecommunications with the implementation of wireless transmission. His dream tower was built, which stood at 187 feet tall and was made of mostly wood. At the tower’s base, a brick laboratory was also built.

Tesla’s tower would have been a prototype for a system with many uses. Tesla’s tower would have been able to broadcast music, news, reports, secure military communications, and images. This tower could have developed and advanced many fields before the history we already know, but Tesla’s ambitions on this project were a little too high. His dreams exceeded his resources and his financier’s patience.

In 1917 before the project was able to reach its completion, Tesla’s funding was pulled, and the tower was demolished for scrap to satisfy any debts owed to his financier. From its abandonment in 1917 until 1987, the brick building and property was either vacant or used by commercial businesses.

In 2013, nonprofit groups were able to save the property from sale and the property is now owned by the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe. The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe is a nonprofit organization that was established to restore the site and eventually develop a science and technology center in honor of one of the greatest minds in science. Also due to the efforts to save the site, in 2018, the site was listed on the National Register for Historic Sites and is now protected.

Source:

“History of Wardenclyffe.” Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, teslasciencecenter.org/history

Brief Biography of Alexander de Seversky

Alexander de Seversky was born in Triflis, Russia on June 7, 1894, to an aristocratic family. He learned how to fly by age 14 from his father who owned one of the first airplanes in Russia. De Seversky earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Imperial Russian Naval Academy in 1914  and became a second lieutenant in the Imperial Naval Air Service the following year.

 In 1918, de Seversky went to the United States as an assistant naval attaché to the Russian Embassy. This was a fortuitous assignment, as it gave him the chance to escape the Bolshevik Revolution by remaining in the U.S. Soon, he was working at the War Department as an aeronautical engineer and test pilot, acting for a time as a special consultant to the famed general, Billy Mitchell.

After becoming a U.S. citizen in 1927, de Seversky received a commission in the Army Air Corps as a major. De Seversky made numerous contributions to aviation. He filed a patent for aerial refueling in 1921 and developed the first bombsight stabilized with a gyroscope, and invented many other aeronautical instruments.

He organized a new company, the Seversky Aircraft Corporation in Farmingdale in 1931, with Wall Street backing, and with himself as President and Chief Test Pilot. This new company was to specialize in long-range high-speed pursuit planes. Their first aircraft was an amphibian in which he set several speed records.

In the 1940s, 50s and 60s he wrote and lectured extensively on military theory and airpower, always promoting strategic bombardment and a strong Air Force. He was considered a leading expert on the tactics and strategy of aerial warfare and he considered global airpower as the solution to America’s security needs.

He was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame in 1970 for "his achievements as a pilot, aeronautical engineer, inventor, industrialist, author, strategist, consultant, and scientific advances in aircraft design and aerospace technology." De Seversky was married to New Orleans socialite Evelyn Olliphant, who was also well-known as a pilot. She, in fact, learned to fly as a surprise for her husband, and the two of them flew on many trips together. De Seversky died on August 24, 1974.

Sources:

“Alexander De Seversky at the Cradle of Aviation Museum.” Cradle of Aviation Museum, www.cradleofaviation.org/history/history/people/alexander_de_seversky.html

 “Alexander De Seversky: Influential World War II Air Power Advocate.” National Air and Space Museum, 22 Mar. 2017, airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/alexander-de-seversky-influential-world-war-ii-air-power-advocate

Ferguson Mansion

"Ferguson's Castle" was the dream home of Julianna Armour Ferguson (heiress to the Chicago‐based Armour meat packing company). The estate was modeled after the religious monasteries of Italy and Spain that Ferguson and her late husband, Dr. Farquhar Ferguson, had visited together. Set into a steep hill overlooking Huntington Harbor, the forty‐room, Italian Renaissance‐style castle, with its lofty four‐story bell tower, was originally christened the “Monastery" when its three‐year construction was completed in 1911.

With the goal of creating an authentic feel to the house, Mrs. Ferguson, along with Boston architect Allen W. Jackson and a team of purchasing agents, scoured Europe looking for architectural treasures and valuable works of art to incorporate into the Monastery's interior decor. In the end, it was estimated that Mrs. Ferguson spent over $2 million to construct the home.

Stained glass windows and Byzantine‐style frescos taking several years to paint graced the Refectory (dining room). The impressive Grand Hall (living room) looked like an elaborate movie set for Romeo and Juliet. The dramatic double‐story cloistered courtyard, enclosed by a massive glass ceiling, took visitors on a fascinating journey back in time. Exotic marble and onyx columns supported the balcony from which the family bedrooms, outdoor cloister garden and main staircase surveyed the Grand Hall below.

Perhaps the building's most arresting feature was the floors paved with children's tombstones, dating back three centuries, which were also incorporated into many of the rooms. According to sources, when showing guests to their room, Mrs. Ferguson would tell them whom they would be staying with.

Julianna Ferguson died in 1927. Put up for auction in 1936, the valuable contents that Julianna amassed at the Monastery were sold for pennies on the dollar. Shortly after the auction, the house still found no buyers until Brooklyn attorney Charles D. Cords acquired the property. The Cords quietly resided in the Monastery for the next thirty years, but Mr. Cords, who loved the Castle, was unable to maintain the estate in the style to which it was accustomed.

Taking action, the county seized the fourteen‐acre waterfront estate. Local resident groups rallied to save the house, but without the support of the town or the county, their efforts were fruitless. Ultimately, the Castle fell into ruin, covered in deep vines. The empty house was soon vandalized, and valuable artwork and ancient statues and artifacts were smashed, covered in graffiti or pried from the walls and gardens of the home. The once grand showplace was sold to developers in 1970.

The battle to save Ferguson's Castle was lost to the wrecking ball, but with concrete walls over four feet thick and footings four‐by‐fourteen feet, the house did not fall easily. In fact, some of the footings and foundation still remain. The monumental task nearly bankrupted the project. Luckily, just before the house was razed, a number of the artifacts incorporated into the building were removed and sold to private collectors and museums. Today, the gatehouse (now a private home) and some of the garden wall are all that remain of Ferguson's Castle.

Source:

“Bygone Mansions.” Gold Coast Mansions - Historic Long Island - Bygone Mansions, goldcoastmansionsoflongisland.com/index.php?page=bygone_mansions_02

Sagtikos Manor

The Sagtikos Manor was built in 1697, and expanded in 1772 and 1902. Its history spans more than three centuries from its original purchase from the Secatogue tribe by Stephanus Van Cortlandt in 1692 to the present.

Following Mr. Van Cortlandt’s death in 1700, the land was purchased from his family by Timothy Carll in 1706. The estate was then acquired by Jonathan Thompson of Setuaket in 1758. Mr. Thompson purchased the land for his younger son, Isaac. Jonathan deeded half of the land to Isaac upon the birth of his first son in 1773 and the remainder of the property to Isaac upon Jonathan’s death.

At that time that Isaac more than doubled the size of the original Van Cortlandt house by adding nine new rooms. In 1790, George Washington spent the night of April 21st at Sagtikos Manor. President Washington recorded this in the diary he kept of his tour of Long Island.

After Judge Thompson’s death, the Manor was used for the most part as a summer home for the family. His sons and grandsons built their homes in New York City or other places on Long Island. In 1894, Isaac Thompson’s great grandson, Frederick Diodoti Thompson, bought out all the other heirs and became the sole owner of the 1,200 acre estate. In 1902, he added east and west wings to the house, enlarging it to forty-two rooms.

The last family member to live in the Manor was Robert David Lion Gardiner. He owned the property from 1935 to 1985 when he deeded it to the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. In 2002, Suffolk County purchased the remaining 10 acre property from the Foundation to keep it from being sold to a developer.

Source:

Sagtikos History, sagtikosmanor.org/history.html